Grocery Shopping

Yesterday I took on the task of organizing our food storage. I thought it would be great to have two extra sets of hands helping me complete the project.


They were great helpers for about 5 minutes. But then they started finding all of the goodies and decided to bag up as many as they could while my back was turned. I later found them in the hallway, with mischevious grins on their faces, dragging a very heavy grocery bag filled with . . . .

. . . . . sugar!!!

They were disappointed when I made them stock the goodies back on the shelves. Once the sweets were out of reach, the kids were much less willing to help. Caleb suddenly became exhausted and decided that he needed a rest.

Open Season

Well, this year Josh conspired with our Bishop, Bud Wilhelm, and the two of them convinced me and Bud's wife to take hunter safety and hunt with them. "It will be fun, like a double date!" Josh said. Then Bud convinced me that Melanie (his wife) was excited that I would be hunting with them. Before I knew it, I was committed, and Josh rushed me through the hunter safety requirements so that I could get a deer tag. The plan was that Melanie and I would hunt during the rifle season, and by helping us Bud and Josh would get some scouting done for their bow hunt which started three days after our season ended. Well, to sum up my hunting experience: it was surpisingly fun, I froze to death at least once, and I really enjoyed the one-on-one time with Josh. Josh was very considerate--one time I forgot my wool socks, so Josh gave me his. He was trying to make sure that I enjoyed the experience, and the ground was snowy, so he let his feet freeze instead of mine. LOL. The Wilhelms were great, we saw lots of deer, and even though I didn't get a buck myself, Melanie did. Then, during the first week of the bowhunt, Josh arrowed a nice 4x4 that he had been keeping track of. Below are some pictures of our adventures.

Melanie and me with her trophy.

The kids were so excited.

Bud and Melanie, with their oldest daughter Emma


Josh shot this buck from a tree stand, at 20 yards.

During my hunt, Josh told me that he wanted me to get a deer even more than he wanted one for himself . . . but I think that his smile says differently:) He and the kids were grinning all day long.

Our Babies

Ok, I know our babies look quite a bit alike. But, can you tell which baby is which?


Baby A.


Baby B.

Baby C.

~ Caleb spilled some of his cereal the other day and Carly tried to comfort him.~

CARLY: "I know why you are sad.... it is because you realize that someday we are going to move to Montana."

CALEB: (Not having a clue what she was talking about replied...) "YEAH!!!"

~The kids were eating lunch and I handed Caleb a spoonful of peanut butter (it is one of their favorite things to eat).~

CALEB: "Yeah.....POOP!!!!"

Our Little Girl

We have come to realize that our little girl is not so little any more. Next year she will be starting school.

This is a picture of our family. Look closely. She put a lot of time and effort into this masterpiece. (I labeled each member of the family.)
Carly is such a funny girl. The other day I was taking care of the baby and she spilled her cereal. Instead of coming and asking me for help she tried to clean up the mess all by herself. I walked into the room just as she was squeezing the washcloth she had been washing the floor with in order to get some milk out of it so she could finish what little cereal she had left in her bowl. She is so resourceful!

Yesterday I noticed Carly's room was dirty. I asked her to clean her room. She went into her room and shut the door. I went to check on her progress about 10 minutes later and her room was clean. This has never happened before. Cleaning her room has always been a team effort. She is growing up so fast! Because she did what I asked her to the first time I asked I told her she could pick out a treat the next time we go to the store. Carly was so excited! But, she felt the need to explain to me how the treat she was going to pick out had to be on sale or else we cannot buy it. Can you tell we shop the sales?

The kids are already anxious for Christmas. Carly wants something that has to do with princesses and Caleb wants a train. He loves Thomas The Train. We will have to see if Santa has anything in his bag that is on their wish list.

James is growing up so fast. He is three months old (as of last week) and weighs 17 lbs. As you can see from this picture, Caleb loves being a big brother.

Dance

We enjoy watching our kids dance. They come up with some of the most creative moves. In this video it almost looks like Caleb is doing exercises you would see at football camp, while Carly pretends she is a ballerina. I think they get most of their dancing ability from their Dad, because I cannot dance.

Learning to talk

Caleb has never been much of a talker. But, lately he has come up with names for a few of his favorite things.


He calls his sister Carly, "Nuh." I do not know how he came up with Nuh out of Carly, but whatever.


This is his rabbit. He takes it everywhere he goes. He named it "Ra." Atleast he got the first two letter of the word this time. I think he is making progress.


Finally, are the elk on James shirt. Caleb points to them and says, "ELK!!!" Yes, he said it! Can you tell his dad is a hunter? It is funny how much Caleb already loves animals and the outdoors just like his dad. He gets so excited when we go to Cabelas and see all of the animals they have on display.

Our Little Cuties

James is officially 2 months old. He weighs 14lbs. 13 oz., is 25 inches long and his head is definately growing. All of his measurements put him in about the 90th percentile for his age. He is a smiley baby and he loves to be held. And we love him sooooo much!!!!!


Carly and Caleb are best buddies. Whether they are pretending to be animals or having races from one end of our apartment to the other, they love playing together.


Carly loves being a big sister. She is constantly giving James his binky and showering him with hugs and kisses.

An attempt at a picture of all of the kids....Carly loves to be silly whenever I pull out the camera.

Scripture Power!!!

A few days ago Carly came to Josh and me and told us her friends at church have scriptures and she doesn't. So, Josh let her use his scriptures this Sunday and she was so excited to go to church with "new" scriptures.


Here she is trying to lift them up, but they are too heavy to hold up with just one hand. As you may have noticed from this picture Carly got her hair cut. You are probably thinking she got a hold of the scissors and cut her bangs all by herself, but you are wrong. I cut them. It was a decision I made on a whim early Sunday morning. Bad choice. I think I was still half asleep when I actually cut her bangs. I have made a resolution not to cut hair ever again, or at least wait until I am fully awake before grabbing the scissors. Any suggestions on how to make her bangs not look so stupid, or tips to encourage hair growth are GREATLY appreciated.


Caleb LOVES these Thomas the Train pajamas. He calls trains "choo, choos."

James is six weeks old and is growing very quickly. He is starting to wear some 3-6 month clothes already.

A Special Day

We blessed James this past Sunday and I decided to take some pictures of him in the cute little outfit he wore. We were lucky to have so many family members there to support us. It truly was a special day. The day we picked for the baby blessing just happened to fall on the same day as Caleb's second birthday. (pictures of his are birthday posted below)

Grandpa's Bear Hunt

Josh invited his dad up for a bear hunt near Coeur d'Alene Idaho, and they ended up getting one. Sorry for the gorry pictures--the only pictures they took were rated R!

Our Kids

Our little kiddos.

Caleb does not like it when his brother cries. As soon as he hears James crying he runs over and says, "Baby....sad."(repeated over and over) and gives him kisses on his head. He is such a sweet boy.

James is constantly wanting to eat, which is great!

Two week check up

Today James had his two week check up. He weighed 9 lbs. 13 oz. and was 22 3/4 inches tall.

Cheese!!!

The kids are admiring a beautiful bouquet of flowers that I received from Josh's work.

Oh Baby!!!!

James Marvin Cook was born on Monday, August 10, 2009 at 2:48 a.m., weighing 8lbs. 5 oz. and measuring 20 1/2 inches long. I started having regular contractions about 12-13 minutes apart on Saturday night, but just thought they would go away because my due date was August 24th and there was no way I would be going into labor this early. (I was induced with Carly - 6 days past my due date as well as with Caleb - 6 days early) Plus, Josh was still in Montana for his summer internship and I was NOT going to have this baby without him by my side. I talked to Josh around midnight on Saturday night and told him about the contractions I was having, but that I was hoping they would just go away. Then, his phone died. The contractions did NOT go away, in fact they progressed to 7-8 minutes apart, so at 3:00 Sunday morning I called my parents to see if one of them could make the drive over to Spokane to be with me just in case I did have the baby. My mom and my brother Brian drove over and got here at about 7:00a.m. In the meantime, I called my brother Eric and he willingly came over in case things progressed quickly and we had to go to the hospital before my mom arrived. Lucky for us, the contractions stayed about 7-8 minutes apart. Eric and Brian took Carly and Caleb to church in the morning and my mom stayed with me to help me time contractions and to be there in case I needed a ride to the hospital. Well, we went for a short walk down by the river and my contractions sped up to 2 minutes apart and so we got our bags and headed to the hospital. I decided to try giving Josh another call even though I knew his phone was dead and the only charger he had was in his car, and he answered!!!! I told him the progress I had made and that we were on our way to the hospital. At first he didn't believe me and then we were trying to decide if he would have time to make the 10 hour drive before the baby was born. Needless to say, after they admitted me to the hospital, he packed up all of his things, left his internship early, and started the long drive home. After my mom and I got to the hospital we had to walk around a little bit to encourage the contractions. Things progressed nicely and they broke my water around 2:00p.m. By about 4:00p.m. I decided to get an epidural because I was dilated to 4cm and when I was in labor with Caleb I went from 5cm to 10cm in 30 minutes, and I did not want to deliver without one. After the painful process of getting an epidural I began to feel much better. My mom and I played some cards and relaxed for a while. I got to 5cm and they brought the crib and all of the delivery equipment in, but I did not dilate any more for about 8 hours, which, worked out perfectly because it gave Josh time to get to the hospital (he got there about 10:00p.m.) and be there for the delivery. At about 1:00a.m. things finally started to pick up....I got to 6 cm, then 9cm, 10 cm and then it was time to push. I started pushing just after 2:00a.m. and he was born just before 3:00a.m. All in all, I was in labor for about 30 hours and at the end I was totally exhausted. However, I LOVED going into labor on my own. Josh made it there in time for the birth. The baby was healthy. And I could not have asked for anything more.

My mom holding James just after he was born.

One day old.

I'm happy it's over and he's finally here, and he's wishing he was back inside of me.

Daddy's boy.

All ready to go home.

Being greeted by his brother and sister after coming home.

Three days old.

Billings, Montana

I thought it would be good to post a few pictures of Billings, where Josh has been working this summer.

Billings at night.

Before coming here, we thought Montana was all farms and ranger stations. When we arrived, though, we were surprised to see high-rise buildings and a valley full of suburbs. The Billings area has a lot more people than than we expected.

Pictograph Cave

Today we went to Pictograph Cave State Park.

This is supposed to be a drawing of hunters trying to get an elk.

Men carrying guns.

The Ghost Cave.

There were cottontail rabbits everywhere; a baby bunny was even hanging out inside the indian teepee.

When the rabbits started running, the kids instantly gave chase. . .

. . . and got one cornered.

The Visitors Center they had a place for the kids to practice drawing their own pictographs.

Our little cave artists.

The Zoo

Last Saturday we went to The Montana Zoo. Carly's favorite animal was the tiger.

Roarrr!!!!

Red Pandas.

Caleb pointing out to his Dad where they were at in the tree.

There it is!!!

Caleb and I liked watching the mountain goats. Caleb was trying to convince me that they were called "elk."

Caleb figured out that grizzly bears are big and scary. The whole time we were watching the grizzly, Caleb was saying "HI-DA" (hide) and trying to hide by burying his head in Josh's shoulder.

However, Caleb and Carly were most impressed by the wandering peacocks. I guess they prefer animals that they can "catch."

Yellowstone Vacation

Josh's parents were so good to invite us to go to Yellowstone Park with them. We had a wonderful time seeing all of the beautiful scenery, and the animals, but more than anything we loved spending time with family. Enjoy the pictures of our trip!


A. Traveling over the Beartooth Mountains:

A gorgeous high mountain lake.

Mountain goats.

B. Yellowstone Park:

Buffalo.

Nate, Stephanie and Cassidy.

Uncle Brandon taking a swim. . . .

. . . and eating some fish.


Uncle Joe showing Carly the otters and Uncle Beeto in the water. :)

Caleb and Carly watching the spawning trout.

A couple of young black bears . . .

A lone wolf harassing a wounded elk. In the middle of the fight the wolf ran down a curious coyote and took care of him too.

C. Traveling over the Chief Joseph's Scenic Highway:

Catfish Carly

Last night Josh took Carly out fishing. . .

. . . And they stumbled upon some of the nastiest fish I have ever seen.

Luckily, they devoured the creatures before coming home. I'm just glad they didn't ask me to cook up some catfish.

Caleb the Kid

For Father's Day, Caleb and Carly chose to buy their dad some squirt guns.

Since then, Caleb has decided that the firearms really belong to him.

He spends his time "shooting" at birds that land on our front porch . . .

. . . and pistol whipping his older sister when he thinks she deserves it.

He really loves it when Josh fills up the guns with water and we all head outside for a water fight.

Family Hunting Trip

The other day we all went for a family hunting trip with the hounds.

Lucky for the kids, the dogs treed their quarry right next to the car so the kids could enjoy the experience.

If you think these dogs can howl, you should have heard the Caleb and Carly! :)

Our kids are going to be the biggest rednecks! :)

The Chair

This is the most comfortable chair in the house. The only problem with having this chair is the kids have figured out how nice it is and continuously fight for control of it.

Here, Caleb takes advantage of the abandoned chair and climbs on it.

Enjoying his victory.

Carly jumps on the chair as soon as Caleb gets down.

It's a rare occassion when they decided to share the much coveted chair.

Conversation with Carly

~ I was fixing dinner when Carly came into the kitchen and asked me the following question.~
CARLY: "Is Dad coming home today?"
MOM: "Yes...Do you want to call him and ask him if he is coming home?"
CARLY: "Yes!!!"
*She called him and got the reassurance she needed, he WAS coming home. Since Josh has started his internship he has only had to work a few late nights. The kids and I sure do miss him when he is gone and look forward to his arrival home.

~ Josh was in the bathroom when Carly announced she needed to go potty.~
CARLY: "Dad....I need to go potty!!!!"
DAD: "Ok, just a minute..."
CARLY: (impatiently says after waiting about 6 seconds) "I CANNOT WAIT ALL DAY!!!"

~ The other day we all went car shopping to replace Josh's truck that broke down on our move here. We found a great deal on a truck, bought it, and took the kids for a ride in it to spot some deer. On our way home at the end of the day Carly said the following:~
CARLY: "This is the BEST day ever!"

Shh....

At our house nap time is precious. We all love our naps. I realize Carly is getting a little bit old to be taking naps; but, she still needs one.

Caleb has grown up so fast. It seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital. I can hardly believe he is going to be a big brother in just a matter of months. Time goes by too fast!

Our Move....

Well, here is our new home. Last Wednesday Josh left to make the big move to Billings, Montana for a summer internship. The kids and I did not leave at the same time as him because I had a doctors appointment the following week I could not miss. (doctors orders) The night Josh left he called and told me how beautiful Montana was and after a lengthly description of the terrain, said, "Oh, yeah my truck broke down and I am stuck in Whitehall, Montana." At first I thought he was kidding. But, then he told me the noises his truck made on his coast into Whitehall and I realized he was serious. The mechanic said the engine of the truck had gone out and that it would cost $2,000 to replace it. Normally, we would get the mechanic work done and be on our way, but, for those of you who have not seen our truck....just take my word it was not worth it. Josh spent the next day on the phone with car dealerships located in Butte, trying to find a good deal that could get him to Billings in time for the internship to start; but, had no luck. Instead, he rented a truck and drove to our new home outside of Billings and unpacked. He rented the car for one day and had to return it where he got it from, which was in Butte. So, the next day the kids and I made the drive to meet him and make the rest of the journey to our summer home. I am sure that many of you will laugh when you see the picture of our new home, but it is actually pretty nice inside. Instead of finding a place close to Josh's work, we decided to save money and live outside of town in a cheaper rental. The only down side to Josh's truck dying on us is that it makes the ride in to work a little tricky. But, lucky for us, our neighbors are more than willing to help and have offered two modes of transportation......

A donkey......

Or, a horse. Naturally, Josh has chosen to take the horse because it is much quicker, reliable and less stubborn than the donkey. Ok, so he does not really ride either one of them in to work.....instead, I let him take the car. But, it is nice to know he has the option of riding in to work in case we are ever in a bind. :)

The kids love our new home. They especially love our fenced yard.

Caleb LOVES to be outside.

Movies....

Our kids love to spend time with their Dad. Carly has figured out the way to get Josh to put a movie on for them is to ask him if she can watch a moose or deer hunting movie. These pictures are from two seperate occassions where her manipulation trick worked wonders.

Carly likes to pretend she is a doctor. Caleb always plays the patient, not that he has much choice in the matter. :)

Mother Dear....

On Mothers' Day the Primary children sang this song to their Mothers. It was Carly's first time singing in church and she was very nervous. Enjoy!!!

Mothers....

Here is a picture of my Mom and Dad when we went camping with them last summer. Over the years my point of view of Mothers' Day has changed considerably. When I was young I did not fully understand the reason we celebrated Mothers' Day. Now, I am baffled by the fact that we only take one day out of the year to honor the women in our life and all they do for us. Perhaps my perspective has changed because I am now a mother and am starting to understand exactly how much mothers do. I am grateful for my mother and all she has taught me. Growing up my Mom always made it a point to teach us how to cook, clean, work, etc. along beside her and it wasn't until now that I try to teach my children the same skillls that I have truly appreciated her efforts. She taught me everything I know about being a mother and I am grateful to her for that everyday.

Puppies......SOLD

In March we had two surprise puppies and it was amazing to watch the kids get so excited to help their dad feed them and take care of their needs. Carly became very close to them and even named them Ella and Johnson. But, just the other day, we sold them and Carly sure took their departure hard.

This was taken just after she watched them leave....forever.

As you can tell, Caleb was not as hurt by their leaving as Carly was, she is such a sensitive little girl.

Puppies 4 Sale!!!

These were the surprise puppies that we never planned on. But thanks to Carly, we were able to sell them quickly. Josh took these pictures of Carly holding the pups and posted them on a hound hunting forum, and within a few hours he had multiple offers from all around the country. I guess Carly is quite the saleswoman. Now Josh is wishing that he'd charged a higher price.

Carly's Sayings . . .

~Today Josh told Carly that it was time for her to help with the chores after supper, so she was assigned to wash the chairs around the table. Josh handed her a rag, and it wasn't thirty seconds before she said, "Mom, I am tired of doing all the work."

~Yesterday we were driving in the car, and the sun was right in our faces. Josh and I lowered our visors, when we heard Carly pipe up from the back seat, "Mom, you can move the sun? It is in my way."

Our Family.....is expanding

Here are all the names of the members of our family. All of the names that is . . . . . . except for one. That's right. In August we will be adding one more name to our porch. And although we do not have that name picked out yet, we do have some cute ultra-sound pictures.

Cute little face.

Tiny feet.

But is it a boy or a girl? Well, today the doctor answered that question for us.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

It's a Boy!!!!!

How to train your daughter to clean up her toys....

To begin, kick the dolls your daughter won't clean up into the middle of the floor, so that they are in plain sight.

Then, release the caged little brother into the room where the toys are found. It won't be long before he sees the girly stuff left out for him.

He will seize the girly items and sprint full speed to the garbage can--gnawing on the plastic dresses as he goes. Then, without hesitation, he'll hurl the dolls to their fate. That's right, as a typical boy he knows just what to do with that girly stuff. And our little cleaner is so fast and aggressive that his older sister is literally helpless in her attempts to stop him.

Repeat these steps each time the older daughter leaves her toys out. It won't take long for her to realize that it's better for her to clean up the toys before mom and dad let little brother out of his cage. In a matter of weeks you either have a very cleanly little girl or a lack of toys to be left out on the floor. Problem solved.

Playing at the Park

Carly was content to walk carefully on the rocks, making sure none of them fell into her shoes in the process.

Caleb, on the other hand made it a point to dive into as much gravel and dirt as possible.

Our professional swinger.

How does this thing work again?

Almost.

Now, this is how it is done.

Our little monkies.

M---O---R---E....

It all started with a container of peanut butter and two spoons.


As long as the spoon had peanut butter on it, Caleb was a happy camper. But every time he emptied it, he would hand it to me and say... MMMOOOOOORRRRREE.


Carly liked dipping her spoonful of peanut butter into the jam on her bread.

Our two peanut butter lovers.

Elk on the loose....

Last weekend Josh's cousin visited us while he was on spring break. I think that Kyle was surprised to see how boring our lives are. After sitting through long classes at Law School with Josh and spending countless hours cooped up in an apartment with the kids, we thought that Kyle would like to try something different. So we took a break from the boring lane and hauled everyone to the Big Antler Show. The kids had a blast petting hunting dogs, staring at caged black bears, and digging for fake gold. Josh and Kyle had fun looking at deer mounts and talking about antlers. Then, to top the trip off, we snuck out of the show with two big racks of our own. Carly has been bugling ever since. :)

The Big 5

Yesterday was our "Big 5 year Anniversary," and this picture was taken by our babysitter just as we were headed out the door for our date. We had a wonderful time. I am so glad Josh asked me to marry him, and no matter what tall tale he may tell you, I DID say "yes." The last five years have gone by so quickly, and I cannot wait to celebrate another five years.

Boys will be boys....

Our Little Chefs

Thanks to Grandma Cook the kids have more pretend food, pans, spatulas, plates and silverware to keep them extra busy fixing "meals" for Josh and me to eat. I love it!!!!


Would you like some spagetti?

Carly with her miniature spatula. So cute!!!

I'm a BIG boy now....

Caleb has decided eating certain foods with a fork is fun.


He does pretty well most of the time.

Then, there are other times where he just holds the fork in one hand and shoves the food in with the other. I think we are making progress, we are thrilled he isn't throwing the fork on the floor the minute we hand it to him anymore.

CONVERSATIONS WITH CARLY:

~ On Sunday the choir performed a musical number and Carly leaned over and whispered this in Josh's ear.~
"Dad, maybe someday you will go up there...."

~ The other day our bishop came over and as he was leaving Carly said....~
"Mom....our bishop is soooo COOL!!!"

~ Carly was noticing the ear wax in her ear....~
CARLY: "Mom, I have yoke in my ear."
MOM: "Do you mean wax?"
CARLY: "No Mom. Look, it is yoke!!!"
MOM: "Yeah, it does look like egg yoke, but it is called ear wax."

Happy Birthday Carly!

Where do babies come from?

I have always dreaded having this discussion with my children, but much to my surprise Carly already knew a lot. . .

CARLY: (very matter of factly) "You know, I came out of your tummy."

MOM: "Yes, you did."

CARLY: "And then....Caleb came out of your tummy next."

MOM: "You are right!"

CARLY: (thinking.....)

DAD: (piping in with his usual sarcasm) "And Daddy came out of Mommy's tummy too, right?"

CARLY: (scowling at Josh) "No. He came out of his mommy's tummy."

MOM: "Yup.... and where did Mom come from when she was born?"

CARLY: (very sure of herself...) "You came out of your own tummy! . . . Silly."

Strawberry Short Cake

Sunset. . . .

My husband is going to be gone this weekend. He has a Trial Competition for school that he cannot miss and as a result will not be here for Valentines Day. He will be very missed.

Peek-a-boo

Where is Caleb?


There he is!!!

The kids thoroughly enjoy playing with Josh's clothes, hats and shoes. It is not uncommon for Josh to find one or both of his shoes full of toys when he goes to put them on in the morning, that is if he can find both of them (half of the time the kids like to hide them in their toy box). They are constantly putting his clothes and hats on, it is like a never ending game of dress up when they get into his closet. I love the simple things that entertain children.

Balloons.....

A few days ago Josh taught the kids how to rub the balloon on their head and make it stick to the wall (using static electricity). I loved watching them attempt to do this on their own and thought you would too.

Sniff...

Carly has a little bit of a cold and pulls some funny faces when she is trying to keep her little boogies inside of her nose. :)

So you think you can dance?

This is what we do when the kids have tons of energy and it is too cold to go outside. All I do is push play and the kids begin to boogie!

Our Little Mary Poppins

Chocolate Pudding

Our baby boy is growing up and as a result needs frequent nourishment. That is why we give him chocolate pudding. Pudding is just what little boys need to grow big and strong.

take down....

Cupcakes and Mashed Potatoes

CUPCAKES:

We just spent several days at my parents house. The kids loved the endless possibilities of snacks, meals and treats, made in large proportions at their fingertips. Here, Carly was helping Lynnette make cupcakes and loved the hands-on experience.


Whoops! She missed the pan....again. :)


Goofy girl.

MASHED POTATOES:

First, you have to get two fists full of potatoes.

Then, you pick up the spoon, because your mom keeps insisting you use it.

Lastly, you put the spoon back in the bowl where it belongs and grab another fist full of potatoes and shove it into your mouth. Mission accomplished! :)

Winter Wonderland

Upon returning home from our vacation in Utah, we pulled into our driveway to park our tired van and found the following:


A snow covered parking lot. But, lucky for us we have a four-wheel drive truck to help us get through this kind of weather right? Well, unfortunately the truck is stuck on the other side of the frozen snow drift, so the van will have to keep towing us around til more snow melts.

Friends

We are still trying to teach Caleb how to share and in an attempt to do so he scared his best friend, (or soon to be best friend, which we are sure will happen once we live in the same state)who is also named Caleb in the process.


It was cute to watch the two Caleb's play together, and Carly thought it was great that she had two little brothers to play with for a couple of hours.


Kara and I met our good friend, Tammy, and had a good visit with eachother catching up on life.


Tammy and I.

Wrestle....

Coming from a home with 7 boys, wrestling is bound to take place when all of boys are around each other for long periods of time. Here, Josh is wrestling his brother Andy.


Uncle Clay teaching Caleb the fundamentals of wrestling.


Come back here, I wasn't done teaching you yet!

The boys having fun wrestling together.

Our Little Builder

We spent a couple of weeks with Josh's family in Utah and during that time Caleb came to love putting the little pieces in the Connect Four Game. He would pick up and place each piece so carefully and then bring the game to me, so I could dump them out for him and he could start the game all over.


He is a natural at this game, when he is the only one playing. :)

Another thing he spent his time doing was building towers with these blocks. He would build it up as high as he could and then carefully take each piece and line them up all ready to start building his next masterpiece.

The final thing Caleb did to pass the time on our break was to run full speed over to the dog food and attempt to eat it, or just sit there and wait for someone to come and get him. He is such a character.

Waffle Blocks

Carly and her cousin Jessica were given a couple of little dolls for Christmas and decided to build them a castle.


My dolls love their new home!!!!!

Christmas

Fun in the Snow

Christmas Pictures

Clean-Up Time!!!

After watching his mom clean, Caleb wanted to show that he could help.

Diaper Duty

Ta-duh!!!


Mom, look what I found...DIAPERS!



Making a trail of diapers.


We did it!!!!

I am so glad the kids find joy in playing with simple things, everyday is an adventure.

"Yes!!!!"

Five years ago today, Josh took me to eat at "The Roof" on the top floor of The Joseph Smith Building in Salt Lake City. The moment we got there, Josh hung up both of our coats, proceeded to check in at the front desk and confirm our reservation. Much to his surprise, they told him that his reservation was not recorded and suggested we try the restaurant across the hall. But Josh insisted that they give us a table (the whole time being very patient and not letting on there was any problem at all). After Josh bribed them with cash and whispered something that sounded like a threat, they finally gave us a table located in the corner near to the front desk. We were then seated (after they got the table out of storage, dusted off, set and ready to go) and we began the feast. It was a wonderful dinner, spectacular view and the perfect date. Towards the end of the meal Josh held my hand and proposed. Despite any tall tale he may tell, I did say "Yes!!!" The picture above of Carly holding my ring is proof!

Josh: The above story is close. Except, she did not say yes that night. She just grinned and said, "I don't know. I don't know. I don't know . We'll see what my dad says. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know . . ." After getting the same reaction over and over, I finally just gave up asking and dove into my cheesecake. I remember wondering whether the smile was her way of saying yes, or whether she was just flattered and trying to send me the biggest rejection of my life. It wasn't until we stopped by my parents' house later, and she announced to them that we were engaged, that I realized she had accepted.

Christmas Decorations

These are our Christmas decorations for this year. The last two pictures, of the christmas tree and the icicle lights, are one our wish list for the future.

Cousins

Caleb, come play ball with me!!!

Doughnuts

Newspapers

Favorite Toy

Who said kids need expensive toys? Not our kids.


Good thing this shelf is sturdy!

So happy. Best roller coaster ride ever.

"I'm a Daddy's girl!"

One night Josh was on his laptop doing some homework when Carly went and grabbed her little cardboard computer and sat down beside him, pretending to do her "homework" as well. Today she said, "I am a Daddy's girl!!! And Caleb is a Mommy's boy!" She is a smart girl!


Josh was getting ready to leave and invited Carly to go with him, but Josh told Carly to change her "ugly" shirt before they left. Instead of getting upset and defending her choice of clothing, she said, "Yeah, it is a little bit ugly," and changed. Josh didn't know this, but that shirt was one of Carly's favorites; she has always thought it was beautiful.

Get this thing OFF!!!!!

I am sure if Caleb could speak full sentences, those would have been his exact words. :) I wanted to get a few cute pictures of my little guy. He is not used to wearing collared shirts and tried his hardest to tear the collar off. It was quite the wrestling match. Lucky for us, the shirt won.(enjoy the pictures of his struggle)


Ooooooohhhh!!!! The shirt has him in a headlock.


Mom, knock it off!! Quit laughing!! (He finally just charged me for making so much fun of him).

When it ended, we all just sat down and took a deep breath. Caleb promised to not rip any more cloth, and the shirt promised to not strangle him anymore.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A beautifully cooked turkey.


Kids chowing down.



My mom, making sure everyone is getting enough food before she sits down.

Blake dishing up some turkey to help him grow even bigger. :)

Almost everyone sitting down to eat.

This year we celebratedThanksgiving a little bit early in order to accomidate the men who have busy weeks planned out involving for the most part, homework. (yuck!) It was wonderful to have a delicious home cooked meal, and relax and enjoy the day with family.

Apples!!!!

We have only just begun....

This is a picture of how we felt when we met; we were like a couple of little kids in love.

Today marks the five year anniversary of when we met. I was going to school at Brigham Young University and had been invited to go to my friend's cousin's homecoming. Although I was interested in meeting Josh I was also disappointed that in order to do so I had to cancel two other dates to make the introduction possible. It was a snowy Saturday night and the roads were terrible. My friend, Jackie, called her uncle (Josh's dad) and he volunteered to come and pick us up along with his daughter, Stephanie, who also lived in Provo. We got delayed waiting for Josh's sister who was at a concert, and instead of sitting around and twittling our thumbs, Josh's dad took us all out for ice cream. :) Shortly after we finished Stephanie called and was home from the concert, we picked her up and went to Josh's house.
I remember being so nervous to meet Josh, which I really shouldn't have been because he was just fresh off his mission and was pretty nervous around girls. That night a bunch of us played games like scum, mormon bridge and scrabble. It was fun playing games and visiting with everyone. But I could not wait to listen to Josh's talk and hear experiences from his mission. He was a wonderful speaker and did not seem to be nervous at all. I could tell he loved his mission, the people he taught and he had a strong testimony of the restoration of the gospel. After church, there was a luncheon at Josh's parents' house. I talked to one of Josh's friends for a while and when that friend told Josh he was going to ask me for my phone number Josh told him that he had already asked me for it (a lie). That friend never asked me for my phone number and all of his friends were also warned not to ask me out, which they didn't. (I did not know this then, I found it out after we had been married for a couple of years) A few days later Josh really asked his cousin, Jackie, for my phone number. He called, we dated, I said "YES," and the rest is history.
Our dating timeline is told in two different ways: Josh counts the second time I came over to play cards with him as our first date--this get together occurred just before heading home for Thanksgiving break--I had stopped to "hang out" with Josh before driving home to eat turkey. But Josh and I didn't really date seriously (and seeing each other daily) until December. Then Josh started becoming more formal and taking me out on more traditional outings. I loved the date when he took me to the forgotten carrols and dinner because things just spiraled upwards from there. Josh began seeing me everyday. Then, it wasn't eight days after the forgotten carrols and Josh proposed to me (less than a month after our card games together).
To this day and more days to come I will never regret my decision to go and meet him for his homecoming, or the choice to cancel my other dates planned for the same night. I love Josh with all of my heart and could not ask for a better husband, father to our children, or best friend; he means everything to me.


Here is what we are going to look like 50 years or more from now....still young and in love.

We like to eat, eat, eat.....

All dressed up with no place to go...

CONVERSATIONS WITH CARLY:

~Josh was walking into the bathroom~
CARLY: "Dad, you need to get your cowboy book so you can read it."
DAD: "Ok, I will."
(For the record the practice of reading while in the bathroom comes from Josh's side of the family.)

~Carly was on a morning walk with Josh.~
DAD: "Carly, how many little brothers and sisters do you want to have?"
CARLY: (after thinking for a minute) "Hmmm........... SIX!"
DAD: "How many boys? And how many girls?"
CARLY: "Five boys, and SIX girls."

~Caleb's new favorite game is hide and seek, a game he thinks begins the minute Josh walks in the door..."
DAD: "Where's Caleb?"
CALEB: (frantically trying to find a corner to hide in) "High...da, high....da, high....da"

A day at the park....

My Daddy is my favorite pal....

Josh was getting ready to leave the other day and Caleb kept following him around imitating everything he did while saying, "Go, go, go..." He wanted to go study with his nerdy dad. :)

Conversations with Carly

~Carly had been up with the flu part of the night when we had this conversation.~

Mom: "Carly, you are such a good girl."

Carly: "Mom, I am trying to be a good girl, but some times I have to spit up."

~I found her chatting with her polly pockets the other day and she felt the need to explain herself.~

Carly: "Mom, the dolls do not know how to talk...so, I have to help them talk."

~A cute visit.~

Mom: "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Carly: (in a very serious tone) "Mom, we don't have a big girl costume!!!"

Red Light...Green Light....

Our kids favorite game. Enjoy!

Top Ramen

I never thought Top Ramen was all that great until I had kids. They love it, and it only takes a few minutes to make, which makes me love it! This is an adorable picture of my niece, Maycie, on her third plate.


My nephew, Nelson eating a combination of noodles and grapes...yum!



Forks are so overrated!



Caleb reaching for more Top Ramen.

I've been tagged

Rules: Copy and paste questions. One word answers only. Tag other people.

1.Where is your cell phone? Counter
2.Where is your significant other? Scouts
3.Your hair color? Blonde
4.Your mother? Kind
5.Your father? Worker
6.Your favorite thing? Mothering
7.Your dream last night? None
8.Your dream/goal? Hawaii
9.The room you’re in? Living Room
10.Your hobby? Cooking
11.Your fear? Unaccomplished
12.Where do you want to be in 6 years? Settled
13.Where were you last night? Home
14.What you’re not? Sad
15.One of your wish list items? Stroller
16.Where you grew up? Wenatchee
17.The last thing you did? Eat
18.What are you wearing? Pajamas
19.Your t.v.? Medium
20.Your pet? None
21.Your computer? Toshiba
22.Your mood? Calm
23.Missing someone? Husband
24.Your car? Crysler
25.Something you’re not wearing? Shoes
26.Favorite store? Grocery
27.Your summer? Uneventful
28.Love someone? Husband
29.Favorite color? Burgandy
30.Last time you laughed? Noon
31.Last time you cried? Recently

I tag Marianne and Jenny.

Douglas

Douglas is one of Carly's many nicknames. Don't ask, Josh came up with it one day and the name just won't go away.

We have been stuck in the princess phase for quite a while now and I am not sure when it is going to end, so we have made the most of it by inventing some fun "princess" hair do's.

Tonight for Family Home Evening we learned about the Holy Ghost and after teaching Carly some of the ways we can feel it, etc. the discussion went something like this:

Mom: "What are some things we do that make us feel good inside?"

Carly: "Eating dinner."

Mom: "What are some things we do that make us feel bad inside?"

Carly: "When I smoke."

When she said this I almost choked. It was so funny. I am not sure how much Carly gets out of our family night lessons, but she often surprises us with her insight. We sure love her and hope that all of our children turn out this cute.

Sunday

Carly showing me her beautiful dress Grandma Cook gave her and Caleb holding up his chapstick, we don't want him getting chapped lips!


I am a doll!

After church we have a ritual of changing the kids out of their Sunday clothes as soon as we get home in an effort to keep them clean. Today, Josh took care of Caleb and accidently left his clothes on the floor. Carly came in and found herself a new pair of pants, ironically they were the pants Caleb had worn to church. The funny thing is, they fit! Granted, they are about capri length, but, I think I have Carly's summer's wardrobe all figured out and the best part is, I don't have to do any shopping!

Happy Halloween!

Sleeping Beauty walking the dog. :)


The cutest dog I have ever seen.


Our princess taking a stroll wearing her fancy gloves.


Woof, woof.


Sweet.


Smile.

Cinnabon Rolls

This is my favorite recipe for cinnamon rolls. They are delicious! Enjoy.

Dough:

1/2 cup warm water

2 pkgs dry yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp)

2 TB sugar
1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding
2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp salt
8 cups flour

Directions:

In small bowl, combine water, yeast and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix the pudding mix according to package directions. Add butter, eggs and salt. Mix well, then add yeast mixture. Blend; gradually add flour and knead until smooth. Place dough in a very large greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Let rise until doubled in size. Punch down and let rise again (if desired). Roll out onto lightly floured surface to 34" by 21".

Filling:

1/2 cup butter, melted (or more if needed)

2 cups brown sugar

4 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Spread butter over entire surface of the dough. Sprinkle cinnamon and brown sugar mixture over top of the dough. Roll up dough very tightly. With a serrated knive (or thread, or dental floss), slice dough every 2 inches. Place on greased large cooking sheet, or 9x13 baking dish. Cover and let rise for about 15 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese, softened (not melted)
1/2 cup butter, softened but not melted
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Mix until smooth. Be careful! The powdered sugar may want to fly out of the bowl at first! If the mixture is too stiff, it will soften as the cream cheese becomes room temperature. If it is still too thick, you can soften it by using a VERY LITTLE amount of milk, like 1 maybe 2 tsp. Remember, it will melt as it is slathered on the hot rolls!

*Bake at 350 F degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Don't overbake. Frost warm rolls.

Conversations with Carly:

~I went to check on Carly before going to bed~
Mom: (I was covering her up with a blanket)
Carly: (still asleep) "Mom, don't wake me up. Please don't wake me up."

~Carly went to use the bathroom and after seeing the mess that had been left, said:~
Carly: "Daddy, please do not leave your dirty clothes in the bathroom because sometimes I have to go pooh!"
Dad: "Ok, I will clean them up."

Splish, Splash...

This picture is worth a thousand words.

During bath time Carly can be found on one end of the tub minding her own business making a delicious snack with her miniature pots and pans. She pretends to make yummy treats and shares them with anyone who dares to drink dirty bath water.

Caleb has a very different bathing technique, he uses any method possible to drink as much of the water as he can before we get him out of the tub. GROSS!

Packing Peanuts

Caleb could not resist climbing into the box full of packing peanuts.


Loving every minute of it!


Carly worked so hard to keep them all in the box, but it was nearly impossible to do with Caleb constantly throwing them out.

Carly finally gave up and ended up climbing in the box with him.

Happy Birthday Tanner!

Last Friday the kids and I went to Tanner's birthday party to celebrate his 2nd birthday. (Josh would have been there, but he was on a scout campout) The kids had so much fun and are already making plans as to what costumes they want to wear for Tanner's party next year.

The Birthday Boy!


Carly showing off the beautiful purple heart on her cheek.


Lub, lub.


Carly and Leah eating yummy spider cupcakes.


Uncle Blake playing with Caleb.


Blowing a party whistle. Carly insisted on wearing the piglet costume she wore last year and it fit pretty well, except it was a little too short for her legs.


Some of the kids dancing to music from the movie Everafter.


Almost all of the kids posing for a picture.

Camera Adventures

We decided to try something new for a family picture this year. Needless to say it turned into a mess. A friend offered to take the picture with her family camera in her parents' back yard, and it all seemed like a good idea at first, but the grass turned out to be wet, the kids were freezing cold, and the noses just never stopped running. We definately didn't get a wall hanger, but since it was such an adventure we thought we'd post a few pictures to relate the experience.

At first Carly really tried to help.



But it wasn't long before Caleb had converted Carly, and most of the pictures ended up turning out like this. I'm not even going to show the photos of all four of us--they look like one giant wrestling match.



Here, it looks like we are consoling the kids, but we were really bribing them with promises and threats.




In the end, when we had already thrown in the towel and started walking away, we got a half decent snap shot in. Oh well, I guess the living room wall will have to wait.

Two Little Monkeys

Click on the link below to see film of two little monkeys jumping on the bed.


[URL="http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=no7ebt&s=4 My Video[/URL]

Where is Caleb?

Instead of having a coffee table or a toy box in our living room, we have resorted to using a cooler to serve both purposes. It has been so convenient and lately Caleb has been climbing in the cooler and playing with the toys. He loves being inside it, he is such a funny kid.

Fall Fun....

Cute Pajamas....

Thank you Grandma Cook (a.k.a. "Pink Grandma") for making this picture so much cuter by giving the kids these matching red pajamas, straight from The North Pole. The kids love them and so do we!!!!

Coons, Quills and Kisses

Josh told Carly to kiss the "racoonies," but she choose to kiss him instead.



Num, nums... :) Caleb thinks they look tasty.

If you look closely you can see the quills around the dog's mouth. Looks like he forgot he was "coon" hunting. Carly was concerned about the "toothpicks" hurting her dog. Josh had some explaining to do about the owies all over her dogs face.

Laundry basket fun!!!

Come on Caleb, sit down....this is fun!!!


See...I am smiling!



This is getting to be more fun by the second!

Woohoo!!! I love laundry baskets!

Conversations with Carly:

~Carly and I were having a "serious" conversation and this is what became of it.~
Mom: "How old do you want to be when you grow up?"
Carly: "I want to be 6 when I grow up, but my Dad does not want me to grow up!"

~It was time for lunch and Carly was giving me suggestions on what I should eat.~
Mom: "I'm hungry."
Carly: "Eat him for lunch (pointing to Caleb), eat my brother!"

Going "Hunting"

All dressed up and ready to go "hunting" with her Dad. She got all of her warm clothes on just in case it was extra cold when they went on their hike. Carly likes to call her time in the outdoors with Josh "hunting," even though most of the time they are just going for a hike. The kids love having their one on one time with their Dad.



After Carly got all ready to go "hunting" with her Dad, Caleb thought it was so fun to walk around with her and hold onto her glove. He was so sad when Carly and Dad left, he loves to hang out with his Dad, especially when he is going outside.

Conversations with Carly:
~Carly was playing with Caleb and started to walk away and turned around and said:~
Carly: "You want to follow me, huh.
Caleb: "Uh..."

~Josh was getting ready for school this morning when Carly asked him the following:~
Carly: "Dad, why do you go to school all the time?"
Dad: "Because I have to go...."

~I was on all fours chasing the kids around when I asked them:~
Mom: "Who is tougher?"
Carly: (yelling, while backing into the corner) "Caleb is, Caleb, Caleb."

~We were at a friends house and the kids were asked to clean up the toys:~
Carly: (pointing to her friend) "I did not make the mess, that boy made the mess!"

~Caleb always says this whenever he sees something he wants to eat or drink~
Caleb: "Num, nums..."

~Carly likes to pretend a lot when she is playing~
Carly: "I am the princess, and Caleb is the prince."
Carly: "Sometimes I call him wormy boy." :)

Ouch!!!!

This is what happens when your big sister takes you for a ride on her pillow before you get a chance to sit down. :)


Ouch!!!

Waiting on a man....

Carly and I were all ready for church before the boys this morning and were waiting for them to finish getting ready so we could leave and so I had Josh take a picture of us to prove a point. The main reason I am blogging about this is because whenever Josh is waiting on me for anything, he always sings the song, "Waiting on a Woman." (by Brad Paisley) Well, here is proof that we were WAITING ON A MAN!!!!



At church today Caleb was trying to show off for a couple of women I was sitting by during Relief Society and he was just playing with a tag that was on the bottom of the chair, when all of the sudden he pulled it off. I probably should have left it there, or tried to fix it, but instead I decided to take a picture of it. He is a strong little boy. :)

When I grow up I wanna be a.......

Rigth now Carly loves to dress up as several of her favorite things all at once. In this picture she is a princess, a butterfly and a super girl. I love to see all of her little outfits and layers of clothing she puts on and then parades around the house showing them to me. It is quite interesting to listen to her explaination of how and why all of her differently patterened clothes somehow match. (or, at least why she thinks they match ) :) Kids are so funny.

On a side note, The General Relief Society Meeting that was held tonight was so uplifting and inspiring. I love this time of year because I have the opportunity to hear from so many wonderful speakers during General Conference.

Super Kids!

This is what happens when it it raining and cold outside and we are forced to stay in the house all day. Carly loved the idea of being able to fly by simply pinning a blanket around her neck. Caleb, on the other hand. . . took some convincing before he warmed up to the idea.

Still convincing him it is fun to be a Super Hero.

Finally, we have two Super kids!

Oh Deer!

Josh with his first white tail; he took it with a bow.


Oh Deer!


After Josh got home with the deer he wanted to show the kids what he got, so we all went outside to take a look. Only, the kids were a little more comfortable to watch from a distance. It took a few minutes for the kids to warm up to the idea of getting close to the deer so we could take a picture, but they did eventually. :)


Josh and Caleb.


Carly with her Dad and the deer.


My Hillbilly family.

Welcome Home Uncle Brandon!

This past weekend we went to Utah to visit family and to go to Josh's brother Brandon's homecoming who just got home from his mission in the Philippines. It was great to see family and the kids loved seeing Uncle "Beeto" and getting reacquainted with him again. (Feel free to scroll down to see all of the pictures from our visit to Utah)



Carly and her cousin Jessica playing with Uncle Brandon.

I want to be like Daddy!

This past Saturday when we were in Utah visiting family Josh, Grandpa Cook, Uncle Nate and Uncle Andy went hunting. Caleb was all dressed up in his camouflage clothes but he was too young to make the hunting trip...maybe he will be able to go with the boys next year. :)

I love pink chalk!

I bet by looking at the title you thought this post was going to be about our girly girl Carly, but instead it is about Caleb. He wanted to play with chalk while we were at Grandma and Grandpa Cooks and insisted on holding one piece of pink chalk in each hand. Can you tell he has an older sister? :)

Caleb and Uncle Nate

While we were in Utah it was not uncommon for me to find Uncle Nate playing with Caleb, they had a great time together. Here is a picture of Caleb with Uncle Nate's hat.



Playing with Uncle Nate.



Caleb and Uncle Nate relaxing together.

A "FREE" Day At The Fair!!!!

Hmmm.... :)
Today the kids and I went to the fair with their cousins and saw a lot of animals so, prepare yourself for a lot of pictures.

Turkeys.

Geese

Choo, Choo, the big train is coming down the track!!!

Carly looking at 9 day old pigs.

Sheep

A cute pony.

Prince Charming's white horse. :)

A beautiful brown horse.

An interesting looking cow.

Can you tell we are siblings?

A tractor made for two!

The kids looking at rabbits.

A neat looking cow.

Carly with her cousin Maycie and Aunt Kerrie looking at a miniature horse.

A goat

Happy Birthday Josh!

Today is Josh's birthday and he is 26! He just started his second year of Law School at Gonzaga and because he is a student he does not get a lot of free time to spend doing extra curricular activities. Josh loves to do just about anything outdoors such as hunting, fishing, hiking and camping. Instead of making him a traditional cake (we just had cake the other day for Caleb's birthday), I made him lemon bars, which are one of his favorite treats. If you look closely you can see the candles make the number "25," which we later realized was the not the age he was turning.....oops! :)


Here is a picture of Josh with his hunting dogs, which are a must have in order to hunt mountain lions, bobcats, bears, racoons and other animals. Josh loves hunting, it is just hard to fit it into his schedule now that school has started.

Happy Birthday Caleb!

Today is Caleb's first birthday. He was born at 9:02 p.m., weighed 8 lbs. 1.5 oz. and was 20 inches long. Since the day he was born he loved to eat! He is a happy boy who will always give you a smile and loves to be outside (especially with his dad). He loves his sister, Carly, very much and his face always lights up when she invites him to play with her. He is a mommas boy (which I love). We are so glad that Caleb is a part of our family and we love him sooooooo much!

Look What I Can Do.....

This morning Carly discovered she could do the splits...well, almost that is. Here is our little gymnist working on her splits.



As Carly was practicing her splits I looked over and Caleb was sitting in this position, I thought it was so cute I had to post it. I guess we are going to have two little gymnists on our hands. :)



Carly is such a girly girl and she loves to wear skirts (or, as she would say, "kirts"), do her hair and pose for pictures, so here is a picture of her in action.



This is our cute boy. Or, as he is more commonly known as "Lub, Lub." He loves to read books about dogs, jump on the bed and eat - a lot!

Jumping on the bed!

The kids love to jump on the bed. I tried to upload video of them in action, but it did not work. Caleb just started walking last week and has gone from taking a few stumbling steps to full out jumping. Granted, he does not get very high, but it is cute to watch him jump none the less.

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas!

The kids love spending time with their Dad. Whenever Josh is on the computer they like to climb up on his lap and watch cartoons or other fun videos with him. One of their favorite vidoes to watch is "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas" sung by Shirley Temple. I have added a link below so you can get some enjoyment out of it as well. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6jeMG4-Yiw

Suckers!

Caleb eating his first sucker and loving every minute of it!


Carly eating a sucker that she earned from her dad for tickling his feet. Josh loves to have his feet tickled and has figured out how to trick Carly into doing it.....he pays her with candy. :)

Today we started.....

Today Josh started his second year at Gonzaga Law School. (hence, the picture above) On top of him starting school, Caleb started walking (officially) and also said "BALL" for the first time. Carly starting saying, "Ok, Mom" and "Ok, Dad" after we ask her to do something. (It is so cute!) As for me, I started wishing school hadn't started so we could have Josh home.

The Girls

I love this picture of Carly and Aubree. I overheard a conversation between Carly and Josh the other day when we were getting ready for my family to come and visit, and I wanted to share it with all of you.

CARLY: Dad......(waits for him to answer her) Grandma, Kirsten, Lynnette, Brian and Blake are coming and you have a mess, YOU NEED TO CLEAN UP YOUR ROOM!

JOSH: No, Dad doesn't need to......they are not coming in my room. :)

CARLY: Dad, come and clean up my room.

DAD: No, you get to clean your room.

Mowing the lawn....

We as a family have enjoyed having Josh home quite a bit before he starts school next week. One of the things we have done as a family, or at least Josh has done is mow the lawn. We (the kids and I) like to watch him and cheer him on as he uses an old fashioned mower to cut our thick grass. The kids and I think it is a great family activity!

Brush your teeth!

We are trying to teach Caleb how to brush his teeth, but he likes to use the wrong end of the toothbrush! :)

Carly's Masterpiece

Carly has taken a big interest in doing my hair. She puts everything she finds in it. She is going to be a great hair dresser someday, we are just hoping she does not begin experimenting on Caleb.

Cheese!

Carly eating her "pink" popsicle

Caleb likes to climb up the couch and onto the window ledge....

Palouse Falls Camping Pictures

Lub Lub

These Photos are a little outdated... ..but I like them.

Caleb with Aunt Lynnette

The Animals

THE KIDS LOVE RIDING!! ALL THREE OF THEM!

my beautiful baldys

Our Dancing Princess

Josh Really Misses Hunting Season.

Too Bad He's in School all the time!!
His Brothers Like to Rub it in. Hee Hee!

Caleb Loves his MUSH!!!!