WHY?

The most common word Crew uses right now is WHY? I know that this is a common thing for kids his age. But it is really commical at times, frustrating other times, and downright silly. A typical conversation with Crew these days could be like this one the other night on a family rhino ride...

Crew: "Why can't we see the deer. I want to see the deer. You said we were looking for the deer. Where are they?"

Dad: "They are hiding."

Crew: "Why are they hiding?"

Dad: "Because they don't want to get killed."

Crew: "Why don't they want to get killed?"

Dad: "Because they want to live."

Crew: "Why do they want to live."

Finally, because nothing else will stop the inquisitive little guy,

Dad: "Do you want to die?"

Crew: "NO, do you?"

Dad: "NO."

Crew: "Good!"




Or, here's another one that happened just today while we were driving into town. (My father-in-law lives on a very windy road.)

Crew: "Why are you turning?"

Mom: "Because the road is turning."

Crew: "Why is the road turning?"

Mom: "Because someone made it turn."

Crew: "Who made it turn?"

Mom: "Someone who built it."

Crew: "Who built it?"

Mom: "A worker."

Crew: "Why did a worker build it turny?"

Mom: "Because that's the way they wanted it."

Crew: "But if they built it turny and someone didn't turn, they could crash."

Mom: "Well we won't crash because I'm turning on the corners. But if I didn't turn on the corners we could crash."

Crew: "Will you turn on ALL the corners?"

Mom: "Yes."

Crew: "Why will you turn on all the corners?"

At this point I can't handle it anymore, so I say,

Mom: "Do you want me to turn on all the corners, or do you want me to crash?"

Crew: "No, I want you to turn on all the corners. I don't want to crash."

Mom: "That's good because I don't want to crash either."


WOW! This boy can sure ask some questions these days!! But we love him. And it's good for him to learn things. I love the little guy. Questions and all! He's super silly, but today he surprised me in a good way. I have been working on quilts for the boys new bedroom. I promised them we could decorate their room a cowboy room. Anyway, we've made a disaster of the house lately because I've been sewing and the boys kind of have free range. I finished my last project today at 3:15. Rett's Dad gets off work at 3:30, so he's usually home by 3:45. I told Crew we needed to get the house cleaned up before grandpa got home. He was so good. Such a great helper! He was so excited about getting it done before grandpa got here. Everything I asked him to pick up and put away, he did, and did it very quickly! Needless to say, it was a day that grandpa worked a little late, so we had it done in plenty of time. But I think we would have had it done before he got here anyway because of my great little worker boy Crew! He's still got his issues, like whipping his brother with ropes and telling me he doesn't have to do things because he is Zorro, but, for the most part, he's a good little guy. And he's so excited to be starting pre-school next week! I can't believe he's so big!

Another funny thing about Crew right now. If you want him to do something usually all you have to do is tell him Zorro or Cowboys do it. Like any item for dinner, "Crew, you better eat your dinner so you can get big like Zorro." "OH, Zorro eats this?" "Yup!" And then he proceeds to eat it up! OR, you can tell him that Zorro listens to his mom, and it helps. OR Zorro is nice to his brother. OR Cowboys aren't mean and don't say bad words! It's a great helper, briber tool these days!

And one more cute thing about Crew. He refers to long sleeves as "down sleeves" and short sleeves as "up sleeves" and trying to correct him just doesn't happen!!

More Home Pics

These pics are from the weekend. The house is wrapped and ready to start the exterior coverings. It's funny, because one of the things we're most excited about up here, is that it seems so much less "keeping up with the Joneses". Vinyl siding was kind of looked down on in Utah. But after a lot of research, it's actually a much better product for our extreme changes in temperatures than stucco. Not to mention it's super cheap. And there are some wider planks as well as vertical siding that is really good looking. So there will be some rock and vinyl siding on the home. Rough plumbing, electrical, and HVAC are all done, which included central vac, because it was in my last home and I've become a central vac snob. They are supposd to be doing windows and doors this week so that they can do the insulation next. They also have our fire place hearth framed up, and I'm so excited for it. When I was a kid we had a wood burning stove and a nice big hearth around it and I loved to sit on it and be cozy warm right next to the stove. Our hearth won't be nearly as big as the one I grew up with, but it will be super nice. We spent some time there Saturday wiring the surround sound and doing a few other little projects, so these pictures are from Saturday.


This is the back of the home, with my favorite thing, the covered patio. And the view from the french doors onto the covered patio. And of course a little boy climbing on the big dirt piles that someday will be gone.




This is the front of the home. Rett loves the little dummy dormer they built for him. Obviously it's just for looks. We tried to make it so that it could be open to the office below, but with the trusses and roof line it ended up that it would cost a fortune. So it's just for looks, but it is one of Rett's favorite things. He loves that it is different from a lot of homes and that it gives the front of the home a little more personality. And they got the little gable above the entry way finished, along with the rough cut timber posts. They will eventually be stained.


Rett just drove by the house on his way to a job and called me to say that the doors and windows had been delivered and they are starting to put them in today!!! YAY! SO the next picture updates will have windows and doors! And they are estimating finishing up the home the end of September, so sounds like we'll be in before snow and in time to spend the holidays in the new home! YAY!

Crew's Barrel Race

The Caribou County Fair over in Grace had a Little Buckaroo Rodeo last night. We had Crew entered for the Stick Horse Barrel Race. We practiced lots this last week. The age division was 3-6 years old, so Crew was one of the younger competitors. Conditions were not perfect, as there had been a big thunder and rain storm that came through on the afternoon of the event. Because of the mud and the crowd, Crew was a little thrown off. He forgot the last barrel and the rodeo clown had to help him find it. There were lot's of kids who wouldn't even do it by themselves. We are very proud of Crew for doing it all by himself!! And he was definitely the cutest cowboy out there! His Grandpa Kip and Grandma Debbie came to watch him, and his very cool Uncle TJ drove all the way up from Utah to come watch him! What a great uncle, Crew was so stinking excited for him to be here!

Here's Rett coaching Crew while they wait his turn. He's such a great Dad!


This video is not great. My real video camera is in storage, where everything else we've needed this summer is! Anyway, Rett reminded me that our digital camera shoots video, which I played with for just a minute before the rodeo, but somehow managed to not figure out how to zoom while keeping it in focus. Anyway, that's my fault, but you can still see him doing it.




After all of the other events there was also a money grab, where they tape money to a sheep, and let the little kids try to get it off of them. We sent Crew out, and then Drake wanted to follow him. One of the ladies in charge walked up to Drake and handed him a dollar. Crew was pretty sad that Drake got some money and he didn't. It was fun to watch them run around in the mud though.

More House Pics

So, there is a roof, although it's only a plywood roof, on our house. And it's not 100% done. But, you can see a lot more of how the home will look once it's done. There's a front and back view of the house. One of the things Rett and I are most excited about is our back covered patio. We had a nice patio at our Saratoga house, but it wasn't covered and so we made sure we got it done on this house. YAY! And my pictures are still kind of lame because there are still huge dirt piles around the house. It's free if anyone wants to come get it! Too bad anyone reading this lives way too far away for that!

Dad

Steven Dean Wheeler (Sam) September 21, 1951 - July 28, 1996

It is the 14th anniversary of my Father's death. I woke this morning feeling really guilty. My poor mom lost the love of her life and was left with 7 kids to take care of. I was such a selfish teenager at that time, that I only thought of myself and how awful it was to lose your Dad, instead of thinking of my Mom and how hard it was for her. Now, because I am married to my best friend and love, and as the parents of two beautiful boys, I cannot imagine how awful and hard that must have been for her. My mom is a trooper. She raised all of us by herself for a while. I cannot imagine the pressure that would put on a woman. She is such a hard worker. She loves her children so much. She is truly my angel here on this earth. And I know I don't tell her enough how much I appreciate her unconditional love for me and my family. She sent a cute text to me this morning that said "Just wanted you to know that I love you, and that your dad Sam would be so pleased with your choices." That made my day. My mother remarried an amazing man. I am so blessed to have Kurt in my life and in my childrens life. He loves my boys like they are his own grandchildren. I am so grateful for him for being a father he doesn't have to be. And he takes such great care of my mother.
I know my Dad is doing important work. I miss him a lot and think of him often. I know that Rett and my boys would have loved him. I showed them this picture of him this morning and of course, the boys both said "Cowboy!" We had a little talk about Grandpa Sam and how cool he was. They don't really understand it, but they know I was a little sad and were very sweet and cuddly.
My Dad taught me a lot growing up. It's crazy, because I'm 28, and he died when I was 14. He has now been gone for 14 years, and that's half of my life. But those 14 years were truly full of lessons. Many about Christ, family, and hard work. I remember one day vividly. We grew up on a large peice of land in the mountains of Southern Oregon. We had lots of animals. Dad always taught us that the animals came first because they couldn't take care of themselves. I was asked to go feed the pigs which were, I don't know, a quarter to half a mile from the house. We had company over, and I just wanted to play with the kids. So I was hurrying with a bucket of food for the pigs, and spilled it on the way. I just left the spilled food and fed the pigs and went back to the company we had. A little while later, my Dad came and found me and took me back and helped me clean up the spilled food, while telling me about how important it was to do the job right and not to waste. After my Dad died, one of the ladies that was at our house that day sent a sympathy card and talked about how she remembered how gently he taught his children and about that day when he not only taught me to fix the mistake, but helped me. It meant a lot to me, and I still have that card. Those are the kinds of lessons that my Dad taught us growing up. He was gentle and always helped us.
He was a hard worker. At the time of his death he was a log truck driver. My Dad was not a highly educated man. He held many jobs during his life, and there were even times when he didn't have a job because of layoffs. But he always worked hard. Rett is also a hard worker and reminds me of my Dad and how hard he worked to provide for his family.
I remember my Dad playing tag with us in the house. As a mom now, I can see how that would drive my mother crazy. But it was fun. He often held father's interviews with us. He would just talk and ask us about our lives and how we were doing. I remember school blessings and how much he wanted us to be happy, to get a good education, and to make good decisions. I remember his stuff. He had a lot of man stuff. He even bought a boom truck. I don't know if he ever really used it, but he would get all kinds of things. He had a big catapillar tractor. I remember riding on it with him. I remember how my mom used to make comments about his beard and how she was going to shave it when he died. One of my little sisters was really worried that she was really going to after he died. I remember one Mother's Day when he took some of us kids out on the mountain behind our house and we picked flowers for my mom. I remember that he never let a month go by when he didn't visit the families he home taught at least once. We were always helping other families with projects. My Dad loved animals and the outdoors. He loved the Gospel and serving others. He loved his family so much.
I hope I can remember the things he taught me during his lifetime and be the kind of parent he was. I look forward to the time when I get to see him again and for him to meet my little family. And I am so grateful for my parents raising us in the Gospel and with a knowledge that we are an eternal family.


This isn't a very good picture of my Dad. But it's one of the only one's I have right now that isn't in storage. And it really does show him in his element. He was a mountain man. He always wore red suspenders. He wore this dirty old hat forever. But that's how he was, he never wasted, and if it was still useable, he still used it. He hated getting his picture taken. And this picture kind of makes him look like he was glaring. But he just didn't like pictures. He loved the outdoors.


I know this picture was taken in 1982, I'm not sure what it was for, it's with my moms family, and our family is on the right side of the picture, with my mom and dad standing holding me, and my three older siblings sitting in front of us.


A lot of the reason I did this post was for my boys. It made me sad when I graduated from high school and college and he wasn't there, when I got married and he wasn't there, and when I had my boys. I am so blessed to have my step Dad who is incredible, who was there for most of these important events in my life. I cannot express how grateful I am for Kurt and all he does for our family. He is truly a blessing in our lives.
My second child, Drake, was born on September 21, his Grandpa Sam's birthday. (His real name was Steven, but he went by Sam.) When I was pregnant, we planned to give him his Grandpa's name as his middle name, and I was due on the 26th of the month. When he was born on Grandpa's birthday, it made it even more special. Drake Steven Sage, I hope you are able to be like your Grandpa.I want my boys to know about their Grandpa Sam and to know what a good man he was. I want them to know that my Dad loved me, just like their Dad loves them. And to never take their Dad for granted. I know I did when I was a kid. And I used to feel guilty about it. But now, I'm just grateful for the time I had to spend with such an amazing man. And I am so grateful for a mother who loves me despite my imperfections. And who is a true hero of mine. I cannot express how grateful I am for families and the plan of Salvation. And I know that because of the Savior's sacrifice for me, I can be with my Daddy again some day. And I am so grateful for Rett, Crew, and Drake and that we have the same knowledge of being a forever family.

This is my Dad & Mom's Wedding Picture. Married in the Oakland, California Temple October 7, 1975.

Framed

The house is pretty much framed!! Trusses are scheduled for tomorrow! YAY! I actually haven't seen it yet, at least not since the footings were the only thing done. I just send Rett with the camera and he takes pictures for me on his way home from work. Anyway, I think we have to do a walk through sometime soon to make sure we don't want to move any walls or anything and I am very excited to see it. It resembles a house now!

Progress

Here's some new house pics! YAY! They are making progress! The basement is all framed and they started on the main level yesterday!

Trip to Island Park

Last weekend was the Sage Family Reunion and we were lucky enough to get to go. We had to pack up our trailer so we could haul it up, but it was still a lot of fun. I didn't take many pictures, except for of our boys, but it was beautiful and we had a lot of fun.



Here are the boys at the Mesa Falls Visitor Center
And these are the Mesa Falls







We took a long ride from Island Park to West Yellowstone on a trail that used to be an old rail road line. It was long, but tons of fun. When in West we looked through the shops and the boys posed by all the cowboys!





The funniest part of the trip was when we found a little booth that takes pictures (for a mighty high price) with their animals. They had a bull moose, a bear, a bucking horse, and a bucking bull. Guess which one Crew chose? Anyway, the reason it was so funny was because we could not get Drake to smile AT ALL! He was so mad. I know I've posted before about his honery faces, but this one was really funny because we were paying so much to have the picture taken and he would NOT give us a good face! But it captures his little personality well. And while they were taking pictures, Crew started trying to ride the bull and the lady had to tell him to stop because it was only held up by a metal rod. Then of course, it was fits getting them out of the cowboy get up. But we thought the picture was pretty cute, even if Drake had a scowl!

DIRT!!!

Who knew piles of dirt and a big hole in the ground would be so exciting?? Well, it kind of is when you are living out of your camping trailer!! I didn't get a picture of the actual hole, but it's there behid all of those dirt piles! Anyway, they completed the excavation, they are doing the forms today, and pouring the basement/foundation tomorrow!!! YIPPEE! It's just nice to finally get started. The process since we found this land has been really fast, but getting to this point has taken about a month, which is really not that long. I just kept thinking it was a month sooner that we could have been moved into the home. But our builder says 3-4 months so I'm hoping on October at the latest. (He has a nice big home, and I can't live in my trailer during the winter, so I'm going to start threatening that we're moving in with him if it's not done soon enough. Think that will motivate him?) Actually, he's been great. The day after we turned in our application for a septic permit, he was out there with the county guy digging the holes to test for it. And we just closed on the land last week, so he's actually got it moving quickly.

Here are a few pictures of the home plans. I don't think these are the final pictures of the plans, but they are what I had on my FIL's computer. Anyway, it definatley gives you an idea of what we are doing. It's basically the same plan as our Saratoga home, but bigger, a main level laundry, a mud room, a covered patio, and a few other things. And we are hoping that it's what we'll want for a long time. Because we are planning to be there for a long time. It's scary making your plans because we keep thinking, what if we get into it, and we hate something because we designed it poorly. Oh well, I guess we'll just live with it! But hopefully we will love it!






Anyway, I am sure no one is as excited about this as Rett and I, but I'm sure you can agree that it will be nice to be in a home again. And the dirt picture gives a pretty good idea of the view from our new home. The mountains are actually on almost all sides of the view. And it's nice and green right now, so it's pretty. It's a 4.4 acre lot and just a flat field. I LOVE IT! And I'm sure a lot of my future posts for the summer will be of the home building process, so hopefully it's not too boring! I'm so excited for when we can move in. Then Rett's commute will be all of 10 minutes, instead of the hour and fifteen it's taking him now. Which means, more time together as a family.

Our Little Cowboys

I am a little biased...But I think I have the two cutest cowboys EVER!!!













It is so pretty and green up here, and the green horse panels with the pretty mountains in the background made the perfect place to take some cute cowboy pictures of our little guys! Crew is really the best little poser ever! He totally does whatever you tell him to. Drake just does whatever he wants to. And you kind of have to just snap a million and hope one turns out half way ok. But they are such cute little cowboys!

We are doing well. Just trying to get through all the rain that we're getting up here. I think we've had one nice day without rain for over the week we've been here. It's ok though. We are getting into a routine, and adjusting to life in a house trialer! It is so great that we are able to go up to the house though, because the boys in that trailer with all this rain and not being able to go outside would be way too much for me to handle! It's pretty muddy here right now. We are just trying to get things going on a home, so we're not in the trailer during the winter time. All is well though. I'm beginning to think the country life is just perfect for me. I don't go to town as often, so I don't spend as much money on things I don't need. I've been reading a ton. And if the weather were nice, the boys would love to be outside. Rett has gotten a lot of training in with his new pup, who's doing great. And it's so nice that he can just step outside and run drills with him instead of having to drive somewhere where there's some open land. Even though it's not perfect, I feel like we are making some really great decisions for our families future. And the summer and inconvenience of not having a home will only be short lived! Then we can start living the dream!