What's a "SuperMom" anyway?

Puppies and ANOTHER blog :)

2010-06-11T00:00:00.000-06:00

Monkey's puppies are just about ready to go to new homes! Yeah! They are wonderful, but boy-oh-boy do they take up a lot of time. I feel like I am constantly feeding, cleaning up or playing with them. It's great for the psyche but hard on the body. I really can't imagine taking care of multiple litters at once... Those who do have my sympathy and awe.

Also, I have another blog just for dog stuff... kay-tay-bichon.blogspot.com

Check it out and give me feedback via e-mail, in person or on this blog. Thanks!!

THE CRUISE!!!

2010-05-05T00:23:00.000-06:00

Finally! Here are some of the pictures from the cruise ;) We all had a fantastic time.

We headed off to "sunny" Florida in February for some fun and good times with a dozen or so of our friends. Unfortunately, somebody forgot to tell the Caribbean that we were expecting warm, calm water and sunny skies!!! It was a bit chilly when we arrived in the sunshine state (we had to wear our jackets and it kept blowing and I swear it was only 40 degrees that morning. After getting to the ship port, and standing in awe with our mouths open at the massive feat of engineering that we were about to board.... we stood in line for an hour to check in. It was too cold to spend much time outside the first two days, but Oh Well... at least there was lots to see inside the ship.

The first "day at sea" we were supposed to watch the Super Bowl (sorry, "The Game", don't want to infringe any copyrighted names). However, the weather just would not cooperate. It was windy, the sea was splashing all the way to the top deck and it kept trying to rain on us. Dinner was fantastic. Although, some in our group were unimpressed at the food selection and quality, I really liked all the choices. I didn't think to dress up the first night, so I was a bit out of place in our group, but what made me sad was forgetting all my jewelry at home... I really am a jewelry kind of gal, so I felt a bit naked the whole trip.

After a choppy night, day, and another night, we finally arrived in Cozumel. I loved this island! I would definitely go back someday and stay here for a week. We docked early in the morning and were able to do some shopping at the port (very touristy) and then chartered a couple of vans to a semi-private beach to spend some time getting tan, eating fantastic guacamole and chips and doing some low-key snorkeling. Although there wasn't a lot see under the water, it was really good to get a feel for breathing and looking down at the same time. It's harder that you might think, but pretty easy to figure out. The water was a bit too cold with the wind blowing the wrong direction to get to do any real snorkeling, but I had fun anyway.

After getting our fill of sun and chips, we headed into the real part of town to do some shopping. I made some great buys and wish I would have spent more of my money and time here. The prices were the best of the whole trip. I love the "Old Town" feel of the island and felt very at home.

The second stop on our cruise was to Isla Roatan, Honduras. Here we had reserved a private beach (thanks Jerian!) that was absolutely breath taking. White sand and big hammocks. What more could I ask for? How about chartering a boat and doing some reef snorkeling?! I am utterly amazed at all that I was able to see so close to the surface. There were all kinds of fish and shells and corals. The underwater camera just doesn't do it justice! On the edge of the reef was the channel... basically a drop off to nowhere that was impossible to see the other side. It was eerie with the cold water running by like a river in the sea. I got to feeling a bit exposed, maybe there was a shark nearby??? So I went back to the safe side.

Sadly, I did get really sunburned while snorkeling. Just didn't think about my shoulders being in the sun for several hours while the rest of me was submerged. And I was bit by sand fleas in the boat... Ouch. Those red bumps itched and irritated for several days after.

Our next stop was Belize. Although we had gotten mixed reviews about the city and area, we decided to give it a try. We had to get up rather early. (Actually, we got up far too early everyday, in my opinion, especially since we never really went to bed.) Then we had to get on a little boat that was crammed full to get to the land. Once there, we were cautioned strongly to stay behind the 12 foot high chain-link and barbed wire fence that encompassed the "tourist area". We didn't. We decided that the shopping wasn't fabulous enough to hang out there and the boat ride took to long to just turn around and go back. That only left one option-- charter a tour! We took a "private" tour in a run-down little car across the city and out to a howler monkey "private sanctuary". Interesting doesn't even start to describe our experience! Our tour guide was born and raised in Belize but had traveled the world, been educated in the states, served in the military both abroad and at home and was very entertaining. His driving was also really scary and really fast for dirt/sometimes paved/ has random horses standing on it, roads.

We saw giant iguanas, cute children in school uniforms, a small farm-turned wild monkey sanctuary and education center, the only stoplight in the country, really high fences around churches, and a really unusual use of the English language with some Spanish, Jamaican and local native thrown in. Probably the best part was feeding the baby monkey a banana right out of our hands. I am still surprised at how strong a 10 pound animal can be.

Our last stop in the warm Caribbean was Costa Maya, Mexico. We took a group tour to some ancient ruins (Chaccoben). The trees and the jungle was making a strong effort to reclaim the stone structures as fast as they were being uncovered. The entire area was Very beautiful and very non-commercialized. The last time we were at ruins in Mexico, we were hounded non-stop by sales people. They followed us everywhere and were very insistent. Here, they just stayed in the little plaza shops and let you come to them. I bought the cutest dresses for me and the girls here. The shopping in town was okay, but I really liked the giant sea-water pool in the middle of the port area. I wish we would have had a couple more hours to hang out there.

Our last day on the boat was spent in a gale force storm slapping the boat with every wave and making it difficult to walk in a straight line. Amazingly, no one was significantly ill from the movement. It did make dinner a bit of a challenge to lean one way, then the other.... A long night of hanging out and getting the free ice cream one last time at 1am. Then up before the crack of dawn to get off the ship. For being so welcoming and friendly while we were there, they sure made us feel like we had better get off right then! Then out into the freezing cold wind in Florida to wait for our ride outside. Gratefully, we were able to go right to the hotel and check in early. After warming up some, we went shopping in town and played a bit at a golf shop while missing our bus. Finally some dinner and a little pink poodle like the magic show prop from the the night before :) Then back on the plane and back to cold February in Utah.

A Beautiful Valentine's Day

2010-02-15T22:20:00.000-07:00

My Wonderful, Awesome girls had this Valentine's Day surprise all set up for us when we got home from our cruise yesterday! (More on the cruise this week) They are SO CUTE! Thanks, girls (and Becky)!!!! I love you too!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

SuperMoms get behind too!

2010-02-01T22:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, Okay, I know I have been slacking on my blog lately, but really, I have a lot to do... sleep, eat, bark at the mail person (or is that my dogs?). So here are a few pictures to tide everyone over until I get back from my cruise :-D So much to do, so little time... Please forgive the sideways takes, rotating them is just one step to many today.

These are from the school Fall Festival and the Founder's Day Parade in Wellsville last fall.

These ones are from Chris' Powell Fishing Trip and a few of the girls fishing this fall.

This last set is SOME of the couple hundred or so family pictures we took this fall.

High on a Shortie

2009-12-06T22:01:00.008-07:00

Well, the last few weeks seem to have just zipped by (like ALL of November). Lately my little shortie-cake, Taylor has been just full of entertainment! She has been trying to be extra good for Christmas, so every morning she asks me if she is being good (doing good things is being good, Taylor), if her sister is being good (she is good, but her actions are not), if the dogs are being good (no, chewing up papers and shoes and toys is not being good).

So today she and Kaylee decide to do a service project together while we are walking back from church. They are going to shovel the neighbor's walk since they have been out of town. They get all dressed up and excitedly go shovel out the neighbors, they are so cute! Well, when they are done, Kaylee leaves to go help her dad shovel our driveway, and I see Taylor bouncing from foot trail to foot trail out in the neighbor's front yard. While I am wondering what she is up to, she suddenly falls over backwards and makes a perfect snow angel. Carefully, she gets up and then stomps a nice circle around it before hopping back into the footpath and leaving. She comes up to our door and when I let her back in I asked her what she was doing out there "I was making a service angel for them". It about made me cry :) She is such a cutie!

(Shhhh...secret ahead) While I was looking for some ribbon in my sewing stuff to tie Taylor's new Princess quilt I am making her for Christmas, she comes across a little piece of fabric and starts wondering what we could do with it. She suggested a wrap for her hot chocolate mug, she could fold it up and keep it in a book, it could be a really little pillow... We decided to make it into a polly pocket blanket. I sewed it together with a little batting and she just lit up like I had made gold from tin foil, it was just such a blessing to see the wonder in her face that we could make something that she thought was useful from just a little ol' piece of cloth.

Later today, she was helping me give the dogs a bath and was telling Sparkle that she was such a good dog for getting clean and it was okay that she got us "a Little" wet during the bath, because "she just can't help it". I think Taylor is going to make a great dog groomer someday, she is just so gang-ho to try everything. Except of course, my nice scissors since "they are REALLY sharp and if they cut her, she would probably die, right mom?" I hope, REALLY, REALLY hope, I don't have that bad of a grooming accident!

And to top off the night, while we are saying prayers and getting ready for bed, she points out the tear in her old quilt and says "Mom, you know what would fix this tear? If I had a new Princess blanket for my bed!" It has been in every Santa letter and she asks every single day if I think Santa might bring her one. I looked all over for a cute one, but came up short and decided to make her one instead. I found some cute fabric and have been working on it, but just after I had bought the backing for the quilt, Chris finds an adorable fleece lap blanket! My AWESOME friends at work helped me tie it together at work on Saturday... In between appointments of course.... Snicker... So now she will get one from Santa and one from me :D I had to do one for Kaylee, too, wouldn't want any sad Christmas mornings!

Not to leave Kaylee out, this last week she got 100% on every single assignment. Talk about IMPRESSIVE! Now if her attitude could match her smarts... Well, that's a lot of things to be proud of in my two little "ANGELS".

Happy October!

2009-10-15T22:39:00.002-06:00

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One of my favorite holidays is coming up!

Just a bit greedy.....

2009-09-04T15:20:00.006-06:00

The view from the side:

And from the end:

As I went in to kiss my girls goodnight last night, I couldn't help but laugh at Taylor. She has a pillow on both sides of her bed, just in case she wants to sleep on either side, and this is how I find her :) I am not sure if she could take up more of her bed if she tried! Note how neither pillow is being used...

Sometimes, when greed comes into play, you get even less than you would have if you had just settled for what you had to start with. In Taylor's case, she didn't even manage to get under the blanket (although she has four on her bed there), let alone get to use one of the pillows.

However, her dolly gets a pillow, blanket and a baseball mitt to keep her from rolling off the bed, and I bet she didn't move all night long!

Yeah! Happy Birthdays and Back to School!

2009-08-31T23:15:00.014-06:00

It has been a crazy, hectic last few weeks. I can't even begin to describe how lucky I am. With recent tragedies all around us, I just wanted to list a few things I am grateful for;

Friends that I can count on, a home that is warm in the winter and cool in the summer, only minor illnesses, family close by (Dakota is close, too), a mom who is willing to spend a few precious hours helping my kids with homework several days a week, clothes that are comfy and wash easily, books to take my mind off my worries, a good job, a husband who loves me no matter what, freedom to write whatever crosses my mind in a public forum such as this blog, cute things that my kids say and do, watching puppies play, safe schools (and school lunches), reliable transportation, cell phones (though sometimes I wish they didn't exist for a few hours), the love Jesus and the Lord give me and always have for me even when I really screw things up and the forgiveness of all those around me (I know I don't deserve it, but thanks anyway!)

We had a couple of birthdays this month: Cheryl! Yippie-Skippie-Yahoo! We had a ton of fun at the Olive Garden, and even got to eat our dessert nice and hot, WITH A SPOON! No singing from any live people... These are my two favorite pictures of Cheryl and her cute family:

Dad Mark also had a birthday this month and we celebrated at the Cracker Barrel in Paradise. It has really become a nice place to eat with the last remodel. The food has always been good, but now the rest is just as nice.

And finally, I am glad and sad and worried and happy and going crazy that my girls have gone back to school! They are adorable, but sometimes I wonder how I am going to get through the mornings without somebody getting hurt!

Lava Hot Springs!

2009-07-27T10:57:00.006-06:00

I am so grateful to have such good friends! We took a little vacation up to Lava Hot Springs this weekend with our awesome neighbors, the Rindlisbachers and the Chambers, as well as Chris' brother, Brent's family. For all you who wimped out.... we missed you!

I really had a good weekend playing at the pools, sliding down the slides, and floating down the river. We stayed at Grandpa's campground where the air was clean and clear (except for the range cows) and the nights quiet away from all the noise and rush in the world.

Chris and the girls went down the river first, Kaylee was a bit terrified, but eventually got in the tube, however, she was dumped out a little ways later and I don't think she will be going down the river again for a long while. Taylor also got dumped out with Cheryl (who got a bit bruised and scraped). Taylor did decide to go down the slower part of the river with me later that day.

The rest of the kids had a blast going down the river! Most of the adults came back with only minor injuries (although my butt is still a bit tender from the one big rock!)

Elk and Deer and Bears, Oh MY!

2009-07-20T21:02:00.007-06:00

We had a blast in Yellowstone and Jackson Hole in June, sorry it has taken so long to get the pictures together and posted! We went to Old Faithful, to the hot pots, the waterfalls, saw some wildlife and played around in Jackson. At least everyone else did, I mostly went to class for my continuing education requirements. I did get to go to Yellowstone with everyone for a couple of days.

We all had our ups and downs. The kids thought that the geysers were cool, the water was stinky, the one and only bear we saw was plenty of wildlife ("we saw a bear, we can go home now"), and the pool at the campground was the best thing about the whole trip!

Earring Party

2009-07-20T20:07:00.007-06:00

Taylor said "Mom, You are the BEST MOTHER EVER!" I thought it would be because I finally got her ears pierced, or because I said she was the cutest kid in the world... "Why is that" I asked? "Because you let me pick a big sucker at the store." Hmmm...

We took Taylor into Walmart (I know, I HaTE Walmart, but the girl came well recommended), and had her ears pierced. She has been so excited for months. I promised her she could do it when she turned 6 and just am now getting to it. We went to pick out earrings, she of course picked the biggest pinkest ones in the case. Seriously, they would easily be 2.5 carots each!

BEFORE>>>>

Then, she convinces Jaycie to go first (all of a sudden, she is scared that it will hurt).

You have to watch the priceless expression on her face when they go in!

Then it is Taylor's turn :) I am way excited, but she wants me to hold her arms and hands and then doesn't want her sister or Josh to watch in case they are going to make fun of her or something. I don't have a video, someone was slacking (cough, chris, cough).... She was a little surprised when they said on three and then did them on one and a half.

But a few moments later, she was smiling again.

AFTER>>>

So Cute!

On the way back to the truck, Taylor asks: "Mom, can I wear the stuff you put on your eyes (mascara) and some color and I really want to wear your lipstick now, too. Cause I am big now." Good thing she is so big :) I might have lost her standing beside a flag pole! But now I can just look for the blindingly huge pink earrings!!!! Yeah, Taylor!

Back In The Saddle

2009-06-10T14:15:00.003-06:00

The old saying goes "if you get bucked off your horse, get right back in the saddle." I have been a bit derailed lately, blog-wise with my actual life :) I think the month of May has to be the busiest next to December. I rarely have time to think, let alone do extra projects. So here is a quick run down of what I have been up to:

Taylor turned 6... She is growing up WAY to fast.

Kaylee and Taylor graduated to the next grade, Yeah!

Kiera took all first place ribbons at the last show in Logan. Still no points....

Taylor gave me an awesome plate she made in school that matches the one Kaylee made me when she was in Kindergarten.

I was released from teaching Sunday school to being a Relief Society "Self-reliance" committee member. I get to coordinate the Health and Nutrition aspect. (More about this later.)

Business has picked back up some so I have been working more of the day. Unfortunately, it is a ton of urgent care since everyone seems to have put off routine preventative care or coming in early in a problem situation.

Chris' grandparents, Charlot and Noble came to visit.

We had our first camping trip of the season up to Mantua. It was fun to get out and get into nature, even for a short while.

Our whole family got together at Hill Air Force Base for the spectacular Air Show.

I tweaked my back and haven't been able to work out for a few weeks... hoping to get back to "feeling the burn" soon.

Planted all my flowerbeds, but the weeds are going to take over the lawn since it has rained every day and I haven't been able to spray them yet. The sad watermelons have been dug up by the hail several times. We are down to two in the ground and one on the kitchen counter.

We finally finished the basement projects! I am so excited every time I go down there now. :)

And to finish it off... Cheryl and I had a pedicure with the cutest toes EVER!

Moms, Grandmas and Greatgrandmas

2009-05-11T22:04:00.012-06:00

This Mother's Day had me thinking of all the great moms I have in my life; as well as the great ones that have passed away into the next life.

Grandma, me, Taylor, Mom

When I went to visit Brian on the Army base with the girls last weekend, I lost an earring when speaking on the phone. It really made me miss my Grandma Call. Why? Well... every time she would take a phone call, Grandma would take off her clip-on earring so it wouldn't clatter against the phone. We had a spot in the drawer for all her lone jewelery. I know everywhere she went, there must have been dozens of earrings left all over the country. My Great-Grandma lived to be 103 years old and still worked the farm well into her 90's, so when Grandma Call passed away a few years ago from a sudden stroke, just as I was beginning to appreciate all that she had done and what an amazing lady she was. Grandma was never afraid to try just about anything; from riding a Harley to every shade of hair color known to the rainbow. She was a great cook and singer, she loved to camp and play card games and stay up late telling stories.

Grandma Call on her horse

Thinking about her cooking made me think about my Abuela Rincon, who lives in Mexico. I was so glad to get to see her last summer, and although we can't communicate very well, the love she feels for her family is amazing. She has always shown the love she has for everyone by cooking, A LOT, All the time :) It never fails, as soon as you walk in the door, she is in the kitchen making something to fill your belly. Abuela used to live with my parents much of the time and so there was never a reason to go hungry. She is so amazing to still be alive at 92+ years and really still going. Mom goes to Mexico for several weeks each year to stay with her and take care of her since Abuela and Abuelo are too old to travel safely anymore.

Abuela helping feed calves

That brought me to thinking how wonderful my own mom is. Here she is, giving up her hard earned vacation and leaving Utah during the only time of the year that she is not cold, to go and take care of her parents. Not to mention, the years and years that she would have them stay with her at our house for three to six months at a time. My mom follows that same cut of fabric in trying to feed everyone who wanders by or suggests that they might come to the house for more than 10 seconds. Again, no reason to go hungry or be without friends when my mom is around. Mom is great to come over to our house a few days each week after she gets off work and help my girls with their homework and extra learning, reading, and play time. It means so much to me to know that she wants and takes an active role in their lives. It makes me a little sad that I didn't get to know my grandmas as well as my kids know theirs.

Chris' Grandparents came out from Wisconsin this weekend and all the kids and grand kids got to spend a little time with them the last few days. It was a little hectic, but well worth the effort to get to see them again, hopefully they will be able to come out again soon.

Four Generations of Bensons

That said, I think all the Moms and Grandmas in our family had a pleasant Mother's Day this last weekend, and if I haven't said it enough; THANK YOU for all that you do for us and WE LOVE YOU!

Beehive Cluster Dog Show

2009-05-04T21:32:00.004-06:00

Kiera did much better on Friday and Sunday. She did not like the scary old man judge on Saturday. She was ready to leave the table when he went to look at her. So we got dismissed... We did take ribbons the other two days! Even a "Best of Breed" ribbon. Too bad she didn't get any points for this one. Perhaps there will be more competition at the Logan show. If you would like to come watch and cheer us on just let me know and I can get you the information.

Happy Birthday Taylor!

2009-05-04T20:54:00.005-06:00

Taylor turned 6 on May 1st. She had a blast this last week with Grandma Glo and Grandpa Steve taking her to the circus to see the elephants, ponies and dogs. She was very impressed with the ponies and the cool tricks they could do :) Then on Fri-Sun she came with me to the dog show in So. Jordan. She is definitely going to be my next professional dog handler... She kept trying to help with EVERYTHING. Sprayed water on Kiera, brushed her out, wanted to scissor her (NOOO). Stacked her on the table about fifty times and free stacked her on the floor every time anyone so much as looked in our direction. It was a hoot to watch. Taylor was loving it. She told everyone she was six now and was old enough to do all the dog show stuff. Maybe I will let her try the Logan show.

We had a little birthday dessert at a cute mexican restaurant in Orem, she had fried ice cream but scraped everything off of it and just ate the plain vanilla middle... So Chris bought her an icecream cake for her family birthday dinner, but she would not even try it because she thougth it was just regular cake, I had to about shove some in her mouth before she would believe me. She liked it okay, but I think she would have just rather had ice cream without frosting. She is so funny sometimes!

After the show was over, we stopped by Brian's Army base where he gave us a tour of the helicopters, talk about impressive! They are so much larger in real life than on TV. I think the Apachies were the coolest :) Thanks, Brian!

Bruises worth pictures

2009-04-27T08:00:00.006-06:00

I have started working out at CrossFit this last week. I have successfully made myself sore from head to toe and had my heart beating for all that it is worth. So far, so good. I feel like I am starting to make some progress in my flabby to fit goal. I am hoping to do a month of this program (boot-camp like) and then continue on my own with better activity levels.

I don't mind the sit-ups even though I have yet to finish an entire set, the lunges and squats are killing me, but I can do them. Rowing is about the most taxing thing I have done in a long time and I trip on the jump rope more than I hop over it. However, the one thing that may actually kill me is the jumping pull-ups. Basically, you hang forward of the bar on a wooden box and then jump and pull yourself around to above the bar. Sounds easy right? (Okay, not the actual pull up, but the idea). For some reason, I can't seem to make my feet land where I jumped from. I have fallen a couple of times, but Saturday was a doozy. I fell all the way off and skinned my shins and knees and bruised my thighs something awful. Take a look:

The pictures just don't do the bruises justice, they are all swollen and very beautifully purple....

Chris' BBQ
For everyone who has not yet been to one of Chris' work cook outs, you are missing out! He decorated his store all festive and put on a great luau for all the painters and customers. Don't they look great? And who is that girl in the bikini?

What?! Twenty days went by?

2009-04-21T23:10:00.005-06:00

What happened? I swear I only missed a few days of blogging, but all of a sudden, the calendar says it has been three weeks! Talk about time flying. There is a mini gym by my house that I drive by everyday, and it has a count down to summer vacation sign out front. I am pretty sure it went from 12 weeks to 5 weeks all in an instant. I am pretty sure that when I was younger, it seemed like spring lasted FOREVER. Now, I am just scrambling to get my yard mowed before June :)

Anyway, we have been working like crazy to get our basement finished (YIPPI), the carpet is supposed to be installed Thursday. We are also getting our attic re-insulated so we can take advantage of the rebates this year. BTW, you have to get it done by May 1st to get the most money back. Hopefully, we will get to the windows this year as well. Might as well take advantage of as many energy rebates and tax credits as possible, right?

The girls have started soccer, Kaylee is doing pretty well; Taylor and her team run around like a flock of lost chickens. I was really impressed with Kaylee, when she was playing goalie, she dove onto the ball to stop it! Way to go!

We had a ton of fun over Easter, with three dinners and plenty of time spent with family and friends. (At least plenty for the adults, the kids would have taken more!) We are finally out of boiled eggs... I think we can wait another few months for summer egg-salads. The girls had a blast playing with Zeb's new rabbit, they haven't stopped asking for one of their own. NO IDEAS, Y'All. We have plenty of pets with the two dogs, thank you.

To top it off, it was Jody's birthday this last weekend. Happy happy birthday Jody! We really enjoyed getting together with the gang at Ruby Tuesdays. I always feel so much better after laughing for hours on end, I hope everone gets to do that once in a while.

Be sure to soak up some of this great sunny weather before it gets too hot and dry!

Another week flies by!

2009-04-04T21:57:00.005-06:00

Wow, can you believe another week has gone by?!! I had to take my computer in to the shop because it kept freezing up (maybe it is tired of winter?) and after 2 days, they said: "There's nothing wrong with it." Hmmm. Seems to happen to everyone right? You make an appointment for your dog because it's been hacking all week and when you get it in to the vet; he acts just fine! Oh, well. At least it seems okay now.

Just a quick run-down of the last week: Chris took the girls to Jackson Hole with his parents to the snowmobile hill-climbs, they all seemed to have a blast!
I had to work :( but at least it was steady busy all day.

Since I didn't get to go to the hill-climbs, I did manage to watch a good movie with Cheryl and family.... Twilight! I can't say I was super impressed the first time I saw it, but it definitely has grown on me. The books were a bit drawn out so I figured they would have to seriously compress the story to fit in 2 hours, but they did a good job of it. I do really love vampire movies, Interview with the Vampire being one of my all-time favorites.

Going along with the movie theme, we also watched Fast and Furious this weekend. It was our date night, and we doubled with Cheryl and Jason. I thought it was better than the reviews, but you probably have to like cars to get the whole experience. But I would think anyone can appreciate Vin just standing there being cool and muscled. It was cheesy, but so are all his movies ;)

Kaylee and Taylor start their spring break this weekend. 10 days off school! How would it be? I don't recall getting more than 2 days off for anything other than Christmas all through school, including college. Not fair. They are SOOOO excited. Too bad it is still so cold.

Kaylee had her first soccer practice this week, it has been so wet that they had initially cancelled practices and games, but her coach set them up in the church gym to do a little practice inside. She had a ton of fun, but apparently we need to go over the rules a little more with her; she is all over the place. I wish I had a picture, she is so cute in her uniform! Taylor's coach is going to wait out the weather, hopefully they have a practice before the first game!

And because I am not busy enough, I also attended a gardening class taught by none other than Mark Anderson. He was great! I really learned (or remembered? since I took horticulture in school) quite a bit about gardening, fertilizing and soils. Wow! So much to think about, yet very exciting. I hope to get out and start on my flowerbeds this next week if it will stop raining and snowing for a day.... Is that wishful thinking or what?

Sorry for the super long post, that's what happens when the computer is gone. Maybe I will have to get a backup or fix that dinosaur cluttering up my desk!

Enjoy conference weekend, may the Lord be with you!

A trip to the audiologist

2009-03-28T18:30:00.004-06:00

Taylor had her annual hearing test on Friday. Good news! No changes in her hearing :) Of course, to ask her, she would say it is bad news, she thinks she can hear just fine. The rest of us have some other ideas about her ability to hear. Especially when she is told to clean her room or put away her clothes. She can however, hear the sound of candy being unwrapped from the other side of the house!

This check up consisted of her going into the sound-proof room with the earphones on to listen for the sounds. She got to push a great big button to signal that she heard the sound. Wow! You would have thought it was the button for the space shuttle launch, she was so excited. Her new hearing aids are pretty cool since they don't fill so much of her ear anymore.

We have been waiting a few weeks for one of the aids since a certain little white dog chewed up the last one... Bad Dog, No Biscuit! It was especially irritating because it had just been replaced a couple of months ago after the old ones had worn out. I wouldn't mind so much except that they have to be sent to Switzerland for repair/replacement, then shipped back, reprogrammed at the office, and finally I have to make an appointment to come in and have them fitted. It can take weeks. Not to mention, they are REALLY expensive. Thousands of dollars expensive. Fortunately, our insurance covered them originally. I thought we would have to pay to replace them when they wore out, but the hearing aid company replaced them at a small (few hundred) dollar fee. So far the insurance has not returned that bill. I figured the severely mangled, chewed up, drooled on pile of plastic that I returned would be charged at full price but the hearing aid company charged an "abuse fee" of $125. Shocker! I am going to see if the insurance will pay that one.

A little funny note: I was talking to someone about how much the hearing aids cost and the fact that they had to go to Switzerland to get repaired. I said that they must be made out of some kind of "clear gold" to cost so much. Taylor later told everyone that her new hearing aids were made out of "PURE GOLD"! She was a little disappointed to see they were still clear plastic :)

2009-03-28T18:25:00.000-06:00

Taylor wanted me to put up better pictures of her flower and butterfly projects because her hair was all "weird" in the curlers. So here they are:

Spring?

2009-03-26T21:35:00.006-06:00

I guess mother nature was just teasing us with the nice warm weather last week! It has been snowy and blowy and cold! What happened to the 70's? My tulips were poking up out of the ground, now they are buried in snow.... We have tried to not let this cold snap dampen our enthusiasm for spring. The girls and I made garden decorations for when we get to start planting. They were so excited to paint! Taylor did hers all by her self, no help wanted, thank you. Kaylee did most of hers with a little finishing touches my me. Hopefully, we will get them "planted" soon.

Grand Lake Snowmobile Trip

2009-03-24T11:57:00.006-06:00

Here are pictures from Chris' snowmobile trip to beautiful Grand Lake, Colorado.
The pictures really don't do the area justice!

Click HERE for more pictures on Hale's blog.

Although it was gorgeous, and a ton of fun to be in such big country, Chris is really grateful to live where he can be on the hill and having a good time in less than an hour from load to playtime! In Colorado, it takes several hours to get to the hill, then a WHILE to trail ride into where the real sledding starts. We are blessed!

What a weekend!

2009-03-22T19:24:00.000-06:00

This weekend Chris went snowmobiling in Colorado with some of his brothers and a few of his friends. The area they were in is just beautiful! They stayed at our long-time friend's family cabin in Grand Lake. Thank you, Sam and Roger! Sadly, Chris did not take a single picture himself while there, so I will post some as soon as I am able to get a hold of some ;) In the meantime, here is a snapshot I took the last time we were out that way.

While Chris was away, the girls and I visited the dentist. I am not sure how Chris managed to weasel his way out of going with us to go spend time on the mountain.... But good news all around, no cavities and an A+ for good tooth care, YEAH! I really hate having to hold my girls down for dental work, usually it involves complete anesthesia for Kaylee to have anything done : )

We all left with goodie bags of new toothbrushes, floss, a little tube of tooth paste and tokens to use in the toy dispenser! He is the best dentist, too. Very gentle and just downright friendly. His hygienists are excellent and very thorough, my girls actually love going and getting their teeth "brushed with the tickley thing".

Kiera finally graduated from the PetsMart puppy class that we have been attending. Actually, we had to restart the class from missing too many of them so I am surprised that she passed all of her commands off : ) Sometimes she can be such a stinker about doing what I TELL her to do instead of what she THINKS she should do!

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On Friday, we went to the season final hockey game. At one of the period breaks, the peewee team that Josh plays on scrimmaged. They were SO CUTE out on the ice! Josh even hit the puck a few times. He is a pretty good skater and one of the biggest kids on the team since he is one of the oldest kids :)

During the other break, a group of new Army recruits took their oath to stand for the country and behind our president. It was heart warming to see so many YOUNG! kids willing to risk their lives for our freedom. Especially during a war. I think everyone in the stands was touched when they all saluted at the end. They got the standing ovation they deserved!

Taylor was having so much fun, chatting and yelling along with the crowd, then just Zonk, she was out! She is an angel when she is asleep!

What a weekend! As much fun as all that was, I am looking forward to resting a little with good, old work.

Morgan the Intern!

2009-03-22T12:21:00.000-06:00

Morgan came this week to visit and do an internship at the vet hospital this last week. It was so much fun working up cases together and reminiscing about old times. I loved having my "little" shadow ;) I can't believe she is in her third year already.

The Day the Earthquake Hit

2009-03-21T22:11:00.000-06:00

Kaylee's 2nd grade class wrote and performed this original opera. The plot is there is a terrible earthquake where all the jars in the science class get mixed up causing all sorts of weird weather. It rains real cats and dogs, food (including hot dogs and bacon), and treats. They try to fix things up by filling up the cracks in the earth with pop-corn. They work together to solve the problem with a magic potion. It was hilarious and really, very well performed. They have been working on it all year.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Kiera's First Show

2009-03-18T19:09:00.004-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I took Kiera to Scottsdale, AZ for her first dog show. It was so beautiful and warm there. 80 plus degrees... I even got a sunburn! Wearing black may have been unwise, but boy does she look white against it. The things I suffer through for her :)

Kiera thought she was queen of the world, pranced around the ring and even made some top handlers turn their heads :) Watch out! Here she comes!

Here is the video link for Kiera's first show on the Ikon Kennels blog.
She did great! I think she had a ton of fun with all the big dogs.

Tools of the Trade Career Fair

2009-03-18T13:22:00.010-06:00

Today I was invited to the annual career fair at the middle school. This is an opportunity to show off the equipment that each career would use on a regular basis. I love going to schools and showing kids what I get to do each day! They are always so excited to get to touch and a see all the interesting things a veterinarian gets to work with. There are lots of ohs and ahs, some wows and usually a few yucks! They are such characters at this age, and it is really nice to get to talk to them and see what they think is cool.

This year we had quite a few careers represented: fashion merchandising, nursing, seamstress, arborist (with a HUGE chain saw), baker, YUM, makeup artist (who has done movies), machinist, meteorologists, the chief of police--he brought a taser! I probably like going around to the different booths as much as the kids do :)

My favorite part is the thank-you gift! A chocolate wrench!

Happy Birthday Everyone!

2009-03-17T22:21:00.008-06:00

Lordy, lordy, look who's twenty four again!

We attended a "wake" for our awesome friend Kelley. It was the most fun I have had at an adult birthday party in a long time. Everyone was asked to wear black to mourn the passing of her youth :) We had a eulogy, given by her Dad and many people reminisced about her younger years.

We LOVE you, Kelley!

We also celebrated birthdays for Jason..... who is a little more than 24, and Josh who is now *8*.

Jason is yet another awesome friend of ours that we love and appreciate! He always brings a good time with him wherever he goes. He gets to share a birthday weekend with his son, Josh.
Josh and his friends celebrated by going rollerblading at the indoor park. They had so much fun! Kaylee and Taylor were so exhausted afterwards.

Preparedness

2009-03-15T21:59:00.000-06:00

I just got back from an emergency preparedness presentation. We did it as our monthly extended family home evening. My family, and a few friends we consider family, came over for dinner at our house then over to the church where Tim Woolf spoke to us for a couple of hours on being physically prepared for disasters.

He said (and I don't recall who he was quoting) "We have two choices, we can be afraid, or we can be prepared." "Self-sufficiency does not mean being able to drive ourselves to the store."

He really made some excellent points about the ability to care for ourselves and our family in the event of a disaster, particularly earthquakes. We happen to live on a fault line... In fact, Kaylee just performed an opera at her school about what would happen in an earthquake. I'll put that in another post for your entertainment.

I have made some small goals to increase my food storage over the next few months to get to the recommended 1 year supply. First goal is to inventory what I have and go from there.

SuperMom to the Rescue!

2009-03-15T12:10:00.000-06:00

I have sewn together many a stuffed animal and many a live animal too :)

I get called a "SuperMom" occasionally, but what is a SuperMom anyway?
I don't consider myself to be mild-mannered housewife! Keeping busy has always been part of who I am, and I like it that way.

This comic in today's paper reminded me of when I was quite young (maybe kindergarten). My cat had been hit and killed in the road in front of our house. However, I was not worried because "My dad can fix it, he can fix anything!" He was a SuperDad to me. I hope my kids can look up to me the same way.

I do my best to keep up with family, church, work and friends. So, here are some peeks into my life-- Enjoy!