Emmrie Turned 2!

Wow! This is a little late, but I'm finally getting around to Emmrie's second birthday last weekend. She turned two, and boy, is it obvious! What a little spit-fire she is! And we love her still...

We didn't do too much for her. In fact, it wasn't even until I heard Kortney say, "Emmrie, you're 2 today!" that I remembered it was her birthday. Poor girl. So, we went shopping to get her presents after Kortney left for school. Taylor helped me wrap them when we got home, while Emmrie took a nap, and then we made her cake. My typical birthday cake. In fact, I forgot to get frosting when we were at the store, so I asked Neil to pick some up on his way home from work, then he frosted it by warming it in the microwave, and pouring it over the top of the cake. It looked like one of those fondue cakes for a little while, until Neil used the spreader on it. She loved licking the frosting off the spreader, and watching Dad light the candles with one of those clicker starters. We ate cake first, because the big girls insisted, then she opened her presents so they could all fight over them before we forced them to bed. Sometimes I feel like such a wonderful mom, you know? Not that day, of course. This is why I just feel completely inferior to those moms who bake homemade cakes, throw lavish parties, and look so cute and done up in all the perfect birthday photos. Well, okay- not really inferior, just exhausted when I hear what they did. I don't think I would do it all. Sanely. What does little Rhett have to look forward to? Not much,

apparently.

Just a few things about Emmrie: She loves to carry around something in her hand at all times, whether it's a baby doll, a stuffed animal, a dog toy at Grandma's house, or a rubber grasshopper at the store. She loves to pester her sisters. Especially Taylor, who is just barely bigger than her. She knows how to push their buttons. She can scream like no other. Oh my word. If we're all deaf by her next birthday, you'll know why. She has the cutest little smile (which she refused to show the photographer the other day), and the funnest little giggle, especially when Daddy tickles her. She loves to pull her shirt over her head and try to walk around, hates to wear pants now that she's potty-trained and I try to get her to wear them, and I have to double-check her when we leave the house because she will put on anyone's shoes when it's time to go somewhere. She hates to say sorry, but when she does, it always comes with a little hug, and a pat on the back. She does a little wave with just her fingers, all together, or a huge, double-handed wave if someone else starts it. She loves her little brother, so much that I have to keep an eye on her when she's around him. She says so many words now, and repeats everything we say. She's putting together small sentences, and her favorite thing to tell me for a few days straight was, "Mommy! Monkeys poop!" That was all Dad... Happy birthday, our sweet little girl! We do love you. Honest!

I Should Be Sad...

... but I'm not.

Hershey has now been M.I.A. for a whole week. Our garage has been clean for a whole week! I have not had to throw out any mangled Barbie toys for a whole week, and he has not woken me up in the middle of the night to go outside to bark at everything for a whole week! I have not put up a single "Lost" poster (aka "Wanted" ad), we haven't checked the pound, because I'm afraid he might be there, and we didn't even mention anything to Kortney about him being gone until she finally said she missed him FOUR DAYS LATER! And I haven't heard another word about him since. See, in my eyes, the whole problem here is that Hershey isn't spayed. We've been meaning to get it done, since he's such a casanova, but then we have to make sure he's current on his vaccines first, and honestly, he's not. Somehow the dogs are just not our top priority. Please don't hate me, all you animal rights activists! We love animals, but we are so not the best dog owners. Good thing Kali is still a good dog despite it all. We'll keep her forever. But anyway, last time he landed himself in the slammer, it cost us as much money to bail him out of there as we originally paid for him, so basically we paid for him twice. Way too much. Well, he came home with a new registration tag that he broke off his collar the next month, and we never got it back on him. I blame his escapes on the fact that he's not spayed, and I will never own another male dog again. So, I called the pound to ask how much it costs to adopt a dog. You know what I found out (and this is FYI for anyone who needs to spay or neuter their own dog- at least in Idaho)? It would cost us more money to bail him out again, and then spay him, than it would to just go in, pretend we don't know him, and "adopt" him, because they'll do the spaying for us! What a good idea (so, just let someone take your dog in as a stray, then go in and adopt him/her the next day, and it'll all be taken care of! Vaccines not included, though). Sad thing is, what turned me off of the whole idea is that the county puts a chip in all the animals they adopt out. What if the spaying doesn't fix him, and he still poops in the garage (let me just tell you: clean garage = happy husband), then runs away, and gets picked up again? By that point I'll want to just leave him at the pound forever, but then they'll find out that he's ours, and make us take him back! So I live with the guilt of never knowing if he made it there. If anyone wants him, go check the pound. He's a good dog. He's housebroken. Most of the time. Just don't let him in your garage.

Thanksgiving 2008

We spent Thanksgiving with Neil's family this year, and it was short but sweet. Neil's parents' house is the gathering place for any get-together, and probably a week or two ago they reminded us that they were going to be leaving for Hawaii the day after Thanksgiving, so it was a short trip.
First of all, I have to mention that Neil was so excited to get a deep pit finished in our backyard. That corner of our yard has been an eye-sore for the past 3 years (okay, not just that corner- most of the yard is still under construction- I sure wish Idaho builders included fences like in Arizona! There's no way to hide the mess unless you put one up!). So, he finished digging the hole he started years ago, and told his mom that we would provide a smoked turkey for dinner. But, just in case, he asked her to cook a backup. Good thing. Now, when we were first married, Neil helped the scouts with a fund-raiser every year that he served as the varsity scout coach. They would smoke dozens of turkeys in a huge deep pit in this family's backyard, and he loved it. He told me he always wanted to have a deep pit so he could smoke his own turkey and things. Then my brother-in-law put one in his backyard, and cooks turkeys every year for friends and neighbors, and Neil has helped with those. Those pits are in Arizona. I guess the ground is a little different in November in Idaho. Neil burned lots of wood, made lots of great coals, and set our turkey and some elk roasts in the pit, covered it, and let them cook all night. Thanksgiving morning he opened up the pit, and it was pretty cold inside. He took the meat out and we drove out to his parents' house. Once he opened up the wrapping, we knew it wasn't even done. How disappointing! Thanks, Mom, for having the backup! We enjoyed a great meal with family, played games, and made fun of each other one way or another.
Neil's dad offered me $100 if I would eat a whole spoonful of habanero hot sauce, and I almost did (he always pays up), but then Neil's mom told me that I shouldn't, seeing as I'm nursing a baby. Then everyone else agreed with her, so I backed down. His dad was so grateful, he told her, "Honey, I owe you $50 for saving me $100!"
That night we put the girls to bed on the hide-a-bed, and I guess in the middle of the night, Kortney got sick and threw up. I didn't even hear her, but my sister-in-law, Rhonda, did. She heard Kortney crying, went in to check on her, then got her mom to help her change the sheets, then bathe and change Kortney, since it was in her hair, too. The bedroom they were in and the bathroom they used were right next to the room Neil and I were sleeping in! Now, I wake up to every little noise Rhett makes, but I didn't hear a thing from Kortney or anyone else that night! I didn't find out that anything was wrong until I woke up to go to the bathroom much later, and found Kortney in new clothes! Poor thing! But she never had a fever, and never threw up again, so I think it must've been too much food.
It snowed up in the mountains that night, so our drive home on the dirt road was mostly snowy and slick, but Neil had fun freaking me out until he finally put it in 4-wheel drive!
What a great Thanksgiving! I'm so thankful for family, food, transportation, home, and the gospel. We are very fortunate to have all that we do, and I know that Heavenly Father looks out for us.

Utah Family Reunion

Note: This is one of those posts most non-family will probably read and think, "Uh, that was boring..." It's mostly for journal purposes. But there are some old photos at the end that you can laugh at if you want!

My dad is one of 10 children, and eight of them stayed in Arizona to raise their own families. Two ended up in Utah. Now that all their children are grown and moving around the country, lots of my extended family has ended up in Utah. Crazy mormons. Now we have enough relatives living in Utah to get together for a reunion. So this last weekend they finally did get together. I was glad, since I'm so far away from the rest of my family, and my cousins and I were pretty close growing up. Even my aunts and uncles that were there are as fun-loving as kids! I mentioned to my mom once that my aunt Linda liked to do tricks on her husband for April Fool's day, and she told me that it didn't surprise her, because my dad's 5 youngest sisters were always doing things like that when they were growing up. I laughed, because I could picture them as teenagers doing tricks on Grandpa. I was excited to go and see everyone. We got a late start from home on Saturday morning, though. The whole thing started at 10:00, but we didn't make it there until 11:30 or 12:00. My cousin Denise, who told me about it on facebook, told everyone else that we were coming, so they held off with the fun magician until we got there. The magician was a guy in my uncle's BYU ward, and he did a great job. All the kids loved his whole show, and they each got an animal balloon at the end. Then we had lunch and I tried to visit with most of my cousins, aunts and uncles, but couldn't. Something about four hungry and excited kids messed up that plan. We let the kids ride in my other uncle's barrel car train behind a 4-wheeler in the church parking lot, and then it was time to clean up and go home. I wish it would've gone longer, but that was all that was planned, and we had been late. So, in all, I think there were 60-65 people there. Thanks, Denise, for letting me know about it! And it was so good to see you, Denise, Emily and Rachael! I'm so glad I made it! And I'm so sad I didn't take any pictures! But here are a few from years past, just for kicks...

Besides the reunion, Neil's sister was blessing their little boy on Sunday, the 16th, in Salt Lake, so we went to her house from there, stopping at Cabella's on the way. The girls loved that place! So much to see! Most of Neil's siblings were there for little Lucas' blessing, and we hung out together that night, and the next day after church. It was great to be with family.

Grandpa - totally looks like my little brother, Trent!

Grandma - I lived with her after Grandpa died, while I attended ASU,

before I got married.

Singing "Surfin' USA together with little faces painted on our chins, at a reunion at the family cabin in Greer, AZ when we were about 12 years old.


Wendy, Edith, Denise, me, and Karen after a family meeting (12 years old)

Edith, Emily and me in a skit for Halloween, I think (13 years old?)

Edith, me, Karen, and Denise in '98

me, Emily, Edith, Denise, and Rachael after church in Utah in '94


me, Karen, Emily, Denise, and Edith in the summer of '93, I think.

The Lord's Hand In My Life:

I must say this almost every time, but it's true. I've been blessed with great family. It's so good to have my extended family close by (well, kind of close by). It's hard to explain how close my cousins and I were growing up, but we were like best friends, and I was lucky to be one of seven girls who were the same age. We got together once a month for "family meetings" at Grandma and Grandpa's house, and had lots of family outings and reunions through the years. I'm grateful for an awesome family.

Rhett's Blessing

Angie came and took some cute photos of Rhett for me a while ago, and I thought they turned out so good! Thanks, Angie! The first three are photos that she took, and then I took him to a studio to get his photo taken in his little blessing suit last week. Neil blessed him last Sunday, on November 2 in our ward here, and it was very sweet. None of my family made it up here for the blessing, but most of Neil's family was there, even his grandparents who drove 2-1/2 hours for it, just to turn around and head back home before dark. They are so supportive of us. Neil doesn't like to be emotional, but he sure had a tough time blessing Rhett without getting choked up. After he finished, I laughed when Bro. Worton, the counselor conducting that Sunday, commented sarcastically afterwards something like, "It's obvious that Bro. Price is not at all proud of that little boy." We sure love "baby Rhett", and are grateful he's a part of our family!

Handsome little guy

Snoozin' in the truck


Woah! Where'd he go?

In his blessing suit

And the whole family - never the best of everyone...

(and I'm sure Neil hopes this is our final family photo shoot for the year)

The Lord's Hand in My Life:

I see the Lord's hand in my family every day. I have four wonderful little children, and I'm blessed to be here to raise them. I have an awesome husband who is so proud to be a dad, and who has the best family I could ever wish to marry into. I'm so glad that they are always there for us. It makes it not so hard to be away from my own family. We love you guys!

Halloween 2008

Okay, it's a little late, but here are the photos. I wouldn't be a true blogger without Halloween photos, would I??? Kortney had to go as a fairy, Taylor was Snow White, Emmrie was a "baby fairy" according to Kortney, who put together her costume from the dress-up clothes downstairs, since Mom never did get her a costume this year, and Rhett was "Daddy's Little Monster" who stayed home with me to pass out candy. This was the warmest Halloween we've had here. Kortney didn't even wear a jacket! It was awesome! Neil pulled the girls in the wagon from house to house, and they loved it. He said they were all very good at saying, "thank you", so that made me glad. Happy Halloween!

There Goes the Neighborhood!

I registered to vote today, because I know that I have no place to complain if I don't fulfill my civic duty. So I finally got it done, and then I voted. So, now that I've fulfilled that very important civic responsibility, I will now exercise my unalienable right to speak my mind. I'm getting on my soapbox. I know some of you out there who read my blog are happy today, but I'm sorry. I'm not. Not that McCain was my first choice for president of the United States, but Obama was definitely my last. I voted for the lesser of two evils, in my eyes, and I'm afraid for what lies ahead in our country. I worry what kind of world my kids are going to grow up in, and I realize that now I have to work even harder to put some real moral values into them. I can hear myself wording things in the future to my children along these lines: "...and even though everyone else in the world may think this issue is okay, as a human being I hope you know that really, it's not." That's my biggest concern. If people think his ethnicity is at the heart of everyone's dislike and opposition, that's not it at all- at least in my case. It's his lack of foresight and morals. In my opinion, he has no idea where he's going with this country, and he doesn't even seem to care that he has no straightforward answers. I fear that his "change" is going to be for the worse. Why are all these crazy liberals out to change the Constitution just because they've changed their own opinion (again)? Isn't the Constitution there to help guide us to stay on course and govern our decisions? I'm sure our forefathers are rolling in their graves, wanting to shake us all and say, "Idiots! Can't you see that we wrote what we meant? How in the world did you interpret it that way?" These next four years are going to be a real wake-up call for all of us. Where will we be then? Seriously? I think I'd better quit right there, before I start rambling and say too much, and not make any sense. I'm just really disappointed, America.

Disclaimer (because we've always got to have one of those now, so we don't get sued): I don't claim to know all the issues. Most of us don't. I haven't researched it all. Who has? I only know what I've heard. Isn't that what we all go by, anyway? I could be totally wrong. Then again, I wouldn't be the first.

Potty-Training and Grape Juice

Neither was a hit.
Emmrie has been doing so good on her potty-training. Until yesterday. She wet every single pair of panties she owns. Plus some of her pants. I got sick of putting the pants back on her, so she walked around pants-less after a while. That was fun. Today she hasn't made it to the toilet all day. Again, she's pants-less and I even let her go naked from the waist down until I caught up on laundry. Several times I asked her (in my most excited voice) if she wanted to go potty and get a potty treat, and every time she would answer me (in her most excited voice), "No!" Then a few minutes later she'd walk over to me like a monkey, with her feet wide apart, saying, "Uh-oh, Mommy! I peed!" I began to think she thought it was funny. The last time it happened, I witnessed it all. There I was, at the sewing machine (I know- I'm so domestic), and she was standing on the concrete side of the laundry room floor (thankfully), then squatted down like a front lineman, bowed her head, and watched herself wet right through the panties. All you wonderfully loving and patient mothers who are reading this, please cover your eyes. I spanked her. She cried, and went naked until the laundry got dry.
So I went upstairs to get a drink.
I get frozen concentrate juices, and I like grape juice, but I always get the white kind, since we all know the joys of children with purple grape juice. But for some reason when I was at the store the other day, I thought I'd try the real grape juice- the purple kind. So today I decided to make it in a pitcher. I had already pulled the concentrate cans out of the freezer, and they had been sitting on the counter, thawing for a while by the time I finished spanking my daughter, cleaning her up, and feeding her brother. Oh, by the way, I was now holding and trying to burp a fussing Rhett, and figured I could multi-task. Just a quick suggestion for anyone wanting to try this at home: Don't. Just put the baby down. So I went to open the juice, and right as I'm popping off the lid, the whole icy can slipped right out of my hand and spilled all over the counter, dripped onto the floor and onto my shirt, pants and foot. The first thing out of my mouth was, "Of COURSE it had to be purple! Of COURSE!" I grabbed napkins to stop the dripping, then carefully walked to the swing to put Rhett down. Let me tell you- one can holds a lot of purple! I had to use a kitchen towel. It was beige. Now it's blue. Nothing stained but my clothes and my towel. We'll see how well they wash up. Now that all my laundry is done and I have to wait for another load. It took me a good 10 minutes to make sure I got all the syruppy mess out of my kitchen. Now my kitchen smells sweet, and my hands look like I tried to fingerprint both my palms. Emmrie walked her naked little bum upstairs right after I finished cleaning up the mess, saw the pitcher of juice, grabbed a cup, and knelt down on a stool at the counter to wait for some. I poured her a little bit, then went to grab her some dry panties. As I walked back to help her put them on, she spilled her cup of juice.
So, maybe on my next trip to the store, I'll try an extra pack of panties, and just skip the juice.

So Busy

I've heard it said so many times that, once you have three kids, you might as well have 15, because it doesn't make a difference after that. Well, I'm here to tell you that it's all a LIE! Who came up with that stupid idea? Someone with more than three kids all spaced about ten years apart maybe. But it's not as easy as they say. I don't know how moms with five or more do it! You all have my highest respect! It takes me all day just to get the girls ready, and then there's still me! Little Rhett is only peaceful when he's eating or when he's asleep. As soon as he wakes up, it's fussy, hold-me time until his next nap. I think I'm finding more time (obviously- I finally got to get back to my blog), it just takes all week to get a day's worth done sometimes.

Okay, enough with my little pitty party, as you moms-of-many all laugh at me. Neil went to Moab to go riding with his dad and brother last weekend. Normally, I probably would be upset with him leaving me for a whole weekend with all the kids so soon, but for some reason I really wasn't. Then his mom called and invited us to her house while the guys were all in Moab, and to watch General Conference at her house. It was so much nicer to be with family for that long, and I'm glad we took her up on her offer. Neil's sister, Rhonda, also came up from Salt Lake to spend the weekend with her husband and now two boys. She had a little boy 11 days after Rhett was born. I'm so excited for him to have a little cousin his age. They'll probably be little hellions, but I'm sure their dads wouldn't have it any other way. It was a great weekend, and we had fun, as always, at Grandma's house.

Lucas and Rhett (he's not one for photos, just like his Dad)

Grandma Price with Lucas and Rhett, future partners in crime (just wait till they wake up)

Then, I celebrated another birthday this week. I can't believe how quickly time flies. I don't feel too much older, except for when I wake up 3 times at night to feed, burp, and change a crying baby. That fun gets old real quick. But on my birthday, Neil was working and at class most of the day. He only had enough time to make me a cake, and that was about it. I was so grateful he even did that. Life is busy right now, and it doesn't seem to slow down, but I know it could be worse, so I take it one day at a time, and thank my Heavenly Father every day just to get one more!

The cake Neil made, the candles Kortney found, and the flowers from my awesome cousin, Edith!

Mom Clifford Comes Again!

I know- twice within a month! My mom came back up to help me out after Rhett was born. It was great to have her for a whole week! Mom Price took the girls for me for the first few days after he was born, so I could have just him to take care of. It was nice, too, that Neil had that whole time off work. He really did great washing clothes and dishes, running errands, and cleaning the house. He's always good about cleaning and things, and it was so nice to have him home for so long. I don't think he ever took as much time off work when any of the others were born. Anyway, I digress-

Rhett and Grandma Clifford

Rhett and Grandma and Grandpa Price

So Mom Price brought the girls back so Kortney could get back to school (it's so hard to remember that we can't just plan trips randomly anymore. Dang school...). Then my mom flew up and that was really the only way I could get Kortney to be excited about coming home from Grandma Price's house. They always have too much fun there. But Grandma Clifford won them over last time she was here, so they were excited for her to come back. She came on her birthday (which I had forgotten- what a crummy daughter I am), and she really did everything. She washed all the kids' clothes- meticulously- not a single stain remained in any of their shirts. She made dinners on the nights that people weren't bringing them for us (which, thanks to so many neighbors, wasn't very many). She dusted my drapes, vacuumed my whole house (after cleaning out my whole vacuum), completely cleaned out my washer (for those who have a front-loader, you understand it's not fun), did all my dishes, babysat while we went out to dinner with friends (thanks, Derik and Andrea for giving us a reason to get out), got my kids breakfast every morning so I could sleep in, did Kortney's homework with her, gave them baths, and she tried to let me nap, but it was even hard to find the time when she was here to let me! She even helped me start potty-training Emmrie. I took advantage of two adults at home for a week on that one. I felt so bad letting her do so much, but she kept telling me, "This is what I WANT to do!" Well, we did get to play the Wii with her after the kids would go to bed. That's when Neil would make us play. Mom had never played it before, and she loved it, and it was so fun to watch her get so excited when she would bowl a strike! She's hilarious! Thanks for coming, Mom! You're the best, and I'm grateful I have you!

How Many Lives Does a Dog Have?

At least 2, I know that. Let me just say that Hershey is one LUCKY dog! For how many times he has run away and we've had to find him, I'm surprised he hasn't already gone through nine lives. This last weekend Kortney left the door wide open, and the little tyrant bolted out and down the street. We went driving around looking for him, but couldn't find him anywhere. Is he really worth the price of the gas we use to find him? We thought for sure he would show up in the night, cold and hungry, so we left the garage door cracked enough for him to sqeeze under, but in the morning he was still gone. We actually had some peace in our house for a few days, and I liked it. I was in the car with Neil one evening and he said, "You know, I don't really miss him pooping in my garage, and chewing up all my stuff", and I was thinking along those same lines. I mentioned that we could just get another female dog later. We were okay with his absence. Then Kortney started asking to look for him again, so on Sunday, I told her we could check the pound on Monday after school. She didn't let me forget, and we went there after she got off the bus. Good thing my mom was in town for a week, so I could leave all the other kids at home with her.

Kortney took his leash, and I told her to keep it in the car unless we found him at the pound. I wanted to make it very clear to her that he might not be there. Well, as we started down the last row of dog kennels, I was looking at each dog, thinking, "Oh, now that one would make a cute little pet!" Kortney went on ahead of me, and all of a sudden I heard her say, "Hershey!" in such a relieved voice. Yep. He was there. Dangit. Now I had to post his bail. I should've paid to have him neutered right there on the spot. After we paid his fee, we got the leash and went back to get him. As Kortney led him out, he passed by each kennel on the way, as if to say, "Well, kids! It was good knowin' ya! It's been fun, but I'm checkin' out!" I felt like telling all the other dogs, "Don't worry. He'll probably be back." We got him home, and he was out of control once again. Same old Hershey. A weekend in the slammer taught him nothing. His nickname at the pound? "Pugmaster". He fits it.

Rhett Allen Price

Well, he's finally here, and we're so excited! Rhett Allen Price was born 10 days early, on the day Neil didn't really want him to be born - September 11, 2008 at 6:15 am. I guess that's what I get for taking castor oil too late the day before! He was 8 lb 2 oz, and 20" long. Smaller than our girls, but he's got a cry that will rival them all. He looks like his dad, and has his big hands (and his hairline). Thank you, Angie, for coming and being with the girls - for camping out on our couch all night so Neil and I could get to the hospital! I had tested positive for Strep B, so I was concerned about a quick labor and not getting the antibiotics in time, but after timing contractions for about 1/2 hour, and finally shaking Neil awake at 12:00 am, I ended up getting to the hospital in plenty of time to get both doses of antibiotics, and of course, once I got the epidural, nothing else really mattered to me! Neil is so proud, and the girls were so excited to come see him once Neil got home and told them that he was born. Emmrie was especially determined to hold him the whole time she was at the hospital. Mom Price came up that afternoon and took the girls back to Soda Springs with her for the week. They came back to visit today with Dad Price (Grandpa Rhett), so he could meet his grandson, and then they got to go back with them again tonight. I already miss them, but love having one-on-one time with our little guy for the next few days. Thanks, Mom and Dad! We have wonderful neighbors who have brought us dinners, and we appreciate all of you, too! We're very blessed to know so many wonderful people! Thanks again!

Taylor's First Day of Preschool

I wasn't planning on putting Taylor in preschool this year, with a new baby coming, and since she still has another chance to do it next year. But I found out that some ladies in the neighborhood were doing a joy school (we missed the first week). I do like teaching, and since it's not too much for me to do, I thought it would be fun for Taylor and me to get the chance to be in a home preschool! I asked her just yesterday if she wanted to start preschool and she said, "Yes!" (she's so social, and really wants to be in school like the big kids). Then she asked, "But where's my backpack?" Later, before she went to bed, I heard her ask Neil, "Do I get to ride the bus?" What a disappointment that Mom has to drive her, but she was so excited to get to go! I told her last night that she would start tomorrow, and she said with a huge smile, "I can wait that long!" What a trooper! And her little friend, Dalton is in it with her. There are just 3 other kids besides them, and I think that's the perfect size for the group. Taylor came home today and told me that her favorite thing about preschool was doing "silly things". I didn't get much else out of her, but I'm okay with that. She loved it and can't wait to go back! Yeah, Taylor!

Tee Time

Neil found a new hobby. Totally not the kind of sport I would've ever imagined for the guy, but he seriously loves it, and I'm glad. He went golfing with some guys from the ward one Saturday morning a while back, then bought some of his own clubs and got in some golf tournament with his boss, and it has just gotten him. He even mentioned that he should just sell his dirtbike, since he only rode it once this summer. I had to put some sense into him, and said, "Yeah, then your brothers will castrate you. No way!" (I can't believe I didn't jump on the offer to sell the bike!)His dad thinks golf is a sissy game (probably because he's never played), and can't believe Neil wastes his time with it. This is the mentality he grew up with, which is why I'm surprised he wants to golf so much despite his family's prejudice. He likes to go to the driving range at night to hit a few, and he even plays it on the Wii now! I've caught him a few times sneaking a polo shirt out of the house on his way to work so that he and his boss can quit after lunch to play a round. He keeps his clubs in his truck sometimes for that reason, too. He even traded a precious hunting item for another set of clubs! I guess I'm just glad that we live in Idaho where he can only golf during non-snow months, and that, unlike dirtbiking, he can go in the morning and still be back by noon or earlier. I'm really just glad he found something he likes. He's like a little kid with a new toy. We'll see if it's just a phase, or if it consumes him, and then I just hate it!
Tell me your "hubby hobbies", and whether you like them or hate them!

Mom and Dad Clifford's Visit

All I can say is "It's about time!" My parents finally came to visit us way up here for the first time since we've lived here. They were only here for three days, but we sure enjoyed it. My step-dad has been working in Colorado, so he drove, and Mom flew up to meet him in Salt Lake, and they spent last Wednesday through Friday with us. The girls loved playing with them, with the toys they brought, and loved having them as their captive audience for three whole days! We didn't show them around too much, but they were a great help to me while Kortney attended her first two days of school! She came home on Friday after they left back to Salt Lake, and asked, "Where are Grandma and Grandpa?" She was bummed when she realized that "gone" meant they were gone. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for coming to visit! We loved having you here!

At Reed's Dairy - Grandpa loves ice cream

Emmrie loved Grandpa's fresh salsa - who uses chips?

The girls with Grandma and Grandpa Clifford

The Lord's Hand in My Life:

I've been blessed with wonderful parents who taught me well, and I hope I can raise my kids with the same values I've been taught. That means the most to me.

Kortney's First Day of Kindergarten

Finally! The day Kortney has been anticipating the whole torturously long summer! She started Kindergarten this last Thursday, and loved it! Neil and I got to take her to meet her teacher, Mrs. Taylor, the night before, so she could drop off her school supplies and see the classroom and school, too. She was so excited, and as we weaved around other parents and children, we finally made our way to her teacher. I introduced her, "This is Kortney. Can you say 'hi', Kortney?" All of a sudden, she went mute, and glued herself to my leg. Once we were outside again, she started talking, and ran to the playground to play with some of the other kids. The first day was pretty much the same. Thankfully once we got into the classroom, there was an empty chair at a table filled with some friends she already knew, so she sat right down with them, I took a photo, kissed her on the cheek, and walked out. I didn't cry! She didn't cry! She came home that afternoon and I asked her, "Did you have fun?" She answered, "Yeah, but we only got two drinks, and we didn't get anything to eat!" So sad to realize that school just keeps getting harder after preschool...

Long Beach, WA

Last week the girls and I got to go to Long Beach, WA, on the coast, with Neil's mom and nieces and nephew. It was a very long drive, but we had a ton of fun! We got to go to a new beach every day (never warm enough for tanning, but the kids didn't mind getting wet most of the time), swim in the pool (okay, not me, but everyone else loved it- especially Emmrie who had no fear of the water), play at the park, fly a kite, and watch beautiful sunsets every night on the balcony. My camera battery died for a while on the trip, so I don't have photos of everything. The kids were all troopers during the 13-hour drive there and home, and played together so well. The girls sure love haning out with their grandma and their cousins! Thanks, Mom, for a great time!