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!

Move In Countdown

So, our builder and lender are telling us that we should be done with the house by the end of next week! That's the end of October basically. When we started building (end of June) we were told 3 1/2-4 months, so I guess we're really not far off of that. It just seems like we've been living in our trailer FOREVER. Which, I guess since the end of May is a pretty long time. It will end up being over 5 months! Hooray for us that we've made it that long and not killed each other! I would like to say that this has been really good for me and I've learned a lot, but I'm not sure I have. Besides what I already knew anyway, that I'm a little bit OCD and like things my way and don't like not having control over things. I thought it would teach me some patience, but I'm not sure that will ever happen. It's been ok, and I don't regret it. I guess the one thing I've learned is that you can get along without so much stuff. I have so much in storage, and I haven't died without it this summer. Simplify. That's the goal of moving to the country anyway. The boys have loved it. And like I said, we've survived and it will be a fun memory to talk about in the future. I told Rett that I'm not sure we will go camping next year. I've kind of had my share this summer! One thing's for sure though, we have gotten our moneys worth on this old camping trailer. We bought it used before Crew was born, so maybe 4 to 5 years ago. We used it a lot before the kids were born. And last summer, we lived in it a ton with Rett's elk hunt. And this summer, it saved us a ton of money in rent. Thanks to Grandpa and Grandma Sage for letting us stay on their land and plug into their power and water, which has been so nice!
Anyway, the counter top, plumbing, and stove are all being finished this week. Next week it's pretty much appliances and cement work outside. And that is it! I cannot even express how anxious and excited I am to get moved into the house! Seriously! I just hope they don't disappoint me. Because at this point, I'm likely to be a mean, crazy women if the timing doesn't fall into place! Some of the things I'm most excited for include; My own bedroom and bathroom, Not sleeping in a bunk bed with only two feet above you, My own kitchen, Not having to climb down stairs to use the bathroom at night, Not having my kids sleeping right below me, Having a TV that is more than 18", Having a routine started for my kiddos, Not having Rett on the road 2 1/2 hours a day, Being able to organize things, Not having my clothes in a suit case, Having all my clothes and shoes back, All my stuff that is in storage. Ok, I could go on and on, but seriously, normal life in a home is sounding so good right now! And I can hardly wait!!!

Bampa Kip's Birthday Cake and Fireplace

Well, Grandpa Kip had a birthday, and since we're basically living with them, I figured it would be really nice to make a cake for him. Grandpa is obsessed with Bultaco's. They are a motorcycle made in Spain. Recently he even purchased one on ebay and is in the process of rebuilding it. He and Deb can usually be caught in a bultaco shirt and grandpa even has a bultaco sticker on his window of his truck. So what better, than a bultaco birthday cake! This is their logo, with the thumbs up! Hope it was a great birthday Grandpa!





And for those of you bugging me for new house pictures, this is one of the rock around the fireplace. It wasn't all the way done, but you still get an idea of how beautiful it is. Yes, at some point we will be done and get to move in. But for now, I think we have not been holding our breath. We're hoping for close to the end of October or beginning of November. Crazy. But we're surviving and doing well. Over the weekend we went to Utah for my brother's wheelchair rugby tournament and had tons of fun spending time with my parents and family, as well as with Grandma Teresa. (Ok, so to clarify, both of our mom's are Teresa/Theresa. The boys call my mom Fishy Grandma, because Grandpa Fishy is way into deep sea fishing and fishing in general. And Rett's mom is called Grandma Teresa. I know my mom doesn't love that she's got the nick name of Fishy Grandma, which all of her grandchildren call her, but for our family with two grandma's with the same name, it works great! And we love all of our grandma's no matter what they get called!) The boys got to spend lot's of time with their grandma's and loved every minute of it! We love you all!

New House Pics

So, the exterior of the home is pretty much finished now. It actually looks like a home now! There are a few more things, like the stain for the timbers on the porch and patio, the exterior lights, and how about some driveway and sidewalk. But other than that, pretty much done. We had a hard time with the color of the exterior siding. It was going to be brown, but then the option of brown for the siding blended right in with the window color, and we wanted some contrast. So we went with this sage green color. It's called coastal sage. It's kind of a greyish bluish green. But in the right light is pretty bright green. It's growing on us though. It's funny because the choices can get overwhelming and we make some decisions that I don't know if end up being the best. But like I said, the house is still really pretty, and every time I see it, I like the color more. And I LOVE the rock, I think it's really pretty. The doors are stained now too, but you can't tell because they are covered in the pictures.





The shop is almost done too. Just waiting on the garage doors for it. It kind of behind the house, so you can't see it from the other pictures, but it is there.



There is a ton of trash and stuff laying all around, but I have been told it will all be cleaned up before we move in. The inside is painted as well! I love, love the color we did the bedrooms and bathrooms. And I'll have to get back to you about the rest of the house. The paint swatch was called ancient olive, it was a green color. I saw it for a brief second right after he finished, so it was still wet, and it almost looked mint green, so I am hoping it dries lighter and less bright and that getting the dark flooring and stuff in helps with that. I'll get some pictures of that after we get the flooring in. Which should be tons of fun if anyone is interested in laying 970 square feet of flooring with us!!

Drake's Birthday

Yesterday was Drake's 2nd birthday! I can't believe my baby is two years old! He's so funny and cute. Even when he has his growly faces. Drake has seemed older and able to do things a lot sooner than Crew did. I don't know if it's having a big brother that teaches him everything, good and bad, or if it's just him. But he's been talking in sentences for a very long time. Crew said just a few words at two years old. It's funny how different they are. Anyway, we love Drakey Baby so much! We are so blessed to have such a fun little guy in our family! And we hope he had the best birthday ever! Thanks all of his Grandpa's and Grandma's for the cute gifts. He loves them all! You must know what kind of guy he is, because you did good. Soft jammies, trucks, dog movies, toys, and toothbrushes are some of his favorite things! Thanks again for making his birthday special! Wish all of you could have been here!

We asked him what he wanted for dinner, and he decided pizza. So, I made some little pizzas and we let the boys put their toppings on them. Drake even got a #2 shaped pizza! It was a lot of fun. These boys love pepperoni!!



Funny thing about these pictures, you can see a progression of change of clothes through them. First, he was wearing jeans and a brown t-shirt, which is what he wore yesterday. Then he's wearing a plaid button up shirt and new cinch jeans that he got as a gift. And last, he's wearing a pair of jammies his grandma Teresa got him for his birthday! Funny boy, had to put everything on that he got!

Drake really liked the little red flyer toy I got him. It actually can be used as a wagon or a ride on toy, but he liked the ride on idea. Infact, we tried to get him off of it for the cake, and he wouldn't budge! The best part is, that it was a clearance item at Target! LOVE THAT!


When I asked Drake what kind of cake he wanted, he said a horsey cake. SO, even though I didn't have any of my tools that I usually use, I figured out how to make it. It's far from perfect, but the boys liked it. I had plans of piping green frosting grass, and putting a fence and stuff, but that didn't happen.



Here's a little walk down memory lane. I can't believe how much a child grows and changes in just two short years! It seriously seems like just yesterday I had Crew, let alone two crazy boys running all over the place!
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Drake was an army crawler! SO cute!


I also remember his cute little teeth and how they came in totally different from the typical. Which is why, last year for his birthday we did a hippo cake, because he only had two little side teeth and looked like a little hippo!

And who could forget the way this boy can be angry when he wants to be! He's still relly cute though!

We love you little Drakey Boy! Hope it was the best birthday ever!

Cowboy Hats

So, our boys are really hard on their cowboy hats. They throw them down when they are pretending to ride bulls and get bucked off. They step on them. They hit with them. They throw them in the mud or tub. They insist on wearing them in the car and so the backs of them get bent funny when they lean back in their seats. They really abuse them. It drives Rett crazy! In April, for Crew's birthday, his Grandpa Kip bought him a new one, and I don't think it was a month later that the thing looked super trashed. Grandpa was actually so embarrassed about the hats that he wanted to get them new ones for the family reunion. So, we did break down and buy them new ones. But I've "lost" them since we've been home, and we're making them play in their old ones and using the new ones only for going out in cowboy get up. Anyway, Rett really has a hard time with the boys and how poorly they take care of their hats. He gives them a hard time about being good cowboys to their hats. Well, a little while ago Grandpa Kip found this picture!



On the back his mother had written "Rett's first cowboy hat, 1 week old". I find it comical that the man can't stand that his boys are so bad with their hats, and yet, in this picture of him, he is missing half the brim of the hat after only one week! I guess what they say is true, Like Father, Like Son! And now I have some real ammo to blame their behavior, at least with hats, on their Daddy!





Drake's hat has actually gone through both boys, so I expect it to be beaten. It's actually so screwed up right now that he couldn't even get it down on his head.





Crew's hat was given to him by Bampa Kip on his birthday, April, and it was trashed not even six months later.

So, after I took their silly pictures today, we retired the hats, into the garbage! I was holding onto them for play hats, but they refuse to even wear them now, so they went away!

First Day of Pre-School

One of Rett's co-workers recommended a lady that does a pre-school out of her house. I was a little hesitant to put him into it at first, but I think it will be really good for him and for me! Last week we went to a back to school night for Crew's pre-school. And today was his first day. It's only two days a week for two hours. Crew has been very excited about being a big boy like his cousins! Since we are still living at Grandpa's we have to drive a little over an hour to get there. Once we are moved in to the house, it will only be a five minute drive. But, for now, we have a little commute. Of course it poured all day, which made the drive and dropping him off tons of fun! Since we haven't been doing much all summer, and the boys are in the trailer with us, they have gotten a bad schedule of going to sleep late and sleeping in till 8:30 or so. Which is crazy for my kids. They used to be up at 6am. Anyway, so I knew we would need to plan on leaving at 7:30 this morning, which meant waking the boys up at 7. Drake especially does not like to be woken up by someone. And surprisingly, he did great this morning. Crew wanted to wear his pj's to school, but I wouldn't let him. After that fight, he was pretty good and excited about going to school. Although he did say on the way there that it was too far away. Once we got there, he was excited while in the car, and got a tiny bit nervous and quiet when we took him in. But Miss Mindie said he did fine and was her little buddy and would move his chair next to her the whole time. Drake was really mad when I wouldn't let him stay at school with Crew. But we got a lot done in the two hours Crew was there. I think we'll be spending most of our time at the library while he is in school until we get into the house. But that's good time for Drake and I. I know it is silly to take pictures of his first day of school, but he's my first baby, so I had to. When we were in the car he asked me to only take pictures in the car, like he's already embarrassed of his mom or something. But I went ahead and took some at the door and then when he was walking out to the car. And it's a good thing because the ones in the car were way out of focus! There is our big boy Crew! We are so excited for him to learn and make new friends! As well as learn that the world is made up of rules and boundaries and that Mom and Dad aren't just being mean to him:) And we hope he has a fun time! I just can't believe my cute little Crew Boo is already big enough to be in school!

Wagon Days

This last weekend we went on a little family trip to Sun Valley to visit Zink, who's in training in Bellevue. He's doing great. Rett's so excited about how well his dog is doing! It wasn't anything extravagant, but it has been the only 4 days off we've had together in a while. Ketchum has a big Wagon Days celebration for Labor Day, and the boys loved all the horses and wagons. We even took their picture from some actors from the shoot out they have on the street! Cute boys. This picture of the really big wagon train looking thing is called the "Big Hitch". It's what they used to carry ore out of the mountains in. There were 6 wagons, pulled by a 20 mule team. They use a "jerk line" that is a rein that is 100 feet long! And the wagons are really tall! It was pretty neat. I just kept thinking, what if those mules go crazy and start doing their own thing. That would be a mess with all the people, wagons, and mules!





The house is coming along. I haven't taken any pictures recently, but it's still chugging along. They are doing finish work right now, which is the base, case, doors, shelves and stuff. Painters are scheduled for Friday and Monday. Then comes the only real work we're putting into the house. We're laying over 1000 square feet of laminate wood ourselves! Nice! After that it should go quickly with just cabinets and finish plumbing and electrical. YAY! We can't wait to have our own bedroom again. We love our boys. We just need some of our own space! We've been doing the trailer thing since the end of May! And it's wearing on us. So, hopefully we're a month or less out!