Winter Wonderland

We are starting to realize that there is a lot of snow here! And we've only had a couple of snow storms. But there's already big piles of snow from the plows. And Idaho is really lame at taking care of the roads. So, a lot of the roads that aren't used much, get kind of snow packed. The highway that goes to our ward building is not taken care of well at all. Sunday it was snowing like crazy. Our building is something like 8 miles away, but it took over 20 minutes to get there. We have been so used to just jumping in the car five minutes before church starts, and we're going to have to remember now that we have to be ready to leave half hour before it starts or something. This was the house on the way home from church. Crazy!



And we left one big dirt pile that was supposed to be used for filling in low spots in the yard but it didn't get done before things froze, so it's going to be there all winter. And I have decided that it's ok, because the boys think sledding down it is SUPER FUN! I just have to carry Drake up it, because it's too steep for him to climb up. So it's a good work for me too. Anyway, we have decided it's ok that there is a huge dirt pile in the back yard for this year, so they can sled on it. And I love how red their cheeks and noses are in these pictures! I didn't even realize they looked so cold, because they weren't complaining at all, and I wasn't cold at all! And it was a trick to catch them coming down the hill. Because I was having to push them to get started, but wanted to get a picture. This was an accident, they started sliding perfectly when I was taking a picture of them at the top. I love that they both have great smiles as they are coming down the hill! Super cute little sledders!




Some days we wonder what we have gotten ourselves into. Over the weekend Rett decided we lived on the North Pole because there was so much snow. We plowed the driveway before we went to church, and by the time we were home, there was another four inches or something. Crazy. He was on the four wheeler plowing a ton this weekend. But, yesterday and today the sun is shining and it is beautiful. Cold, but beautiful. And I'm trying to be more grateful for things right now, so I've decided I like the snow because my boys love to play in it and it's so pretty! And one of my favorite things about winter time, is that you don't feel quite as guilty when you stay home in your warm jammies all day. Which brings me to another thing that I love about my home. We are loving the fireplace. It's so nice and warm. And super easy to take care of. Pellet stoves are pretty cool. We got 2 pallets of pellets from Costco. We are not sure that it will last us all winter, but we'll see. And it's a ton cheaper than propane, since there's no natural gas here. It just makes the snow more fun, because we love to sit by the nice warm fire! So, even though it's freezing, we are doing great and loving Idaho and all it has to offer, including the snow!

Thanksgiving

I didn't get any good pictures of Thanksgiving, but afterwards did snap a picture of the table. Rett had a really cute idea to put butcher paper on the table and let the boys draw. Everyone kind of ended up drawing pictures of things they were thankful for, and it kept the boys entertained so they weren't too out of control. Great idea, and I actually left it there for a while after, because the boys would just jump up and start drawing.
We have so much to be grateful for this year. We are very grateful for the home that we were able to build and for all the comfort and warmth it gives to us. We are grateful for our little family, and for the fun and love that we share with each other. We are grateful for amazing grandparents, who love us and our boys more than we could ever ask. As well as for great siblings, who are such good aunts and uncles to the boys. We cannot express how grateful we are for such a wonderful family. We are so blessed to have so many wonderful influences in our children's lives. We are grateful for the Gospel and for the peace and joy it brings to our lives. We are grateful for wonderful parents who have taught us the gospel and raised us to be strong in our values, honest, and committed to what we believe. We are grateful for a good, secure job and for Rett for working so hard for us, so the boys and I can be home together. We are grateful to our new neighbors who have been extremely welcoming, and for old neighbors and friends, who even though are not as close physically, are so sweet to keep in contact. We love Thanksgiving because it reminds us to be more grateful for all the blessings we enjoy. And that's something we could always use as a reminder in our lives.
We had lot's of invites for Thanksgiving Dinner, and would have loved to be at all of them, with all of our sweet family. We had some plans that made us decide to stick around the house, and Rett ended up being on call anyway. But it was still a great Thanksgiving Dinner. We had Rett's brother TJ up and Grandpa Kip and Debbie. It was actually fun to prepare the meal. I didn't do all of it. Deb brought the stuffing, a casserole, and some pies; and TJ brought some pies as well. I know it was not my first turkey, but it has been a long time since I've done one, and I was pleasantly surprised at how fun and easy the dinner was to get ready. Thanks guys for a wonderful Thanksgiving Day! We're glad we had some company!

Cowboy Room

I've been such a slacker with the blog since we moved into the new house. We got into the house the first week of November. There was a forecast for a storm the first weekend in the month, so we busted it out and got most of the stuff moved in during the week. We've been unpacking and hanging stuff since then. It is mostly done now, but there are still some things that need done. Anyway, we're loving the new home and are so grateful for it. It's just so nice to have our own space again and to get the boys back to a better routine again. We do live in a very cold place now! It's crazy. And some days the sun just doesn't shine up here, which is lame. But we're hoping that all the other good stuff makes the hard, long winters worth it! And it is so beautiful. We have pheasants that are in our fields most mornings, and we've seen a fox, deer, rabbits, geese and ducks right in our yard. All of us are loving the land and room that we have at the new place. Before it got snowy and so cold, our place was an awful muddy mess. I got my car stuck one day and Rett got a work truck stuck too. For a while I was parking across at a neighbors home and driving the rhino back and forth with the boys, groceries, and whatever we had to get to the house. The mud here is so sticky and I'm sure I'll be cursing it again in the spring. They did finally get our driveway in right before a really big storm, and it seems to be really nice. It's not paved or cemented because it's a pretty long driveway and that would cost a fortune, but it's a lot better than the mud. Rett's already got the four wheeler snow plow going and it's so nice to have it accessible to the garage. All in all, the new home is AMAZING and we are so happy and grateful to be in it.

I've never really been into decorating with a theme, but my boys are so into cowboys and love their dad's old bull riding pictures, buckles, and stuff. So we decided we'd let them have their cowboy bedroom. Or, as they call it, their "bull room". This summer with all my spare time, I made them some matching rag quilts out of random western/cowboy material. They have a buckle case with all Rett's old buckles he won at rodeos. Bampa Kip gave them the puppy with rodeo stuff picture. And we bought the cow hide which I was originally going to use as a rug in their room, but it was so big and didn't really stay put, so we decided to hang it on the wall. They love their bedroom. Which is great. Because Rett and I thought that it would be a hard first month in the new house, with them in their own room because they had been sleeping in the same room with us in the trailer all summer. But they have done GREAT! Crew loves that he's big enough to sleep on the top bunk now, and Drake sleeps great in his bed too. Which is a huge help to mom and dad and getting a good nights rest!