We Are...

Thirty

2012-01-26T09:22:00.005-07:00

I just wanted to tell my family and everyone thanks for the phone calls, well-wishes, cards, cookies and packages and for making my birthday so special. Isabelle made me something every day this whole month. Sometimes it was a picture, story, dance, treasure hunt, but it was something special every day till my birthday.

Anton and Isie got up early and decorated the house and got us breakfast at McDs.
Anton surprised me by taking a half a day off work and coming home. We went to lunch and got me a new coat. Then we test drove a car I want...some day. They spoiled me big time. Coat, earrings, wallet, socks, and iPhone. Big time. It was so fun.

Then we went swimming in the evening at Lava. Anton came prepared with candles and a lighter and bought some hostess so I could have a cake at the gas station on the way home. A whole day for me. We were all worn out. It was awesome. Thanks so much, guys, for being so thoughtful and making my birthday so special. Sure smoothed the loss of my youth. I love you more than anything.

Overcoming Addiction

2012-01-08T15:39:00.006-07:00

Did you know Anton and I have a problem?

It started out helping us with our headaches from not sleeping during the graveyard shift days. My dad says I have joined the dark side and that I can't come home anymore because he is strictly a Pepsi drinker. One day Anton told the people he works with that he needs to kick his Coke habit. That sounded worse than it is. So we try to keep it quiet. It just tastes so stinking good! It makes me happy. So happy, in fact, that Anton's sister, Lexie, got us these shirts:

And this is us with Lexie. I think she is might be making this face cause Anton stinks. His head really isn't half the size of mine (though I do have a noggin); just a humorous angle:

Almost There

2012-01-03T17:48:00.003-07:00

Thanks to my Dad's hard work, we are almost put back together. We have our new floors down and wall up. We just have some trim and painting and then we are done! Between our water damage, surgery/complications, new callings, and holidays it's been a long couple of months, but we have received a lot of prayers and help. So thanks everyone. Here's a preview of the almost done work:

p.s. thanks to this floor and new paint our house smells better and feels cleaner. hal. le. lu. jah.

Flood 2: The Stink Is Back

2011-11-16T08:26:00.004-07:00

Tip for anyone with a seven year-old: make sure he or she is aware that the shower curtain remains IN the shower during a shower. Even if showers are a normal part of the weekly routine and he or she had taken too many to count. And ESPECIALLY if you have already had a soggy, stinky bathroom floor. Cause now it's soggy and stinky again! Por ejemplo:

We did try to take precautions by laying plastic on our entire bathroom floor and taping (with duct tape) it high on the bath tub, but apparently it was pulling away a little and, to our dismay, Isie thought that the water would more successfully stay in the shower if the curtain was out of the way. Bad combo.

Fortunately, it was five minutes and no longer cause it is drying fast. Good lesson for all of us:

P.S. After changing our minds thirty times (making several people crazy, Ben), we decided on and purchased some tile yesterday. Hooray!

Water Damage (Caution: Gross Pictures)

2011-11-11T10:56:00.010-07:00

We had a pipe break behind our shower. Our floor in our bathroom, laundry room, and kitchen had to be torn out, along with a wall and some trim.

So I did a little of this...

Thankfully, my Dad came and fixed the plumbing and reframed the wall...

while my mom entertained (and treated) my kids...

A restoration company came and ripped up our floors...

(laundry room)

(kitchen)

moved our house around...

(this is where our table usually is)

(obviously, we don't usually kill two birds with one stone)

and put a huge dehumidifier and 8 super fans all over our house...

Since we were "potty"-less, our insurance company sent us up to the Marriott for three nights...

(the girls had a ball swimming and enjoying their own flat screen)

Well, after it was dry enough to put our toilet back in, we headed home. We still had some fans drying though...

(this one was positioned the worst; similar to a bidet, but air instead of water)

The fans were similar to what I imagine it's like to sleep next to Niagra Falls and we are still trying to figure out how to shuffle things around and continue with our day-to-day routine until we get our new floors done (woo-hoo!)...

(Emie trying to enjoy "Monters Inc." in between chair legs)

(no dryer = creative clothes lines)

We are just so blessed for all the help we have received. The fans are gone now and soon things will be back in place.

No Need for a Chainsaw

2011-11-02T08:25:00.012-06:00

It's silly, but I wanted to document something we did this summer. The corner of our yard was just a big mound of dirt, weeds and rocks. This first picture is actually better that what we started with.

We pulled weeds, picked up rocks, leveled the ground, and put down weed block.

Then we got some prettier rocks and bark and tried to dress it up.

Then to our excitement, we inherited a little cabin that our ward built for the Pioneer Day Parade. The girls love it. I need to make curtains and we are going to build a little mailbox and stuff. But it's pretty fun and looks like it was our intention all along.

Here's some of the building process.

Cutting:

Pride over a straight cut:

Elation that it is starting to look like something:

We were going to put this bench in the corner. We built it out of a dead tree we pulled out of our yard.

Anton left to go borrow a chain saw from a friend because ours died. By the time he got back, Isie and I had just used our muscles. Long story short, yes, I am as strong as a power tool.

I think it was the hair:

New Calling

2011-10-24T09:16:00.004-06:00

Anton got put as 2nd counselor in our bishopric. He has been the Elders Quorum President for a few months. Our ward just split yesterday to combine with another split ward and create a third ward for our newer building. We are excited. It's awesome to see him grow. I'm sure we will be seeing a lot of growing for all of us in the next while. It's going to be good.

Here is the picture they took yesterday. The bishop is the same, the 2nd counselor was made 1st counselor and Anton's now the new 2nd counselor:

He is going to need more suits!

Do You Know Leski? Hu Canah Bahnunuh!

2011-10-21T09:03:00.003-06:00

Lexie Dananers:

If you don't know her, you are missing out. This is Anton's little sister, Lexie.

She is so fun, as you can see from the pictures. She has her own language: Lexican, which, has sadly gone into retirement, but shouldn't have. She has her own dance, which many have tried to duplicate and no one has mastered. Lexie is super generous. I know she has regularly donated money to her sister's college funds. She bought everyone a souvenir when we went on a family vacation. And! She most recently used her Coke points to buy Anton an awesome Coke shirt (by the way, I am looking forward to mine)! She just does stuff like that.
My girls love Lexie. Both of them. There's just something about her. Isie can even swindle her into playing Barbies. Emie yells, "Lessie! Lessie!" every time she sees her. She's my friend too. She's everybody's friend. She has an awesome wit and quick humor that brings an easy chuckle. If you are Lexie's friend, you're her friend forever.

Family Pics

2011-10-17T09:09:00.005-06:00

We drove to our chosen destination- Weston, ID- to snap some family pictures. Great opportunity to go to the temple, visit relatives, and document our family. Unfortunately, the two year-old didn't think it was very fun and the weather wasn't as fabulous as we hoped, but we still managed to get enough that we don't want to suffer through it again. Here are a few...

Alaina

2011-10-13T18:11:00.008-06:00

So...I'm not sure if Lainey will appreciate me doing this, but these are some of the senior pics I took of her a couple of weeks ago. She so cute and I had a blast. Besides, Lainey, the world deserves to know you. Isn't she beautiful?!

She is one of my very favorite people. She has been a great friend to me for a whole decade. She is an awesome person to talk to. She laughs a lot and is great at making people feel valued. She's the coolest.

I Wish...

2011-10-10T16:08:00.020-06:00

I wish I wanted to dance about chocolate milk.

I wish I could cry if I felt like it.

I wish I could take a nap whenever I needed it and everyone would be happy if I did.

I wish seeing the garbage man was intensely enthralling.

I wish my booger smile could melt hearts.

I wish I giggled incessantly at a bubble beard.

I wish my bed-head was as cute as my hair when fixed.

I wish I loved every footstep when I ran.

I wish I knew my tootsies where as beautiful as a sunset.

I wish I couldn't go to sleep at night without seeing the moon.

I wish I was quickly forgiving and even quicker about forgetting.

I wish all anyone needed from me was "lubs".

Oh, I wish I was two.

I am just so glad I live with someone who is.

2 Shirts=1 dress

2011-09-28T14:21:00.002-06:00

I took a couple of my old t-shirts and turned them into a new dress for Isie. It was pretty easy. Even for me. Usually, my creations start out simple and turn into a three day project. But success! Yeah! And she likes it!

Emie's Two!

2011-09-20T18:20:00.003-06:00

I can't believe my little baby girl is a two year-old. Not fair how fast it goes. Her birthday was 9-10-11 this year!

She loves cookies. So Isie made her a "cookie monster" and some cookie decor that we hung in the apple tree out back. We had a bunch of family over to celebrate.

My parents got her this little bike. She loves it. She says it's her "moto-cyco" and that now she is like "gwampa hawwis".

Happy Birthday Baby Jo!

Bow Tie Boys

2011-09-16T08:09:00.003-06:00

I made Anton, my dad, nephew and brothers bow ties and then I made them wear them. They are very excited.

Kitchen Paint

2011-09-13T09:58:00.002-06:00

It took 3 years and 4 days, but we finally got our kitchen painted!

Before:

I forgot to take a picture before we took off the green cabinet doors.

After:

Happy Girls!

2011-08-29T10:50:00.004-06:00

Though I know she needs food for her brain, friends, and schedules, we sure are going to miss Isie as she heads back to school. We have had such a busy, fun summer. I'm sad to see it going. Emie is especially going to miss, "Is". She is the best big sister anyone could have. They have so much fun together. I watch them together and always wish I could pause the moment.

Chop! Chop!

2011-07-26T08:47:00.003-06:00

The time had come. 29 years old. I don't care anymore what my husband thinks. Just kidding. Kind of. After his fu man chu, back woodsman look, mullet, and giant goat, I did do a little something for myself though...

snip snip...

It literally takes about 3 minutes to do my hair! I hate getting ready so yeah! I love it! I don't even care if I do get mistaken for Justin Beber!
Afterward, Isie decided nothing could be better than short hair and had to have it to so...

Isn't she cute!
She's such a sweet little girl, but I can't believe how much more innocent she looks. Anton's okay with it for a while, but threatens a long, braided goatee if I don't at some point grow it back out. I think he will miss it.

Twonholio

2011-07-06T11:19:00.003-06:00

It was Anton's 31st birthday on June 28th. We got him a shake weight and a shirt. And a hug.
Does he look ten years younger in this picture? Cause it was taken a decade ago! Can you see the love on my face? (and the perm in my hair? oh yeah.) He has a beautiful man smile.
He has always been a goober nugget. And a lot of fun. This picture describes him so well.
This is when he got his mission call. It's also the picture that prompted my smile a couple of pictures ago. Ooo! Baby! He's still got it.
I love these old school double image pictures. They are awesome. He has such big lips! And he is so sweet. He still is. And he still has big lips.

We love him so much. He's a great man, father, husband, and friend. (don't mind the awkward placing of his shake weight. he didn't know i was taking a full body shot.) Happy Birthday Twonholio, EZ- Tony, Fat Tony, Tony Don, Twon, One-Ton, Fatz. AnTON DeVON NelSON, I love you.

Trying to Fill Isie's Shoes

2011-06-09T18:48:00.003-06:00

You've never seen a kid love her big sister more than Emie loves Isie. They are so cute. The first time Emie said "Wee Woo" (I love you) was to Isie...and the second and third. She will only talk to Isie on the phone. Every day she wait by the window for Isie to come home from school and squeal with excitement. And some days, when she was really impatient she would say, "Bus, Bus, Isie, Isie" and just want to go get her.

And, of course, she misses her when she is gone.

So she wears her things. I swear it's only when Isie is gone. From shoes to panties.

A Couple of Warm Days

2011-05-18T21:34:00.003-06:00

Isie made TWO goals in soccer!

Me: Way to go Isie! Two goals! That was awesome!

Isie: I got a goal?

Isie always looks like Zorro when she is done eating chocolate.

Warm weather, dirty hands, running nose, messy face, and happy kid.

Isie the 7 Year Old!

2011-04-24T00:14:00.004-06:00

I thought I would try my hand at blogging via the glorious iPhone.

Isie turned 7 April 21st. She is such a big girl! We went to Lava to swim and Sizzler to eat. Unfortunately, Syd missed out on Lava because Emie had a cold.

Here's some pics:

The birthday girl and her custom made Ladybug cake.

Isie and Cachet enjoying the warm Lava water.

Isie & her friend Cachet. Isie begged to have Cachet come celebrate Isie's B-day for weeks. We were so happy she could come. They had a ball swimming.

The Lady Bug Rice Crispy cake. Also a very fun Syd creation.

Awesome B-day decor courtesy of Syd.

Birthday girl with presents

- Posted using BlogPress from Anton's iPhone

What We've been Doing

2011-04-21T11:05:00.004-06:00

Little Vacay:

We took a long five mile drive to the other side of town to stay in a hotel. And swim.

Isie Reads:

She showed us her smarts by participating in a reading about germs. She got a lot! (of smarts, not germs!)

Almost E.R.:

Emie bit through her tongue. Fortunately, many popsicles + a week = all better!

Soccer Chick:

Isie started soccer. She's Speedy Gone-Isie!

A New Post

2011-01-21T10:00:00.004-07:00

Anton said he missed the days of blogging. Of me blogging. So here we are...

Anton's little bro drew this awesome picture for us.
Isie and her creepy twin doll.

Emie trying to start a new panty-head fad.

Pretty Pretty Princess?

Happy Birthday Isie!

2010-04-21T12:07:00.008-06:00

We love you so much. You are our

beautiful

creative

quiet

fun

intelligent

energetic

fiesty

sweet

thoughtful

loving

dramatic

artist, dancer, sister, friend, nick-named, reader, baker, story-writer, singer, dog-lover, example, sunshine, foot-stomper, gift-giver, daughter.

We are so happy to have you in our family. You bring so much joy! Happy Birthday Isie-Mo!

Hot Lava

2010-04-06T20:48:00.003-06:00

Emie's First Swim. Don't know if Anton will appreciate the picture of his manly chest hair, but oh well! I don't have makeup.
Big Goober
Little Goober
Emie's so smiley and she loved the water. Her bath since then has become a whole new adventure. We have two waterbugs.

The option to go private?

2010-03-10T21:01:00.004-07:00

It's somewhat disturbing to me that you can google my name and have all sorts of things come up. I'm thinking of making this private. Anton thinks I'm a tad paranoid, but I don't really want my kids' faces on just anybody's computer screen.

So...I guess if you want an invite let me know...give me your email.

Cloudy Days

2010-03-01T23:34:00.001-07:00

Gutters

2010-02-25T22:41:00.002-07:00

Is it time to fix the gutters? This is the pool out our backdoor.

Valentines Day

2010-02-15T21:17:00.003-07:00

Anton made us a loving breakfast (can you tell he just got home from his graveyard shift? true love, its' gotta be)
Isie hugged her homemade pillow
Emie tasted everything, especially her card
I hid from the camera cause I looked scary, but my breakfast was beautiful

Hahahaha! Ha!

2010-02-03T00:22:00.002-07:00

Emie Jo and Isie Mo

Ode

2010-01-05T12:42:00.003-07:00

Oh! Cooper The Dog.

You follow me here.

You lay like a log.

You jump like a deer.

You eat like a hog.

And cardboard you fear.

Your slobber does sog.

It on me you smear.

You smell like a bog.

And you're always near.

Your farts are a fog.

But we still love you dear.

Prima Ballerina

2009-12-22T19:14:00.003-07:00

Isabelle had her first ballet performance. It was super cute and she did wonderfully! She's our angel!

Adam Fell

2009-12-03T13:23:00.003-07:00

How come Adam fell that men might be; and men are that they might have joy, but women have to fix their hair?
I hate my hair!
I chopped it off because I knew I would be forced to fix it instead of pulling it back every day in a ponytail, but why? WHY? WHY! Why can't I just have a ponytail Every.Single.Day? Who was it that decided that women have to do hair, put on makeup, and wear nylons? (A man I'm sure.)
Nylons! Anton will never understand the joy that comes when pulling off a pair of nylons the moment church is over. When my belly bulge is finally freed from is nylon cage and can once again spill freely over the elastic band at the top of my undergarments.
For centuries women have been deliberately inflicting themselves with pain for beauty -- on. a. daily. basis! And I would just really appreciate it someone would explain to me why.

obviously, I don't do well with bad hair days.

Emernemers

2009-12-02T22:22:00.001-07:00

Emie laughed for the first time today!
Some day I am going to make this blog into a book so I can have it for a journal and I just wanted to always remember her first hearty laugh. Anton was singing "If Your Happy and You Know It Clap Your Hands" and she loved it. She is such a smiley, happy baby. We love her.

Is Anyone Else?

2009-11-30T20:51:00.002-07:00

Feeling STRESSED? Does anyone else feel the pressure of the holidays? I wish Christmas wasn't so much about gifts as giving.

It often seems that with each dollar spent Christmas dissolves a little. What happened to it? It's so commercialized now. Every year is worse. This year it started before Halloween. I remember when they just used to skip over Thanksgiving.

Does anyone have any ideas as to how to bring the Spirit back into it?

My Girls

2009-10-21T13:04:00.003-06:00

Sisters

Pretty Baby

Beautiful Girl

She's Here!

2009-09-18T16:53:00.004-06:00

Emelia was born September 10, 2009 at 713 am. She was 7lbs 3oz and 20 in long. We love her!

Crime Scene Investigation

2009-09-02T10:05:00.004-06:00

The Weapons:
Narrow Bathtub
+

Dull Razor
+

Big Belly
=
The Victims
Right Ankle Nick

and...

Left Ankle Massive Trama

...Just for smooth legs.

Big Girl!

2009-08-27T16:56:00.004-06:00

Big Day! Isie started KINDERGARTEN today! She loved it! IT WAS TOTALLY AWESOME! So she says. These are the highlights.

How did it get there?

2009-08-19T18:11:00.003-06:00

Isie's had a few interesting thoughts on our road to baby sister.

1. Isie: Mommy, how does the baby get food when she's in your tummy?
Me: There is a cord connected from Mom's tummy to the babys'.
Isie: The baby has a cord? (You could just see the picture in her head: me plugging the baby into an electrical outlet.)

2. Isie one day when I was eating a sandwich: Mom, does the baby like the peanut butter?
Me: Uh, the peanut butter hasn't got to her yet.
Isie: Why not?
Me: Cause first the food has to go in my tummy and then into my blood before the baby gets it (way to technical for my five year-old).
Isie: The baby eats BLOOD?!

3. Isie: Mom, the baby is in your tummy now, but how does she get out?
Me: Uh...uh...uh...she's in my tummy now and and then when she's born she'll be out of my tummy. (Nice dodge, huh? Just rephrasing her question so it sounds like an answer.)

4. Me: Man! She's kicking hard tonight.
Anton: She must be swimming all over in there.
Isie: The baby can Swim?!
(Sure hope she doesn't throw her in the bathtub to find out!)

5. Isie: Where does the baby go pee, pee?
Me: uh...?

and the ultimate awkward...

6. Isie: Mom, I know the baby is in your tummy, but how did it get there?
Me: Daddy, why don't you answer that question.

I think by the time we came up with a good answer she had lost interest, but he did have a pretty good one for her. He told her Mommies and Daddies pray and ask Heavenly Father if it is okay that they have a baby and sometimes he says yes. Works for me.

Exercise

2009-08-10T08:25:00.003-06:00

This is Isie's favorite thing to do with her daddy.

They exercise for about an hour every day. They are seriously hardcore! (Anton's pretty hot, huh?)
Notice I have no part in it. I hide in the bedroom so as not to be overcome with guilt!

2009-07-23T16:05:00.004-06:00

Books Are Keys

Books are keys to wisdom's treasures;

Books are gates to lands of pleasure;

Books are paths that upward lead;

Books are friends. Come, let us read.

-Author Unknown

And I thought we were still reading "Dick and Jane"...

but, as long as she's enjoying herself I guess the "Bathroom Reader" will do.

Extreme Sports

2009-07-16T20:45:00.004-06:00

Lesson 1: Hypothermia

The heater at the pool where Isie takes swim lessons is broken and she has been freezing. They finally got it fixed though. Thank goodness. All the kids were blue!

Wolf or Spider? Or both!

2009-07-13T14:58:00.004-06:00

I think I'm going to cry. I was enjoying a relaxing afternoon nap in my bed when I rolled over and opened my eyes to a GIANT Spider crawling up the curtains. I blinked twice to make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me. We don't have tarantulas in Pocatello. I gasped...I blinked again...it was still there...I felt all the air being sucked from my lungs...I ran down the hall screaming for Anton to come and save me from this formidable beast. He undoubtedly thought the bedroom had just started on fire or that I'd climbed out of bed just to leave my arm lying there on the pillow. He felt the panic in my voice and rushed to the room. It had been maybe fifteen seconds from the last tortuous sighting AND IT WAS GONE!! We looked (well, Anton looked) high and low to no avail. How could something so huge hide so well? I'm sure he was in a corner, saliva oozing down his hairy fangs, watching us with his eight beady eyes and twenty-seven cousins.
I've been brave up till now. I've been smashing spiders left and right for weeks now. But this, oh, this nightmarish arachnid is just too much. With a shaky hand I dialed the phone. With a quivering voice I spoke to pest control. They will be here tomorrow afternoon... and every three months after that. Thank the heavens above for chemical-weilding bug-killers.

I turned my back for just a minute...

2009-07-08T18:27:00.004-06:00

And the kids sure saw an opportunity!

Big step for Isie the "Germaphone (as she calls herself)": playing in the mud.

She had a ball with one of her "bestest, bestest" friends, Daniel.

So I think after scrubbing mud off the kids, the house, and the windows I might feel like planting some grass in that corner!

What's growing more: belly or bum?

2009-07-06T15:13:00.005-06:00

5 months prego...
6 months...
seven months.

Not only is my butt getting bigger from sitting on it more, but you can also see I'm continually getting lazier with my grooming habits. Pretty soon I'm sure it'll just be pj's and ponytails everyday!

Drink 32oz and let me push on your bladder!

2009-04-28T12:20:00.006-06:00

It's a GIRL! Isie thinks a sister would be pretty cool cause they could share princess dresses and she could sleep on the bottom bunk.

Anton is going to be a titch outnumbered. He's glad we have a male dog cause there is going to be so much estrogen in our house. I think it's the universes way of getting back at him for making me call my . my "special time". He's so excited though. We are all just happy to have another family member. He's such an amazing daddy. Isie loves when I go t0 mutual so that they can go on a little date together. Actually, I think she's probably been out with him a little more than I have! They are so close. She's got him wrapped around her little pinkie. It's so neat to see the relationship they have. I know baby girl numero dos is going to have him wrapped around another pinkie.
Knowing what she is makes it so much more tangible for me. All the sick and tired is totally forgotten...kinda. I have a name picked out already, but Anton gags when I say it. I think I'll just start referring to her with the name I've got and maybe by the time she gets here he will be saying it too.

Bridal pictures

2009-04-08T14:08:00.005-06:00

This is my little sister, Megan. We took her bridals the other day. I got a new camera and went to town with it. These are just 5 of the 257! My face was sore from squinting thru the camera and hers was sore from smiling. But it was fun.
Isn't she beautiful!

She gets married this Saturday.

Congrats Megan!

It's hard to keep a secret!

2009-02-23T17:59:00.002-07:00

This is how I feel. I'm so sick and tired and sick and tired of saltine crackers! For the past three months I have been nause-exhausted, but the reason has been totally worth it. I figure since the four year-old says, "Mommy, I know why you are sick and tired all the time. It's cause of a baby huh?" it probably isn't much of a secret anymore.
We are having a baby! We are so excited and trying to take it one day at a time. We wanted to wait and tell Isie maybe when I was showing, but she figured it out. And I'm ready to spill the beans. Actually, Anton's already done a lot of bean spilling.
I go to the doc tomorrow and it'll be such a relief to see or hear that little heartbeat again.
Anton and Isie have been so sweet and patient with me. They've been so helpful, which helps me feel a little less guilty about spending so much time on the couch growing my big b.u.t.t. I'm pretty sure that's the only place I'm showing.
Hopefully soon there'll be some balance in the front too!

Santa Claus is coming?

2008-12-18T13:52:00.004-07:00

We hope everyone's Christmas is fantastic. I'm excited for Santa to come...and go! Isie has a little tint of green to her skin. We found she is a tad greedy this year. She told me today she wants seventy-five hundred, sixty-nine thousand, hundred fifty toys for Christmas. I don't know how much that is, but it sure sounds like a lot! It's really ironic too, cause she is terrified of Santa. She loves and fears him. She draws him pictures and talks about him all day, but she has to cover her eyes when we walk past him at the mall. She prays every night that she won't be naughty so he will come, but she won't sit on his lap to tell him what she wants. It's one of the few long-distance relationships that works.

She is excited to give too though (she couldn't wait to tell me what Anton got me - literally). And we have about three hundred homemade gifts in and around our tree. So maybe it sort of balances the scale. She loves to sing "Away in a Manger" and "Silent Night" every night before bed, so hopefully she somewhat grasps the true meaning of Christmas. We love her.

Our House

2008-11-24T13:36:00.004-07:00

This is our little house.

This is our kitchen in our little house.

This is our livingroom next to our kitchen in our little house.

This is the wall we painted yellow in our livingroom next to our kitchen in our little house...

that used to be orange (Isie decided it was easier to paint in her underwear) in our livingroom next to our kitchen in our little house.

And this is our little boxer, Cooper. Sleeping with a shoe, his favorite thing. In our little house.

Garbage Disposal Here We Come!

2008-11-07T22:14:00.003-07:00

We bought a house and closed last Thursday. Wow! I forgot how to sign my name after a few hundred pages. But it's finally done and we have joined the rest of the mortgaged world. That's not really something to cheer about, but we are so happy. Finally a disposal; finally a dishwasher.
We are just so grateful things have worked out the way they have. We did so much praying during all this process and we have really reaped some major blessings. The people we bought the house from have been awesome and made it such a great experience for us. We definitely know Heavenly Father knows what is best for us and we're glad he is watching out for us.
The house is kind of by the mall in Chubbuck, ID, though we will technically still be in Poky. It's cute and going to be a great start for us.
And, we got a puppy! I think I am more excited about about our little boxer pup than the house! He is so cute. And Isabelle loves him to pieces! She wants to be a big sister so much. I guess we'll settle for a dog! I know its a different species, but I'm so happy she'll have a little bud to help fill her heart. She's got big plans of sharing all her toys with him! She is so full of love. It's been great to see her just bursting with joy.

First Snow

2008-10-16T15:55:00.004-06:00

On Sunday it actually snowed! Isie and I took advantage and ran outside to play! She had an insane little giggle for an hour straight. We built a snowman family and she built a snow castle.

Good times.

Quirks or O.C.D.?

2008-10-08T17:08:00.003-06:00

So, I was tagged with a Quirky Tag. Name six quirky things about myself. I thought it sounded easy, but it's kinda hard and sounds more like I have O.C.D.

I asked Isie and Anton if I did anything quirky so I'll name theirs first.

1. Isie said, "Yes Mom! Your quirk is that you are a Goober!" Thanks, Uncle Cory. We spell "Goober" "C-O-R-Y". I guess sometimes it's true. I get goobery when I'm really tired, really happy, or with my little sister.

2. Anton thinks, and it may be true, that I have an incapacitating fear of public restrooms or other people's bathrooms. I would rather go into kidney failure or just explode than go in a restroom. Anton swears "Everybody Poops", but not everybody knows I do. So it's a small accomplishment when I actually do use a public restroom. Yikes! As Michael Scott would say, "TMI, Too Much Information". oh well.

3. I love Milky Ways. I don't know what's my favorite: the rich chocolate, the creamy caramel, the smooth nouggat, or maybe the decadent way it dances in your mouth. I just don't know. It's love at first bite. My breathing slows and my vision blurs. It's like a drug. Mmmmm-mmmm! That's why my bellybutton is getting so deep. Milky Way and me: an unhealthy, obsessive relationship. kinda like vampires and humans. Quirky? Maybe not.

4. And apparently I swallow really loud. Anton says it's that sound milk makes if you pour the whole gallon out at once, yeah, that's what it sounds like when I swallow! My mom used to tell me when I'd go on dates, "I hope you didn't swallow like that! It's not very ladylike". I have to think really hard about not swallowing loud, and usually I feel like I'm going to choke.

5. I have to rub my feet together before I go to sleep. It's really weird I know. When they are dry, I sound like a grasshopper.

6. And lastly, my husband is just one big dork, I mean quirk. But one of my favorite things he does is really cute. When he thinks he is being really funny, one of his eyebrows goes up and down inhumanly fast. It's usually when he is making a really dumb joke too, but you can't help but laugh cause his face says he thinks he is really funny. He has a huge smile, so it's super cute.

Okay, so now I am going to tag K'Lyn Thomas, Erica Bazil, Emily Huff, and Callie Kunz.

Open a Can...of Peaches!

2008-09-29T09:53:00.005-06:00

I canned for the first time EVER. My grandma, LaRane Kunz, is the expert! We went to visit and learn the process. She has is down to a science. It's pretty amazing really. I guess after seventy years you learn a few tricks. Isie got to help too. She put the peaches in the jars.
Grandma even let me have an apron that my great-grandma made. She used to make them and sell them for a little extra money.

Isie loves Grandma and Grandpa Kunz. She actually took the last three pictures on this blog, that's why they all kinda look like they are looking down a well. This is my grandma. She is pretty cute, huh? She is amazing and knows everything. For real. This is my Grandpa. He is always laughing and always looks ready to go golfing. He is such a good example of enjoying life. He has been deaf since he was a baby, but learned to talk and read lips. People always think he is from England cause of his "accent". My grandma has macular degeneration really bad and is going blind. It's incredible how positive and active they are. They really haven't let it slow them down.
Anton couldn't do much with his broken hand, but he was there for moral support. We canned a lot of peaches and I had to carry the five hundred pound box out to the car, but he was there to cheer me on. We'll both be glad when he is healed. He has a splint that he has to wear for another week, but he thinks it's funny to take it off and wiggle his broken thumb, cause it makes me light-headed. Haha! I'm a wimp!

We sure had fun. It's always nice to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Everything always seems calm and peaceful. You kind of forget about all of life's little stresses buzzing around.

Ode to Meg-A-Babe

2008-09-17T21:09:00.002-06:00

The "Gwens"

I'm missing my sister, Megan. I'm seven years older than her, but we've always been close. Even when I was in high school, she tagged along and my friends loved her. We had a "sister night" once a week. We shared a room all growing up and she often slept in my bed with me and tickled my back. She was sad when I moved out, and came and stayed with me all the time when I was at school. And she still does. It gives me hope that Isie will still be close with siblings even though they will be far apart in age. We used to make music videos, or video-tape make-overs, or whatever. We had tons of fun. This is a picture of a night we felt like breaking out the old video camera and making a sweet music video to Gwen Stefani's "Sweet Escape", which was Isie's favorite song at the time. It was more recent than I should admit, but it was a blast!
This is us at a bowling alley on my last birthday. I look really creepy in the picture (I've shamed Anton by putting it on), but Meg looks cute so, since I love her, I thought I'd throw it on.
This is a picture of her before she started shaving her pits! Just kidding. We stuffed doll hair in her shirt and took a pic. I keep it to use it as black mail. She's not embarrassed easily though!

Megan is a spunky ball of fire! I've always, sadly, been told I'm "mature" for my age, but Megan makes me feel young! I act like a "goober nugget", as Anton - and now Isie cause HE TAUGHT HER- would call me, but it's fun. She can understand what I am saying even when I'm laughing so hard that it's unintelligible and no one else has a clue. I love my sis.

Still kicking!

2008-09-10T19:44:00.004-06:00

Sad day! Anton found out he is older than he thought he was. He broke his hand (actually, his first metacarpal) this past Friday longboarding down a steep hill. He got some serious road rash as he rolled down the hill, but word on the street (literally) was that it "was a pretty awesome wreck, man!"
We thought maybe his spill was due to lack of cardiovascular exercise, but as it turns out many other people felt like longboarding should be left to the seventeen year-olds. What!? What about Tony Hawk? Little bit of a kick in the teeth, but at least he's still young enough to have all his teeth to kick!
He got his cast on today and let Isie pick the color. She thought he should either go with pink or red so he chose the manlier color. He will only let us draw on the underside, but we took advantage and drew hearts. These pictures make it look as though HE is taking advantage and pretending to be completely incapacitated, but we have had the flu and he took care of me cause I was a little worse. Now he is tired. He is a pretty tough guy though. I'm glad prayers are answered and that he isn't feeling too much pain. I think I feel more for him than he does. He is more sore from the exercise and I'm doing things using only one hand. I guess I'm just trying to follow the phrase: what's yours is mine, what's mine is yours. We love him and hope he has a speedy recovery.

What ya sew so shall ya reap?

2008-08-30T12:57:00.003-06:00

Anton got me a sewing machine for his graduation. It was pretty sweet. It is way fun to use, but I have no idea how to read a pattern. I can actually read the words, but it's just a bunch of gibberish to me. So I just make up my own patterns. They aren't spectacular and usually hideous. But I do it anyway. I usually give my "creations" as gifts and I don't have to keep them. But we needed a shower curtain, which is what this is (incase it is nebulous to anyone).

So how do you read a pattern?

The Simple Life

2008-08-24T22:02:00.002-06:00

This is my nephew, Wyatt really devouring some corn-on-the-cob. I've never seen anyone love a vegetable so much. He closed his eyes and enjoyed every bite. It made me think about enjoying the simple things in life. We always been taught to be more like children: teachable, forgiving, kind, humble. I think one more thing to add to that list would be enjoying little things.

Anton and I went on a YW retreat to Island Park with the girls in our ward this weekend. We had a blast! We laughed till we couldn't stop! But I really missed Isie. She had been staying with her Grandma Nelson in Preston and they met us halfway between there and Poky when we got back. I was so excited to hear her little voice and see her smile. She really brightens my day. As soon as we got home she let me hold her on my lap (which is rare) and she said, "I missed you, Mommy." I don't think there is anything that beats holding my little daughter in my arms. Just a simple act, but it means the world.

Gurgles!

2008-08-12T18:41:00.000-06:00

Isie had to get her some gurgles today. She wore them all over town. We went to the pet store and looked at the fish. I was a little nervous she was thinking about a trial run in the tanks, but we got lucky and she stayed dry!

Isie just finished swimming lessons at the Community Rec Center. She loved it! She is a little fish.
This is her literally jumping for joy while she waited for her class to start. She was so excited and giggly every day.
She developed her first crush on this little boy, Roan. He was a cutie and they showed off for each other before class. I thought it was pretty cute, but I don't think her daddy was feeling the same. He's going to have a hard time when she is a teenager!

This was the funnest part of swimming lessons! Gurgles! - or Goggles to the rest of the world, but Isie's pretty sure they are called gurgles. And now she has her own.

THE CABIN!!!

2008-07-31T21:46:00.000-06:00

My family and I went to my Grandpa's cabin up by Yellowstone! It was great. Isie got to play with her cousins, Wyatt and Gracie! They are all pretty close in age.

We piled eleven of us on three four-wheelers and drove into Sheepfalls and fished. It was Isie's first time and I forgot bug spray; needless to say, she got eaten alive. And you can see by this picture that she wasn't covered very well.
This is the top of the falls behind us. It was treacherous looking, but beautiful.
And my dad tried to teach me the graceful art of fly fishing. Unfortunately, I wasn't so graceful. I wasn't quick enough to catch a fish when it nibbled, but I was great at catching myself. My dad had to cut the hook out of my shorts, sadly more than once. It was still great fun though. I think a few more times watching "A River Runs Through It" might seal the skills.

Zoo-Bee-Doo-Bee-Doo

2008-07-15T22:42:00.000-06:00

We went to Hogle Zoo! Yeah! Can you tell Isie is so excited? We went with our friends, The Knapps.
She was thrilled to see "Baby Matthew" again, but he was a baby no more. Now "Baby Matthew" has a baby brother, Cole. Sadly, we don't have a picture of him, but they were so fun. I've never seen a kid more excited about monkeys and peacocks, and sprinklers, and trees than Matthew. We did a lot of laughing.

This is as close as Isie would dare get to any animal. She wasn't quite sure the zoo animals would stay on their side of the fence.

Isie's fake smile.

I was a little surprised to find out Anton's arms DO just about measure up to a gorillas. I guess that's why his knuckles are always sore! He also took the registry on this trip. Fortunately, his brain differs somewhat from a gorilla's and he felt really good about how he did. Unfortunately, he was a little tired after the 360 question exam, and he missed the part that told him his score. I have full confidence in him though, he is a really smart guy!

Camping at Scout Mountain

2008-07-13T13:25:00.000-06:00

Anton, Is, and I went camping a couple of weeks ago with some of our friends in the ward, the Jepsons.

McKenzie, Carson, and Isie spent a lot if time picking flowers. Isie had a ball. She loves playing with kids and playing the part of a big sister.

B-A-N-A-N-A-S! Yes! I'm Bananas!

2008-07-08T00:19:00.001-06:00

Holy - What? I don't know! I do know that I just found a cute LeeLou template, but my brain is about to pop cause I just spent years redoing my blog junk. Yikes! Never again will a change my stuff. This is THE template FOR-EV-ER!!! It's 1230 in the a.m. and I am a slave to my keyboard. Wow! I feel really smart!

This picture explains it all, though not actually taken tonight. I'm a vision tonight, but not the kind anyone would want their eyes to focus on.

2008-07-07T20:32:00.000-06:00

Isie is our little swimming fool. This picture was taken immediately after we returned from a 4 1/2 hour swim at Lava Hot Springs. She hadn't had enough and needed to dump her toys out of her big red bucket and fill it will water for some more swim time. She is a little fish. I won't be surprised if by the end of the summer her feet and hands are webbed!

Woo-Hoo!

2008-06-18T13:44:00.000-06:00

We are so excited. Anton is gooing to start working full-time on the 23rd, which means we can finally house shop, and Isie can finally look for a puppy. Yeah! I swear the apartment walls are closing in everyday. I'm excited to finally be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel!

2008-06-15T17:49:00.000-06:00

Isie loves her daddy! And I know there's nothing he won't do for her, including dress up like the "BEAST" for her fourth birthday! They are so cute together and she misses him every second they are apart. We love him and what a great dad he is. He is so sweet and loving. He is my hero.

This is my dad. Layne Harris. This is a picture three years ago when he ran in one of his first races. He won in his age category in the 5K. Each year he has pushed himself a little more and this year he took first place in his category running a half marathon! He was awesome. He is such a good example to me. I know he'll do anything for us. He is my hero.

Anton is really cool.

2008-06-11T13:14:00.000-06:00

Isie is trying her hand at photography. She caught a pretty fantastic picture of her daddy and his Spanish mustache. He was going through a Count of Monte Cristo phase, I think.

2008-06-09T19:56:00.000-06:00

Ok, I'm trying to figure this all out. Anton loves the computer, but I can barely remember to check my email. I keep thinking of that episode of "The Office" when Creed has Ryan make him a blog, "Creed Thoughts" and he just opens something in Word or something cause he knows no one would really want to read Creed's thoughts. I'm kinda feeling like Creed.