Tanner Family Tales

Time to Get Back to it!

2011-03-15T15:55:00.000-06:00

So I promised Maegan I'd start keeping up on my blog and it's probably about time I start doing that. Since the last time I posted was when I was 12 weeks pregnant with Ashley, clearly a few things have taken place since then. For one, Ashley was born. Ben became a big brother. Ryan started kindergarten. Paul got a promotion. And I... well, I am trying to hang in there with three children. I guess I should try to fill in a few of the blanks....I definitely need to start documenting my children's silliness again. I really do want to keep up on this blog, I just need to get back into it. Try to make it more of a habit. I'm going to try.

12 Weeks and Doing Well!

2010-02-11T22:00:00.007-07:00

You can see the face.....definitely alien looking....I hope she/he grows out of that ;)

Well, after having wondered and waited for the last four weeks to see if I really would miscarry, I had my 12 week appointment. I was really kind of nervous about this appointment, mostly because the last appointment wasn't ideal and I was nervous that maybe the doctor wouldn't hear a heartbeat. Paul usually accompanies me to this appointment since it's usually when we hear the heartbeat for the first time. Well, Paul couldn't come this time because he was in Colorado.

The boys and I spent the night at Kendra & Graham's last night and Kendra watched the boys while I went in this morning. Nervous as I was, I was also excited that I'd made it to 12 weeks to begin with so I felt pretty sure I was in the clear......

Dr. Carn got out the doppler and started looking for the heartbeat...and then he kept looking...and looking....and looking.....the longer it took, the more nervous I got. After a good 5-10 of solid searching, he finally stopped. I think he could see my worry because he quickly explained that it doesn't mean it's not there, the next step would be to get an ultrasound and make sure it was still a viable pregnancy.

The nurse was able to set up an appointment for a hour later at the hospital so I called Kendra and asked her if she wouldn't mind holding on to the kids for a little while longer and then, after a quick visit to a nearby friend, I headed over to the hospital. The first thing the technician said to me after I got hooked up was, "Yep, there's a heartbeat." WHEW!! I was surprised she could tell that so quickly but I could see that there was a baby so it wasn't too hard to believe her. I never did get to hear the heartbeat but she was able to tell me how fast it was beating (156pm) and then she started taking all the standard measurements. I ended up measuring only 2 days smaller than expected, so basically, the baby was right on target!!

I felt so much better after that appointment and I've been pretty excited ever since. Paul called around 12:45 to ask how the appointment went and it was really nice to be able to know the conclusion of the ultrasound by the time he called so he wouldn't have to spend the rest of his time in Colorado worrying while he needed to focus on other things. I finally feel like I can start expecting an actual baby in August. Yay!

It's still too soon to know if it's a boy or girl but of course, we're all hoping it's a girl. The boys have already named her and started referring to her by that name. I keep trying to help them understand that it might be a boy but they've got their little hearts set on a girl so I really hope they're not wrong. And I got the earliest picture I've had of any of my babies out of the whole ordeal!

What Would Ryan Give Jesus for Christmas?

2009-12-21T12:46:00.003-07:00

So in during singing time in Primary on Sunday, the primary chorister had an activity set up where the kids were helping to prepare the baby Jesus' manger by adding hay. As they added hay there were asked to tell what they would give the baby Jesus for Christmas. The chorister was so tickled by Ryan's response that she came up and shared this with me afterward. As Ryan put his piece of hay in the manger and was asked what he would give baby Jesus, she was surprised to hear him respond with........a bath! Gotta love that kid!

The Miracles of Poster Board, Duck Tape & Spray Paint

2009-11-08T00:05:00.028-07:00

SO, for Halloween this year, I had decided a long time ago that I wanted to go with a Wizard of Oz theme. I would be Dorothy (of course--I being the only girl in the fam) and Paul would be the Scarecrow, Ryan, the Tin Man, and Ben, the Cowardly Lion. Of course, being the procrastinator I am, I never really pulled it together......

**
So of course, on Halloween day I had to come up with a costume for Ryan (we already had the lion costume for Ben so that was easy). But not willing to give up on the Tin Man idea, I rushed about, day-of, and gathered what I felt to be the easiest things to create Ryan's costume: poster board, duck tape & spray paint.

I hurried home to put my brilliant idea together.....it wasn't--unfortunately--as easy to work with the duck tape as I would have hoped but I pulled it together anyway. (I later learned what would have been the easier, less complicated way of making it not only work, but actually look better, but I'm not that smart on my own and the advice came too little, too late--thanks a lot Lissa, next time could you get me the info on time please? ☺)

Anyhoo, I had a time limit as the ward party began at 4:00 and we had to be ready. I put the pieces together, Paul got it painted, and Ryan got to try it on! Of course, to be the Tin Man, the finishing touches, such as the face paint and hair color, are somewhat an important element so at about 3:20, after having finished making the costume, I ran out to get the hairspray...(I did have the face paint already). I made it back within 20 minutes! (Paul was shocked I made it back so quickly, I think) and got to work getting Ryan ready. We suited him up in some grey sweats and then put the costume on Ryan--it took both Paul and me to get it on and off him every time--I sprayed his hair, painted his face and we put his "hat" on and......VOILA! The Tin Man, here now for your viewing pleasure! Along with the Cowardly Lion,

of course!

(Needless to say, Dorothy and the Scarecrow never made an appearance.)

We're Still Alive!

2009-07-25T00:01:00.002-06:00

Okay....I guess I've been out of it for awhile.....well, we're still alive and well! But even now it's getting late and I don't really have a lot of time to type much...since I really should get some sleep and rest up for tomorrow. We're going to Lagoon tomorrow for the first ever Digis Family Picnic! We're pretty excited about it! I'm not pregnant this time so I can actually enjoy more than just Laguna Beach. The boys are so excited they can hardly wait! And we're pretty excited to see their reaction when they realize what "Lagoon" actually is!

Anyway, now that I've made it this far, (getting started--or in this case REstarted, is always the hardest part) I promise to come back and write in a few updates and try to be more consistent.

"Thankful for Ryan"

2009-01-22T23:35:00.000-07:00

A few nights ago Paul, Ryan, Ben & I knelt down to say our family prayer before putting the boys in bed. It was Ben's turn. For some reason, Ben has stopped self-starting his prayers. He always wants help now and lately, Ryan enthusiastically volunteers to help Ben say his prayers. The other night when Ryan was helping Ben he went through thanking Heavenly Father for everyone in the family. Ryan would say, "Thankful for Daddy," and Ben would repeat, "Thankful for Daddy."
Ryan: Thankful for Mommy. Ben: Thankful for Mommy.
Ryan: Thankful for Ryan. Ben: Thankful for Ryan.

And everything went fine until Ryan said, "Thankful for Ben."

Ryan: Thankful for Ben. Ben: Thankful for Ryan.
Ryan: Thankful for Ben. Ben: Thankful for Ryan.
Ryan: Thankful for Ben. Ben: Thankful for Ryan.
Ryan: Thankful for Ben. Ben: Thankful for Ryan.
Ryan: Thankful for Ben. Ben: Thankful for Ryan.

And you may think typing it so many times is excessive but the truth is, this went on for several minutes--a lot more than five times...(Paul & I were laughing too hard to interrupt!)...but Ryan started getting frustrated that Ben wasn't getting it, (that he was supposed to be thankful for Ben) so we finally stopped them and explained to Ben what Ryan was saying so Ben finally said, "Thankful for me," and then Ryan was happy.

Ryan frequently likes to help Ben say his prayers so that time has not been the only time the same thing has occured but it was the funniest! It's fun watching my boys learn to pray and I love their enthusiasm. Any time it's time to pray they both beg for the opportunity. In fact, just tonight we had our home teachers over and when we knelt to say the prayer before they left, Ryan jumped in and started praying before Paul even had the opportunity to invite anyone else to offer it! It surprised us all but it was really sweet. I really am thankful for Ryan!...and Ben too, of course!

Christmas in California!

2008-12-29T14:20:00.001-07:00

So we had a wonderful Christmas this year!! We got to see everyone, stay with both Tim & Amanda for a couple days and Doug & Becky for a few more. We got to see Paul & Christa's new house. AND we got to take a huge family picture with all of us there! Lots of fun! On Christmas Eve the kids all made cookies for Santa and that night each kid put a cookie on the plate for Santa and then Keilana put the plate on the piano. They were so cute and excited!
Ryan, Dylan, & Ben all LOVED each other and had so much fun hanging out while we were there. You'd think they saw each other everyday.

Doug also took us for a tour of McDermmott which was AWESOME! Very impressive. Maybe someday we'll have an opportunity to go and play some laser tag or something!

Home for Christmas....Are We There Yet?

2008-12-22T01:00:00.007-07:00

WOW! What a year for everyone to be home for Christmas! I'm so excited we get to be home for Christmas!! We got to leave Friday the 19th and stay a night in Vegas before arriving in California the next day. We've kind of been making the stop in Vegas more of a habit and tradition to help break up the trip for our boys and just so that we don't feel rushed while we're traveling...that's gotten us in trouble before. And it's just been fun because the boys love it!

I called Paul's mom to let her know we were finally on the road and she said, "Where are you now?" And I said, "Orem." Then she laughed and said, "No, really. Where are you?" And I had to tell her, "Really, we're in Orem still!" We had been hoping to leave a bit sooner than we actually did; we didn't get on the road until 2:30. It had already started to snow before we left but fortunately by about Springville we had already outrun it and we had clean roads the rest of the way to Vegas.

Ryan was so excited for "vacation". After we finally left Orem we repeatedly had to try and explain to him that vacation is a time, not a place....all the way to Vegas he asked when we were going to be at vacation! I think he equates vacation to a hotel room. But the drive went very well. And except for Ryan asking "are we there yet?" every 10 miles (Paul & I had always wondered when that was going to start!) the boys did really well. They took turns napping and we stopped for dinner in St. George on the way and we still made it to the hotel in Vegas at a decent hour.

The boys watching football (what else is there?!) in the hotel room.

Then Saturday we got a late start out of Vegas and ended up driving straight up to Fresno for Paul West's birthday party! That was fun because we got to see Christa's new house and new baby right away--BOTH VERY CUTE!--Mom & Chuck and Doug & Becky & family were all there, and a few other people I wouldn't have seen otherwise. Ryan was so excited the whole drive that he would get to see "[HIS] Keith" that evening! And for the most part, I think the boys all played well together! (And it appears I didn't get any pics at Christa's BUMMER!!)

Then we made our way southbound again to Amanda & Tim's. They also have a very cute little house! And a nice backyard. The boys slept in Clayton's room.

Sunday we got to go to church in Tulare where everyone but Doug's family and Brad also attended that day. President and Sister Dredge were the speakers and I felt like I really scored! They are just such wonderful people. Janae was there visiting from Arizona with her family and it was really good to see her.

I remember thinking during sacrament meeting, after the Young Women sang a beautiful Christmas song (they sounded like angels!) that I really wanted to go to Young Women's that day. I totally forgot that Mom was the Mia Maid adviser! After Sunday School Christa and Lissa both told me they were going to Young Women's with Mom and I thought "SCORE! I get to go to Young Women's today!" So the three of us crashed Mom's class for the third hour. It was so great to be in there with the girls I used to babysit 10-15 years ago!! Anyway, it was great fun and I look forward to the rest of the week! So far this trip is off to a great start!

Poly Pellet Fiasco

2008-12-18T23:30:00.004-07:00

The same day Amanda had her baby, I was getting ready to put together "I Spys" for both my kids and my niece and nephews. We don’t usually worry about presents for our nieces & nephews but I figured since most of the things I wanted to put in them were sold in bulk, so to speak, I may as well use the extra things I would have to make an I Spy for all the kids instead of just mine.

After gathering over 100 things to go into each of the pouches, I shopped all over the place for poly pellets which are tiny, whitish little plastic pellets used for helping to hide the items in the I Spy. The thing I didn’t realize is that they are very popular around here this time of year. I called and visited several stores before I finally actually found any. Even then I wasn’t sure if I had enough. I cleaned out the last two stores that were carrying any and I had just under half of a 2-lb bag left of Evelyn’s and prayed they would be enough.

That afternoon, after we got home, I was getting the lists ready to go so I could go over to Evelyn’s house to put them together that evening. Ryan and Ben were excited to go to Grandma’s house and Ryan especially, had been telling me every 10 minutes how we had to go to grandma’s house…...so imagine my surprise when I was finally ready to go and I walked into the front room to find poly pellets, about 3 of the ten 8-oz bags plus the bag Evelyn had given me, scattered all over my living room…in the shag carpet! I was so upset (it’s not like I could just go out and buy more!) that I sent the boys to bed immediately. NO Grandma’s house, NO dinner, nothing! Ryan didn’t take me very seriously, I guess, because he kept opening his door, turning on his light, and challenging my authority. So to get him to take me seriously, I went into his room and thought, You think you're so smart? Well guess what! I'm SMARTER!! And I took his light bulb! (I was seriously upset!) Then I put him in bed again, told him to go to bed, and shut I the door. After that he went to sleep.

I called Paul, who was already at his mom’s waiting for us, and let him know we would not be over there. I knew it was going to be tight on pellets before this little fiasco and now after, I was sure there wouldn’t be enough. Paul came home right away and patiently helped me to clean up the pellets…I had been picking them up by hand but he, being the intelligent man he is, cleaned the vacuum out and then vacuumed most of them up….but I’m pretty sure there’s still at least half a bag of pellets still in my carpet. After vacuuming them up, Paul rinsed and sifted and dried them for me and I think we recovered the majority of them.

Meanwhile, Evelyn, who heard about my problem before Paul left her house, took Kendall and they went out looking for poly pellets everywhere she could think of. She didn’t find anything except for some pellets that were more like real glass and were about $12-$13 per 8-oz bag as opposed to the $2 per bag I paid. The next day she asked around at the high school where she works and found someone who had a 2-lb bag who said she’d sell it to me for what she paid for it! It is SO NICE to have a mother-in-law who cares and has connections! We finally got the bags put together tonight and we used all the poly pellets...and there were just enough! THANKS MOM!! I just hope all the kids love them!

The finished product! If you look closely, Evelyn was able to sew each of the kid's names into the fabric on the back! I was able to personalize them a bit too so they're all slightly different on the inside! It was fun!

Tuesday night I went downstairs and found hundreds of my pictures scattered all over the family room. Talk about frustration! I thought Monday night Ryan would have learned his lesson… Just Sunday I think is was, I found Ben with a black Sharpie…yep…coloring all over the copy machine and cabinet in the room downstairs. It seems like lately they’ve just been acting up like crazy and I just can’t figure out why!! And it’s both of them!! Anyway, I hope this doesn’t keep up for too long. They’re driving me nuts! But hey! We get to go to California tomorrow! YAY!!

More New Babies!!

2008-12-15T16:05:00.000-07:00

Becky gave birth to the newest member of their family Kylie Clark, on Friday, December 12th. She weighed 9 lbs, 11 oz and was 21 inches long. Keilana & Dylan were very excited to meet their new sister. Mom & Kylie are doing well!

Amanda & Tim VanderArk had a new addition to their family as well, December 15th. Claire June VanderArk weighed 8 lbs, 12 oz and was 20 inches long.

CONGRATULATIONS!! Christmas is going to be so much fun with so many babies!!

So far I don't have pictures of either of them. But Becky has pics up already of Kylie on her website....the link is listed <----- over there.

Busy Sunday!

2008-12-07T20:15:00.000-07:00

Today we were privileged to go to Clark's baby blessing. When we got to the church Lissa & Nate weren't there yet and they attend a ward in a double-chapel building so we went into the north chapel like Melissa told us. After we'd been sitting there a few minutes or so, the bishop of that ward came up and introduced himself to us so we let him know we were there for Nate & Melissa McDonald's baby blessing. After thinking about it for a moment, he asked if we were sure we were in the right chapel because he didn't recognize the name McDonald. I told him she told us the north chapel and then explained that they were pretty new to the ward and since she had just had a baby, they hadn't been there much....then he thought a little more and emphasized a little more that he was fairly certain there were no McDonalds in his ward and suggested that we try the south chapel because he didn't want us to miss the blessing.

Just after we left the north chapel, Nate's family showed up and asked where we should be. They had understood the north chapel as well but we told them we were going to check the south, thanks to the bishop. Upon entering the south chapel, I noticed one of Lissa's good friends, Amy, right away. She and her husband also live at the U and I knew they were in the same ward. So we all sat down and waited for Lissa & Nate.....sacrament meeting started....Nate's dad, Curtis, started getting a little nervous and got up to see if he could find them and then they showed up a little after that. I was glad that they made it to the correct chapel too! ;)

The blessing was very nice and we all went to Nate's parent's house afterwards for a very yummy ham dinner! Ben & Ryan enjoyed their house and it was fun to see them all.

Prior to knowing about the blessing though, we had already invited Paul's parents over for dinner that evening and we didn't want to cancel on them last minute so after a little bit at the McDonald's we had to get home....where we had yet another yummy ham dinner, though not as yummy as the first.

Overall it was a busy, but enjoyable sabbath day!

Fun Thanksgiving Ideas

2008-11-25T15:00:00.001-07:00

A Fun Thanksgiving!

2008-11-25T14:45:00.006-07:00

So I watched a segment last week on Studio 5 on KSL and they had some really cute, really fun ideas that are pretty inexpensive so I thought I might try a few of them for ThanksgiVing this year with the kids. I think the kids will really like them!

Paul's cousin Jennifer and her kids, Breanna and Payton, are staying with us for the week and that's been a lot of fun too! The kids all get along really well and our boys are having a blast having extra friends all week. It's been a lot of fun talking to Jen! She's great! AND we have dinner lined up for every night this week! Thanks, Mom!!

I don't know why but I am just so much more excited about the holidays this year than in years past! Getting to visit family and watching my kids playing with their cousins. And I like the idea of adding little fun crafts for the kids that could become great traditions!

Thanksgiving first...Christmas NEXT!

Bronco Autographs!

2008-11-20T11:15:00.003-07:00

Last night was the final "Bronco Mendenhall Show" of the regular season this year. We hadn't been back to a show since Ben won the jersey because we've had cub scout den meetings on Wednesday nights and have not had time to go. But we didn't have a den meeting last night because we're taking the boys to the fire station tonight.... so we got to go! The boys were so excited! We got dinner and new T-shirts at the show. And then when Bronco Mendenhall showed up, people started lining up to get things signed.

Ryan saw people getting their shirts signed and wanted his shirt signed too so during a commercial break Paul took him up there to get it signed. His face was priceless! He was so happy to get his shirt signed and to be able to say hi to Bronco Mendenhall!! I wish I could have gotten a picture at that moment.

Of course, after watching Ryan go up there, Ben wanted his shirt signed too so on the next break, I took Ben up there. He said "Hi!" to Bronco and then told him, "Thanks!" when Bronco was finished!

And I won a Lehi Roller Mills gift basket from the drawing! (Sugar Cookies, Pumpkin Spice Bread, and Gingerbread!)

It's a GIRL!!

2008-11-17T13:20:00.006-07:00

Christa had her baby!! Of the four babies being born these past and next few weeks, Christa's was the only one that we didn't know the sex of. And the verdict is in: it's a GIRL!

Alexandra Bailey West

was born just after 10am yesterday morning, weighing 6 lbs, 13 oz and reaching 20 inches long! Christa had a successful VBAC, YAY!! And from what I hear, mother and baby are doing well. I still don't have pictures yet but I'll post one as soon as I do!

Tally so far: 1 nephew 11/6/08, 1 niece 11/16/08
Still to come: 2 nieces (unless doctors are wrong but I really doubt that), 12/12/08?? and 12/15/08!

Thanks Chuck!!

2008-11-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

So in the middle of all the busyness, I suppose Chuck felt he wasn't busy enough because while Mom & I were cleaning Lissa's apartment, Chuck was painting mine! Anyone who's seen our front room would agree that, although a beautiful color, it was too dark and it was too much for that room. I was never offended that people didn't like it....it didn't take us too long to figure out we didn't like it either (well, for the whole room, I mean, so much of it; I still always liked the color) but we just didn't really have the funds to change it. Anyway, Chuck never liked it. And since he's a painter by trade, I'm sure it bugged him more than others. So he painted it! He and Paul picked out a color, a much lighter blue, and started Friday night. It was a surprise for me. I really like it. And of course we got to talking about what we would want to do next.....and before I knew it Chuck was working on painting our kitchen too! Seriously, I never expected any of it. Not to mention, the first thing he did when he got here was fix our leaky shower valves so that we can finally take care of the huge hole in our downstairs bathroom. So here are the results!

New Baby, Great Visit!

2008-11-11T14:20:00.001-07:00

This past week/week and a half has been very busy, but very wonderful!!

Saturday, November 1st: Paul & I (along with some of Nate's family) helped Lissa & Nate move into their new apartment at the U.

Monday, November 4th: Lissa, Peggy (Nate's mom), and I worked on getting the baby's room unpacked, along with some boxes of books.

Wednesday, November 5th: Mom & Chuck got here, Lissa was admitted to the hospital. Mom & Chuck showed up at about 1:30 in the morning and since they kept Lissa's key to our house after their last visit, we didn't have to wake up to let them in which was nice. The next day was spent recovering from their drive and then that night Mom, the boys & I had planned to spend the night at Lissa's apartment so we could be close first thing in the morning and work on cleaning the apartment in the meantime. We went up to LDS Hospital with Lissa that evening as she was admitted to be induced (at already a week and a half late). We hung out at the hospital, played a very quick game of Monopoly (Mom won!) and I ended up coming home with Paul & the boys that night instead of going to Lissa's apartment while Mom and Chuck stayed at the hospital the whole night.

Fun side note here: Melissa was checked in by one of Mom's Young Women from Sacramento!! She used to babysit us as children. She and Mom hadn't seen each other in 20+years!! Turns out she only works about 2 nights a week there and she wasn't even supposed to work that night but ended up going in anyway! She and Mom talked all night long from what I hear. It was a fun surprise for both of them.

Thursday, November 6th: Lissa called me at about 9:30am to let me know she was at a 5 and her water had broken and after getting my car registered (finally!), the boys and I made it to the hospital at about noon.....just after they took her in to do an emergency c-section. I was really bummed to hear that when I got there. Turns out the baby was face up and every time she contracted his heartbeat dropped dramatically. She never got past a 7. So that makes 4 for 4 for the Clark girls and c-sections. I'm really hoping Christa can make the VBAC work. C-sections really are no fun! When they finally brought Lissa back to the hospital room, Nate was following her with a baby!

Clark Abram McDonald -- 7 lbs 8 oz, 20 inches

Friday, November 7th: Friday night Mom and I did spend the night at Lissa & Nate's so we could get it cleaned up before she got home since she didn't have a lot of time to unpack that week. She treated me to dinner Friday night and that was fun. (I took her to T.G.I.Fridays; she'd never been there before but she loved it!) By the time we got back to the apartment it was pretty late so we didn't get anything done Friday night and it ended up taking nearly all day Saturday. Mom was up by 6:30, I was up by 7:30 and we started working by 8, if not before, and besides taking a few minutes to eat some breakfast and take showers, we worked non-stop til about 6pm. We didn't even stop for lunch because we were making such great progress and we kept hoping we could get it done sooner. We were hoping to spend more time with Lissa at the hospital that day but hopefully she was grateful to go home Sunday and feel like she could actually rest without having to worry about unpacking still. Too bad we didn't get any before pics to share!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T11:50:00.000-06:00

Last night started the first of the 3 Nights of Halloween trick-or-treat treat this year. We had a ward Halloween party complete with a chili/soup dinner, a carnival for the kids (where they got really cool glow-in-the-dark bracelets!), and then some trunk-or-treating. We got the boys all dressed up in their costumes, Wyan the Wion and Ben the Great Pumpkin! They did fantastic trick-or-treating and said thanks to everyone. Ben exclaimed somewhere in the middle of the trick-or-treating, "I love Halloween!" And Paul reported that as he buckled Ryan in to go home that Ryan told him, "Trick-or-treating is awesome!" They're both very excited to go again tonight. I told Ryan as I put him to bed, "Tomorrow is Halloween!" And he said, "Again?!" So I had to explain that last night was the fake Halloween and today is the real Halloween.

We usually go to Grandma's ward trunk-or-treat every year on Halloween night so that's the plan this year. And Saturday night (I know, weird) the Cosmo Kid's Club is doing their Halloween party on BYU's campus for kids club members.....which (naturally) my kids are. And Ryan is so excited about trick-or-treating with Cosmo that we'd really let him down if we don't take him. So that's it, 3 nights in a row of trick-or-treating!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2008-10-31T11:45:00.001-06:00

This is MY MOM! Today is her birthday and I just thought I'd let everyone know what a great mom she is! She has been a huge support to me throughout my life as well as a great roommate, a personal/spiritual advisor, a fun grandma, and most of all a best friend! She is incredibly talented and has always been a wonderful example to me of faith, hard work, endurance, and love.

I love you, Mom!

Sorry!

2008-10-31T11:35:00.003-06:00

So I know it's been a very long time since I've posted. Sorry about that. (Side Note: Has anybody else noticed my posting habit? It goes 1, then 6, then 2, and then repeats all over again? That means next month should be a good month! (Well, that's when I was only thinking I'd have one post for this month. I guess I kind of messed that up since now there are/will be officially 4 from this month.) Anyway, we've been busy, busy, busy between Cub Scouts, Enrichment, (I'm both Wolf Den Leader and Enrichment Leader in our ward. It makes for some busier moments for sure.) and Halloween! And preparing for Mom's visit and this weekend we're helping Lissa move..... Anyway, busy is good, I really do get more done, I think.
--
So for the last couple of weeks Paul & I have made a goal that I get up with him every morning so we can read some scriptures together before he goes to work. It started of pretty well and then a week into it, his schedule got changed and now he's going in half an hour earlier...7:00 instead of 7:30. Which wouldn't be such a big deal if it wasn't already hard enough for me to get up at 6:45; now it has to be 6:15! But even through the schedule change I have continued to get up with him and I must confess, even though it's hard for me (anyone who knows me well knows I'm not much of a morning person), I actually like it....sort of. Tuesday, Paul, trying to be considerate, allowed me to sleep in and to be honest, I kind of wished I'd gotten up. I told him thanks for the thoughtfulness but I think in the future I'd prefer he just get me up! And I meant it!!.....I KNOW! If I have a night where I really just don't sleep well, I'd still prefer to get up and then just take a nap later. It's only been about 2 weeks I've been doing this but it really has made a difference for me. I've been able to take time after Paul leaves (and if I'm lucky, before my boys are up but most of the time now Ryan gets up to see Daddy off in the morning) to read scriptures personally and really take time for personal prayers in the mornings. It took less time than I thought for my spirit to adjust to that....now if I could just get my body to adjust!
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This month Ryan and Ben have been watching a lot of home videos from when he was born, birthdays, Halloween and Christmas last year, and just random recordings. It's been so much fun to watch how much they've progressed and how much they enjoy watching the younger versions of themselves. They will watch them over and over and over again and never get tired of them! I'm so thankful we took the money when we had it to invest in such a worthy toy. I will always be able to treasure the memories we make as a family and they've meant more to me than I ever thought they would have.
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Thus far this year we've been able to take the boys to 3 BYU football games. It's been fun but it's a lot of work at the same time. I'm really embarrased to say though that 2 of the three times I had my camera on me and I didn't get any pictures. I'm still learning to be in the habit of taking pictures. Anyway, we took the boys to one game with Grandma & Papa and then two games with Kendra & Graham. Ryan did awesome! He sang the fight song everytime we scored and appeared to have fun. Ben on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed the stadium and the experience, but wasn't as big a fan for sitting for 3-4 hours straight. At the first game we took him to, by half-time he was done. I took him down to get something and he refused (and I mean reFUSED) to go back up to the seats. So we walked up and down the ramps the entire second half of the game. For his second game, I was able to convince him to stay for 3 quarters before we walked the ramps, and then the third game I was able to keep him in the bleachers the whole game. I think he had the most fun at that game too because he actually danced and sang the fight song when we scored and was more attentive that time. I had a camera (thanks to Kendra) for that game but then the batteries died before I could get his little dance recorded. Oh well, there's always next year!
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In other news, Lissa and Nate came and hung out with us Sunday night and that was fun. I figured since she's supposed to be having a baby any minute now that we'd better have them over one more time before we probably won't get to see them down this way for awhile. So we ate chicken & rice (or as my family has always called it "Sunday Chicken") and then played Settlers of Zarahemla. I've never been very lucky in that game because I always manage to position myself on numbers that just don't get rolled very often. It can be a lengthy game but Nate was apparently positioned perfectly in the first game because that one lasted, what, 20 minutes, I think? And he beat us so bad I don't think anyone else had more than 2 points by the time he won. The second game took a little longer and was more of an actual challenge. Lissa & I both made it down to the end and were tied right before going out...Fortunately for me, due to Lissa's over-development (she didn't have anymore cities that she could place which would have won her the game) I was able to pull off my first win ever in the game! It was very exciting! I later learned I may have made a somewhat shady deal so I'll have to be more careful next time, but I considered it part of my strategy....and it worked!
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Other than that, I'm sure there are several little things throughout the month I probably said I needed to blog about but since I never did it, I probably don't remember what half, if any, of those instances are. I really do want to make sure I don't miss the special little things that make day-to-day life so enjoyable (my boys are SO FUNNY!!), and I've received some rather pointed comments for not blogging enough, so I will make a renewed effort to blog more. Please forgive me.

Lots Going On

2008-10-20T15:30:00.002-06:00

I tried to post this over a week ago and something went awry, but here it is now:
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So it's been awhile since I've posted. There have been several little things where I've thought, hey! I need to write that down, only to continue NOT writing things down. I've put a few things in my MSN quote bar but then forgotten to type them down somewhere else so I don't even know if I remember all those funny little quotes.
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I do remember one though. It was a couple of weeks ago and Ryan asked Ben, "Ben, can I get you some water?" I thought it was so thoughtful of Ryan to ask Ben if he could serve him. And Ben's excited reply, "Yes!" was nice since he doesn't always want his big brother's help. But I had to laugh after that when Ryan then said, "Mommy, can you get Ben and me some water, please?" Yeah, serve his brother indeed. I guess he follows the sentiment, it's the thought that counts.
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Oh! & I just remembered the other funny quote I put up there of Ben's. Ben was being unreasonably emotional one day, throwing tantrums left and right and so I threatened him with a nap if he couldn’t get himself under control. "I'm going to put you to bed if you can't calm down." The threat only made him more upset. And then after a few moments of me not paying attention to him (trying to give him time to calm down) he started yelling, “Put me to bed! Put me to bed!” I willingly complied and he was happy to be put down. He took a long nap too!
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We really have had a quite a bit going on. I don't know if I mentioned that Paul & I are the new Wolf Den leaders in our ward. Wow! Talk about a challenge. Seven (it was EIGHT but one recently moved) active little 8 yr old boys! Last week Paul had a conference in Park City for his work and was there for a couple of nights so I got to do cub scouts all by myself Wednesday night. I thought about cancelling but knew that wouldn't really be fair to the boys. Instead I got one of the parents to join me and then we went over some requirements that would help most of the boys accomplish yet another "achievement" for a bead, that much closer to earning their Wolf. I was nervous about Paul not being there but it worked out pretty well. I put together a "Utah State Flag Pop Quiz" for the boys of 10 questions pertaining to things on the flag so that we could learn about the Utah state flag and they were awarded three pieces of candy corn for every answer they got right. I actually gave them the quiz before we went over any of the answers but they still did surprisingly well! Overall, I really think it was one of our more successful activities. The boys payed pretty good attention--well, better than usual anyway-- and I think they may actually remember some of it.....maybe not but it still went well.
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We've been attending BYU football home games and they've been a lot of fun. We took the boys with us to the last two and go figure, I had the camera and don't think I even got any pictures.....oh well, it's not like I don't have enough pictures of my boys with BYU football! Paul & I decided that we're not so sure if we could continue to be season ticket holders though because it takes up so much of the day. Two games a year (which is what we averaged before this year) was about enough for us. We really enjoy watching the games at home with friends and family. We'll see what happens though. We're not against the idea entirely for future years, we just think it may be better to wait until children are grown and they can enjoy it better too.
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So far we've been visited by the "Phantom Ghost" twice this year which was fun. There's a cute little poem attached to a plate of goodies from an unseen stranger and in turn, it becomes your turn to be the Phantom Ghost for someone else. That was fun. It's made Halloween a little more fun this year.
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Honestly, I've got a LOT on my mind right now but my thoughts are very unorganized....I just figured it's been awhile since I posted so I should probably post something. Sorry it's nothing exciting. I'll be getting back on track soon.

"Spank 'im! Spank 'im!"

2008-09-18T21:15:00.002-06:00

So sometimes we let the boys trade beds (Ryan in the crib and Ben in Ryan's bed) because they think it's such a privilege. It's kind of funny because Ryan loves to sleep in the crib now! He couldn't wait to get out of it originally and now he loves any chance he gets to sleep in it. Anyway, the problem with allowing them to trade is that Ben will sometimes get out of bed because he can! (He hasn't yet figured out how to get himself safely out of the crib.)

After putting the boys in bed for the third time or so, Ben got out again. As I chased him back into the room I heard Ryan from the crib telling me, "Spank 'im! Spank 'im! Spank 'im, Mommy! Spank 'im!" It was so funny because there was a big smile in his voice as he said it! And since I hadn't spanked either of them the first, second, or third times, he really had no reason to think I would spank Ben this time. (.....I just kept threatening they'd have to sleep in their own beds again.) I asked Ryan why I should spank Ben and with a big wicked grin he explained something to the effect of because he got out of bed when you told him not to!

I don't really know why he thought it would be funny but I did notice a mischievious "older brother" look in his eye, trying to get his younger brother in trouble. I didn't spank Ben. I was laughing too hard on the inside because I could tell it wasn't really out of malice, just mischief. Of course on the outside I was letting him know it wasn't very nice to try and get his brother in trouble. I'm sure this is only the beginning so I'll have to be much smarter about how I discipline them both so that Ryan will be less desirous to see his brother punished!

Way to Go, Ben!

2008-09-04T10:35:00.000-06:00

So since last year Paul & I have been taking the boys with us to the KSL Cougar Coach's call-in show that they broadcast live from various car dealerships in Utah valley. They usually have hamburgers & hot dogs and then you can win various prizes too! Until last night, Paul & I had always entered ourselves into the raffle but never our boys. However, after last week's show (where they raffled off several pairs of tickets to the first game) we determined that if our boys were old enough to have to buy a ticket to get into games, they should be old enough to win tickets to get into the games! I mean, they're already helping to pay for everything and we have, on average, already taken them to at least two games a year for the last 2 years! So last night, Ryan's & Ben's names got put in and Ben's name got picked! He won a really nice jersey! He was pretty excited about it!

Okay, so it's a little big...just give him a few years! Ben saying "Touchdown!"
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When I took Ben up there to claim his prize, the "Voice of the Cougars" Greg Wrubell, the host of the radio show, made a joke about how the winners need to be potty-trained to qualify. I could see they were slightly hesitant (only slightly) to let him win but I let them know, "Hey! He's old enough that we have to buy him a ticket to get into games!" And they laughed and said well okay, and just kind of laughed it all off, making the comment to everyone that being potty-trained was a requirement for all winners present.

Incidentally--this is the part I didn't tell everyone at the dealership--just five minutes prior to the drawing, Ben forced me to take him to the bathroom because, "I want to potty-train, Mommy!" No joke! Those were his exact words! And then he actually did go potty on the toilet! Maybe his timing was inspired! Funny, huh?

We've now got the jersey hanging on the wall in their room....We're kind of thinking maybe next year at the Cougar Kick-off we could get Max Hall (QB) to sign it since it's his number!

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Backtracking.....August 7, 2008

2008-08-29T15:05:00.001-06:00

**Here's Ben getting ready to blow out his candles.....again! Later that evening, Ryan was already in bed and Paul & I sang "Happy Birthday!" to Ben all over again, let him blow out the candles another couple times, and then let him have another small piece of cake. It was fun! Kind of like our own secret little party! Ben got a chance to play with his toys for a little bit too without any interruption from his big brother!!**

Benjamin is 2!! I can't believe it's already been a full two years since he joined our little family! He's grown so much and so fast! He's very smart and doesn't have the slightest problem telling you whatever it is that's on his mind. He's quite articulate for barely turning 2. I'm sure having Ryan to converse with has helped speed up his vocabulary progress. I think that's the part of Ben that has always amazed me! His ability to communicate so clearly at such a young age, whether it be through words or body language. He is very good at conveying his thoughts and feelings to others whenever he chooses and is very rarely at a loss for the correct words.
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Ben's personality was fairly slow to reveal itself. He has always been very much in control of his thoughts and emotions. I remember as a baby, about 3 months, we would always try to tickle him to get him to laugh but when he didn't want to laugh, no amount of trying on our part could crack him. I could literally see the determination in his face to hold back, not give in. I always thought it was so odd because it seemed like such a conscious effort on his part (I'm not gonna laugh! I'm not gonna laugh!) and yet he was so young. As he's gotten older, he's become much more prone to laughing and smiling but still, he exercises control over when. He won't just laugh at anything like his mommy does!
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Ben is not shy. He's not super outgoing either but he seems to trust most people Mom & Dad trust and although he can be reserved and observant before he likes to interact with people, he's not afraid to look a newcomer in the eye either.
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Ben LOVES his cars!! He loves BYU football and anything of that nature. He loves playing with his brother, although, there's still some learning going on in that area. He's still a cuddler! I love that about him! He still likes to cuddle up with a big blanket on my lap and just sit with me (and he still sucks his thumb). He's just learning to pray and is getting pretty good with the beginning and endings of prayers but still needs help in the middle. He's always very pleased with his accomplishments, frequently yelling, "I did it!" for putting something in the trash or putting a puzzle piece in place or singing a song or catching/throwing a ball, any little random thing that to him is such a big deal. I love his enthusiasm for his accomplishments! He's a good napper and still hasn't figured out how to climb out of the crib despite Daddy's efforts to teach him. (Don't ask me what Daddy's thinking even trying to teach him! I'm happy that he can't get out yet!!)
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In about July Ben started saying "I'm mad at you!" which I thought was pretty funny for some reason. He furrows his eyebrows as he says it or actually, sometimes all he does his furrow his eyebrows and give you a serious "mad" look but usually, even when he really is mad, if I do it back to him it becomes a game and then he can't do it without laughing. It's pretty funny.
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We held a family party for Ben and he made out pretty well! A car, a truck, a big dump truck, some shirts, a puzzle, and a couple of books!

20 Years From Now, This Will Be Funny!

2008-08-29T11:30:00.001-06:00

Okay, I'd been warned that 3 yrs old boys were actually worse than 2 yr old boys. I was hoping to escape it....I guess part of me knew I wouldn't. I mean, I've noticed for awhile now that Ryan has a knack for getting into things he knows he shouldn't and doing things he knows he shouldn't.

So what did my dear, sweet 3 yr old do this time??? Well, let's put it this way: this time it was bad enough, I was mad enough, that when I told him to go to his room and sit on his bed (before I did something I would regret).....he didn't put up even the smallest protest. He ran upstairs, got in bed, and even took a nap without so much as a whimper!

Ryan....dear, sweet, potty-trained little Ryan peed all over the cable box yesterday. And not just a little bit....oh no! He made sure he doused it well! The frustrating part is he is officially potty trained now.....he's gone for weeks without accidents and he doesn't even wet the bed most nights....he was just having a super-rebellion yesterday! Before peeing on the cable box he'd already peed his pants twice!

I had been in the room about 2 minutes prior to the incident but left for some reason and when I poked my head back in there a couple minutes after he had done his deed (which was only about 6-8 minutes after I had left originally), he told me he had peed his pants (which were on the ground on the opposite side of the room). I cleaned his pants up quickly but didn't think to check anything else. He didn't bother telling me about the cable box until about 5 minutes after that when the picture on the TV froze and he wanted me to get it working again. Then when I asked what happened (before I got to the box) he mentioned casually that he had peed on it. I saw red and ordered him to his room...I think the expression on my face was enough to warn him not to challenge me.

But like I said before, this was a very rare occasion where Ryan understood pretty quickly how much trouble he was in (he probably saw a vein in my forehead ready to burst or my eyes ready to pop out of their sockets or something!) because he didn't fight the punishment and then when Daddy got home and he had to tell Paul what he'd done, he started crying and was actually quite remorseful and promised that he'd pee in the potty from now on! I could tell he truly felt bad about it.

Paul called Comcast to tell them the box isn't working anymore (and he told them the truth as to why it's not working anymore) but so far they've asked him to take it in and they'll replace it....so far they're not going to charge us for it. Of course, if it can't be fixed they'll probably end up charging us for it....yikes!

Oh and the best part.....Paul & I had to be ready to go to the temple yesterday evening! Yeah. Not exactly an event that puts one in the best state of mind for the temple! But honestly, of all our parenting moments, I feel like we didn't do so bad with this one. I mean, yes, I got very angry very quickly, but both Paul & I handled it better than I thought we would. I don't feel like we (well, I, especially) did anything too drastic, harsh, unfair, or improper in handling it which is somewhat of a relief.....It helped that Ryan didn't argue with me about going to his room and that he willingly took a nap because I had time to cool down before he woke up and Paul got home..... so in the end, we were still able to go to the temple without guilty consciences of how maybe we could have handled it better or something like that. Maybe there's hope for us as parents after all! And I'm sure 20 years from now, this will be funny!

Backtracking.....July 13, 2008

2008-08-26T12:10:00.000-06:00

When we got home from Oregon, Mom, Chuck, Rachel & Sarah were all waiting for us at home! They were stopping for a visit on their way up to Paul's graduation (bro-in-law, not husband)from BYU-I. (Congratulations Paul!) Anyway, they made a whole trip of it and came to spend the week before the graduation with us. It was kind of fun having them there when we got home! They had dinner ready for us and everything! We pretty much up stayed up all night every night playing games and enjoying company. Lissa & Nate came over to hang out while they were here too so our house was really full all week!

Grandma won Ryan & Ben over fairly quickly this time with some books she had bought them. The big hit was a WALL*E book since they had just seen the movie. Grandma read to them just about everyday I think and the boys loved it! Chuck & the girls did a lot of fishing--of course!! But not as much as past visits because Lars wasn't as available this time which means we did get to soo a little bit more of Chuck.

Friday they all went up to Idaho to help Paul & Christa pack their moving truck, who were moving back to California after graduation, and then went to Paul's graduation and turned right around and came back after it was over. Paul & Christa followed them Saturday morning and they were all here until Tuesday morning!! Then our house was even fuller!! But the best part was, there really was enough room for everyone! It made me very grateful for the home we live in and the opportunities it provides Paul & me to allow other people to come stay with us!

Ben & Keith

After evaluating the experience, going from the Oregon trip straight into a house full of people for the next week, plus, I wasn't as prepared to handle it as I thought. Don't get me wrong, I did okay; but the beginning of the week was a little harder on me than I originally thought it would be just because there was never really much of a break before the next big thing. It actaully worked out nicely that they all went up to Idaho Friday and that we stayed behind because not only did I get a brief reprieve (which was all I really needed), but Paul's boss had invited us over for a BBQ on Friday night and we were available to go without feeling like we were abandoning everyone or feeling like we were missing out on anything. So even though we had a break, we were still busy!!
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It really was a lot of fun having everyone here and even though it was rough on me at first, I would do it all over again if I could! Sadly, I didn't get all the pictures I should have with G'ma & G'pa. I really will get better about that!! I can't wait til Christmas when we get to see everyone....with their babies!!

Christa & Lissa comparing bellies...They're only about 2-3 weeks apart.

Backtracking.....July 11, 2008

2008-08-21T23:59:00.000-06:00

After the camping trip we all went home, took long showers, gave the boys a good bath, and hung out for another couple days at G'pa's house. By then Kendra had shown up with their cousin Jennifer and Lisa & Jonathan (Lisa's boyfriend.....ugh) were there. It was a full house! Paul & I had been using their trailer outside to sleep in since the inside was already full enough. The weather was beautiful the whole time we were in Oregon so staying outside was actually pretty nice. Kendra & Jen actually slept outside under the stars!

**The boys waking up Kendra & Jennifer in the morning.**

**Ben playing with cars (shocker!) at G'ma's house.**Ryan helping G'pa mow the lawn. He was loving that!**

The Jackson Family Reunion was very much a big exciting event! It was held at a 4H camp near Le Grande and there were LOTS of people there! I was surprised at the number of children there!! There were TONS of kids so our boys were quite excited. Especially Ryan who more recently has taken an interest in playing with other "kids," as Ryan excitedly says. The weird part was that our Ryan & Ben (and Bree & Peyton who are cousin Jen's kids) were great-grandkids while all the other kids there were only grandkids! Paul is the great-grandson of Alpheus Jackson and grandson of Jeron Jackson; and although Jeron is not the oldest of his siblings, he was the first to start his family, apparently by several years!

We shared a cabin with Jennifer, Jarom & their kids, Steve (Jennifer's brother), and Kendra. That was a lot of fun. Kevin (another cousin) joined us for games the first night, and we sang songs (actually, that was mostly Steve), quoted movie lines, and ate candy for a few hours. We were only up until midnight but we were kind of loud and we heard complaints the next day of how we stayed up til 3 in the morning! For real! I checked the clock and it was only 12:00 when the lights went out! But none of us were really very remorseful, we had a good time! We just got lucky to have the fun cabin!!

**Bree & Ryan were best buds all week and wanted to share a bunk.**Ben in his bag.**

**Kendra & Jen in the cabin.**

**My dear, sweet Paul climbing the rafters....yeah, no question that Ryan comes by it honestly!**

The activities were planned very well the next day for all the kids! Paul & I were very impressed with the number of activities they had and how well organized it all was. Ryan was in heaven! They got to make little sand necklaces...Ryan made one but ended up bringing someone else's home somehow; they painted craft animals, there was a huge bounce house water slide for the kids, an Easter egg hunt (in July! but sooo fun!), and then there were games and socializing for the adults. Actually, Paul, Kendra, Jennifer, Jarom, Kevin, Steve & I all snuck off to go get ice cream at a little ice cream place the family always visits every time we come. When we got back, we found Ryan on the water slide with all the other kids...someone had loaned him a swim suit. He was happy as could be! **We got some video of this but I'll have to post it later.**

That evening they did their family "auction". It's really more of a selective raffle. Everyone brought items to raffle off, mostly home-made things, and then they put cups in front of everything and you buy tickets and then put your tickets in front of the things you would like to take home. Then they pick a name out of the cup. They use the money to fund the next reunion. They had lots of items to choose from for adults and children. The one thing Ryan wanted was this RoseArt set of "feet" that you put chalk powder in, strap them to your feet, and they make animal tracks....there are five different types of tracks they made. I tried to get him to show me what else he was interested in but that was the only thing that caught his eye. Aunt Kendra had already put in several tickets for him but I added a couple more since he seemed to have his heart set on it. And he WON! the feet. He's walked around with them on his feet a couple times since but I haven't put the chalk in them yet. I'm a little afraid of the consequences there. Paul & I took home a wooden plaque that says "hand in hand into eternity". Ben got a book.

We didn't spend the night the next night. We instead went back to G'ma's house to spend the last night there before the journey back to Utah. We made sure to take a five-generation photo with Paul's great-grandma Higley (Ryan & Ben's great-great), his grandma Jackson, Evelyn, Paul, and my boys! That's a pretty cool picture to have!

For the drive back to Utah on Sunday Kendra ended up having Steve with her. He chose to hang out with us one more night instead of going with Kevin, his ride back to Rexburg, who had to be back in Parma, ID early on Saturday. Steve did need to be in Parma by Sunday though and we were driving back to Utah with Kendra together (kind of caravaning for safety sake) so we stopped with them in Parma on Sunday...........................where Kendra locked her keys in the car! (For the first time ever, in her defense!) That gave us a little more of a layover in Idaho than we were planning but it sure made for an eventful afternoon!

Kevin's family was at church when we got there but Kevin came home when Steve called and let them know what happened. Then they called the police chief, who happened to be in their ward, to help get the keys out. After a lot of trying, probably more than 30 min of time, and some creative thinking, we finally got the keys out. As the police chief wedged the passenger door open, I slipped a long wire hanger through and managed to hook the keys that were sitting in the center console, and pulled them out through the tight opening. It was a great memory to end the vacation! (And it put me on Steve's top 10 favorite people list! ;) )

The drive home was mostly uneventful except for a huge crash we passed in Idaho. It was an SUV pulling a trailer. I don't know what happened but from the looks of it, it was fatal. The trailer was in splinters!! It looked as though they both had rolled a couple times and I think the took another car with them. Not pretty. It made me very grateful that we traveled so safely to and from Oregon.

Overall, the Oregon trip was 3 mini-trips in one, Boise, camping, & the reunion. It was a BLAST and we were very grateful to have been able to go. Unfortunately I didn't get a ton of great pictures from the trip....it seems like I don't have pictures of more than half of what I wrote about but I'll get better, hopefully, about knowing which pictures to take. And I know we have a 5-generation picture but I can't find it at the moment so I'll have to post it later. These were the best I could do!

Backtracking.....July 7,2008

2008-08-21T22:00:00.001-06:00

After we got to Oregon, we visited with G'ma & G'pa Jackson for awhile before Paul's mom, dad & brother made it there. We went and watched the fireworks show in Le Grande that night. The boys loved it and quite honestly, it's one of the best fireworks shows I've been to in awhile. We attended church with them on Sunday and then bright and early Monday morning, we got ready for the second mini-trip of our vacation (Boise being the first).

We had planned to go camping at a place called Parish Cabin outside of John Day. Paul's mom, Evelyn, grew up in John Day and so they vacationed and went camping out there a lot while Paul was growing up. It was a three-day, two-night trip (pretty much all I can handle camping with the boys at this stage) and it was beautiful country! Evelyn stayed home with G'ma so that G'pa could come with us. It was G'pa & Jeff (Jeff is Paul's 12 yr old cousin who's being raised by his grandparents) Paul's dad, Ron, and his brother Kendall, and then us. The boys loved the dirt and the little stream that ran alongside the campground. And I loved it too, except for the mosquitos.....I have a problem with mosquitos! Even with repellent I got eaten alive.

**Ben & Ryan playing in the dirt.**Here are the boys chillin' in Papa's (Ron's) hammock at the camp site.**

**Ben was eating off of G'pa's plate and G'pa thought it was pretty funny!**

The guys all hiked up to the top of the stream did a little fishing. I tried but Ben wasn't really enjoying it much so I ended up taking him back to camp. One day at camp we had a forest ranger truck come through to pull water out of the creek. There was a nearby fire they were working on controlling. That was fun for G'pa because he worked for the forest service in that region for years and years before retiring. He chatted it up with one girl in particular. She even knew who he was! She remembered him from her early years when she was around 18, though he didn't know her at all. They chatted and he got to catch up on a few of his co-workers/friends that were still in the service.

**This is Kendall, Ben, & Jeff waiting for Paul to finish fishing.**Ben fishing with G'pa Jackson.**

**Papa pumping water for Ben.**Ryan jumping off the picnic table. (Like he jumps off everything!)**

**Paul found a rounded branch which he wrapped some grass and flowers around to make me a "forest tiara". It fit perfectly!!**

Backtracking.....July 2, 2008

2008-08-21T14:00:00.003-06:00

July 2nd was Paul & my 4th anniversary! Yay for us! It's been a wonderful 4 years and I have a lot to be grateful for! He's an awesome daddy and a great husband. We've had our moments of learning and trial but overall it's been a pretty positive four years! And things really do just keep getting better!

SO, this year for our anniversary we started the longest vacation of our lives, or marriage at least. That day, Wednesday, July 2, we started our trip to Oregon after Paul got off work. We traveled for about 5 hours until we reached Boise where we detoured for a couple of days. The boys did awesome in the car! They napped for a little bit but when they were awake, whenever they would start to get bored they'd come up with some new game to play with each other from their carseats in the back. Their favorite game was to throw their teddy bears toward each other, over the ice chest in between their seats, and then quickly pull them back...they thought that was just so funny! I didn't get a picture of them playing unfortunately but I did of them sleeping!

We stayed in Boise for two nights at the Residence Inn because on Thursday the 3rd, Paul worked out of Digis's newly acquired Boise office and we didn't want to have to worry about checking out while Paul was working. The boys & I hung out at the swimming pool most of the morning and then we went back and took naps in the afternoon, or really, they napped while I read the Twilight book my mom sent to me and urged me to read. (The funny part of that story was that I was the one who recommended it to her before I'd even read it! All my friends were reading it and thought it was a great book but I had never personally read it. After Mom read it, she figured it was my turn since I had recommended it so she sent it with Christa, who had been in California for the weekend and was on her way back through to Idaho.)

Of course, to be able to go swimming was a challenge in and of itself! The swimming diapers got left in Paul's car and he had the car. I was quite frustrated at that point because I very much had looked forward to swimming that day. After complaining to my friend Kari, online, about the situation, she was smart enough to use the internet to check out the nearest drug store so I could buy some. (Sometimes I pride myself on my resourcefulness; other times, I'm not so bright!) So the boys and I walked down to the nearest Albertson's, half a mile away, and then walked back. I didn't have a stroller either (also in the car), so I carried Ben on my shoulders the whole way. Ryan was a great little walker though and he kept up the whole way! When we got back we had a great time in the pool! Ryan acted like he's been in the water everyday and used his floaties all the way down to the deep end without fear! He would jump in at the shallow end, swim down the the opposite end of the pool, hoist himself out of the water, walk back to the shallow end (& I stress walk because he really wanted to run!) and then he'd do it all over again! Ben, on the other hand, sat out and watched most of the time. He never has been a big fan of the water. But he seemed to enjoy watching and occasionally he'd get up his courage enough to jump in for a minute or two before wanting out again.

After Paul got off work he wrestled with the boys for a minute before we took the boys to a matinee of Disney's WALL*E which the boys seemed to enjoy. Ryan was pretty excited about it because when we finally saw the rest of the family in Oregon the next day, it was the first thing he mentioned! Then we went out to dinner since Paul & I really didn't get to do even that on our anniversary, and when we got back to the hotel, followed the evening up with a little more swimming (and I did not get one swimming picture the whole time, bummer!) before putting our boys to sleep. It really was a full day of FUN!

**Ben has this thing about putting Pull-ups on his head! I have no idea where it came from!**

The next morning we checked out of the hotel and continued our journey to Oregon to visit Paul's grandparents and the rest of his family which showed up later that evening. In Paul's haste to get everything before we got out, he grabbed the wrong pillow and left my pillow there! Funny stuff!

So Long, So Much to Tell!

2008-07-03T14:45:00.002-06:00

So the month of June just seemed to fly by and finding time to document all those cute, funny little things my kids have done in the past month has gotten past me. Where did the time go? Even more important, will I be able to remember all the things I wanted to write down? I hope I remember most because though one might say, well you didn't remember, it must not have been that important, it is still important to me.....I just happen to have a somewhat selective memory that doesn't always really allow me to select the things I would often like to. Even the things I consciously say "I need to remember this" and the things I actually try to commit to memory don't always stick. But not to mislead you, it's not all bad and sometimes I'll be able to remember the strangest, most random details without even trying...I just never know when it's going to work and when it isn't which is why my family has very little trust in my memory of certain events. Oh well!

So to recap, there are a LOT of things that happened last month that I would love to write about: our camping trip, Ben's eye rolling, our new appliances (yay!), Ryan's new little friend Kirsten and their little adventures, the trip to the swimming pool, Christa, Paul, & Keith's recent visit, Rascal updates (still missing ): ), and there were probably silly little things in between. And then that will flow right into this month and Paul's & my anniversary which was yesterday (4 years!) and this current vacation and the Jackson Family Reunion. I even have pictures for some of these topics but seeing as how I'm sitting in a hotel room right now, it's just not the best time. I just figured I should probably post something in the meantime since it's already been a full month. I promise a real post after we get back from Oregon!! Right now, I'm going to sit and read a book and enjoy the fact that I'm on vacation and my boys are actually napping right now!!

Potty Training Bandwagon

2008-06-04T20:03:00.000-06:00

Well, since Ryan is now 3 and Ben is almost 2, and everyone I know is now training their own toddlers and it therefore has become a very popular topic that I'm hearing about frequently, I figured it's time to jump on the potty training bandwagon. I had a thought when Ben was born that since he & Ryan were so close in age, I'd just wait a little with the first and do them both at once! I don't know if I truly intended to do it that way but then I stalled and stalled with Ryan to the point that the moment of truth has arrived, it's time, and now I really can do them both at the same time!

I started yesterday and was so frustrated that I gave up by noon!....maybe I made it to 1:00 but that's about it. Ryan was just not cooperating and Ben appeared less than interested. Ryan peed all over the kitchen, Ben peed all over me....we went through about 9 pairs of underwear in a 3-4 hr period between the two of them. I told Paul I was going to wait another couple of months until Ben was officially 2 and Ryan was the magical 3 yrs 3 months I'd read so much about on quite a few message boards online (seriously, 3 yrs 3 months seemed to be the common age). Paul (safe at work) said no, we should keep trying now. Unfortunately, I knew he was right. I couldn't give up that easily.

So this morning when we all got up, I decided to try again. My first obstacle was when Ryan decided, "I don't want underwear! I want a diaper!" Finally, after much pleading and crying, I conceded to put a diaper on him with the understanding that he still had to go potty on the toilet and that if he went potty in his diaper, he'd have to wear underwear anyway. I know, sounds kind of backwards. Underwear isn't supposed to be the punishment! Anyway, that's how it went. Then I cleverly put Ben in underwear and gave him a sucker (yes, first thing in the morning) for wearing his underwear. That got Ryan going! He still didn't want to put on underwear at first but he sure wanted that sucker! After he realized the only way to get a sucker was to wear underwear, and after he went potty for the second time that morning--the first time being before we put the diaper on (and the diaper did stay dry!)--he decided he wanted to wear underwear! First obstacle conquered! YAY!

So I set the timer for 20 minutes and every 20 minutes we would go in and go potty on the toilet. Then they each got one piece of chocolate (about the size of a peanut M&M) every time they went potty. Ryan caught on to that really quick and started putting himself on the potty every 5 minutes or so just to get a chocolate but I only gave one to him if he actually peed. Then he got ridiculous about it so I told him he had to wait until the timer went off to go. That worked! On occasion he still came to me before the timer went off so I let him go but it wasn't every 5 minutes. The only accident he had this morning was when he pooped in his underwear and that's partially just because he won't poop on the potty yet. Ben only had one accident this morning which I was okay with!

This afternoon I got a little brave and took the boys to see Grandma because she had some of her aunts & uncles & cousins visiting and she wanted them to see the boys. I figured it takes less than 20 minutes to get over there so I had them both go potty right before we left and then they both went when we got to Grandma's! Unfortunately we were there for a little while and I didn't realize the time so Ben did end up having an accident at Grandma's. However, Ryan did not! He went once at Grandma's and then made it all the way home totally dry!

This evening Ryan had one accident and then Ben had a fairly significant poop accident but other than that, considering how awful yesterday was, this is a major improvement!!! And then tonight I've been babysitting a few boys that come over here once a month--two of the three are quite a bit older than Ryan and so have been potty trained for years--Ryan noticed one of them use the bathroom by himself with the door closed and so after that, Ryan wanted to go all by himself with the door closed! I wasn't allowed to be in there! But I know he went. I don't know what happened between yesterday and today but whatever it was....THANK GOODNESS!! Ryan should do even better tomorrow!! It sure makes me glad I didn't give up so quickly!

Rascal's Missing :(

2008-06-03T09:50:00.001-06:00

Rascal is missing. We don't know what happened to him! Sunday was when we realized we really hadn't seen him for a couple of days so first thing Monday morning, the boys & I took a trip out to the Utah County Animal Shelter. We've seen a few animal control cars around so we thought maybe they picked him up. We got into the last room of cats and we all stopped when we saw a grey cat nearly identical to Rascal.....the boys & I thought it was Rascal. I went and paid the impound fee and everything!! But when I went to pick him up, he wouldn't come to me, and then I noticed, the cat didn't have the little tuft of white in the front like our Rascal does. I think the cat in the shelter was a little bigger than Rascal too, come to think of it. And the shelter said they had picked that cat up in Lindon which really would have been a little far for Rascal to travel since we're in south Orem. It just wasn't him. :( I got the impound fee refunded to me and the boys and I left empty-handed. Fortunately, since Ryan had a doctor's appointment later that day, that word had been thrown around a lot already that day and so when we left without "Rascal", Ryan just thought we had to leave him at the doctor's....I didn't tell him that, he came up with it on his own. He didn't quite connect that when we came home we were still looking for Rascal (he was helping me call for him even!) Needless to say we're quite sad and worried about our kitty. The last time anyone remembers seeing him for sure was Tuesday, May 27th......it's possible we saw him after that day but since we weren't planning on losing him, we weren't paying attention to when and where. His eyes are closed in the picture but they're very green eyes and again, he's all grey except for the little bit of white in the front. If anyone should see him, please bring him home to us!!

Ryan's Handywork.....AAAUUUGGGHHHH!!!!!

2008-05-29T12:24:00.003-06:00

WOW! I am so frustrated by this kid sometimes I don't know what to do!! This morning while I was in the kitchen I heard a large crashing noise coming out of my room. Then I heard Ben crying. So I ran to my room to see what was going on......

Fortunately neither of the boys were hurt but they could have been!! I don't even know how to discipline him well enough for him to understand!! I put him in his room and went back there 3 minutes later and he was already climbing on his dresser trying to get into the frog tank!!! Putting him in the time-out chair makes him mad but he still turns around and does the same thing over again!! I don't know what to do that he would dislike enough to not want to try something like this again! What do I DO??!!! The terrifying 3's have begun......

Happy 3rd Birthday Ryan!

2008-05-28T14:30:00.003-06:00

Yesterday our oldest just turned 3 years old! I can't believe he's already 3! Since Monday was Memorial Day and everyone in the nearby family had the day off, we had a little party for him then. We grilled up some hamburgers and then there were LOTS of presents to open!

Ryan got pretty spoiled this year. Fortunately they're all things that can easily be shared with Ben.
Ben was having a hard time sitting back while Ryan opened all the presents so near the end, when Ryan wasn't showing as much interest in opening anymore because there was already a winner among the opened group, we passed one to Ben for him to open. That was enough to make Ben happy!

G'ma & Papa got him a couple little games, dominoes and a memory/matching game. Aunt Lissa & Uncle Nate got him a cool 3-D View-Master with extra discs of all sorts of animals and both boys enjoy that since they're very much into animals (running like a cheetah, jumping like a dolphin, wearing laundry baskets on their backs to be turtles, that kind of thing). He got a few other smaller things: bubbles, sidewalk chalk, sandals, a Cosmo Cougar DVD....but the thing that I thought Ryan would have been most excited about was his new "Cars" fishing pole and tackle box from Paul & me--and he would have been too!.....If Kendra hadn't shown us up with her present!!

The present of the year came from Aunt Kendra who spoiled Ryan royally....with an "End Zone Ball Pit" and a couple hundred balls to go with it!! (G'ma & Papa helped with the balls!)

I was happy Tuesday morning that although Monday night the ball pit was definitely the most popular item, when he woke up on Tuesday morning the fishing pole was the first thing he looked for! He ended up practicing his casting nearly all day! Between a few breaks in the ball pit, that is!

Bad Day!

2008-05-21T11:28:00.003-06:00

This is so funny!!! I totally had to share it. "You had a bad day! Take one to wwaayyyhhhh...!!"

A Hike to Remember

2008-05-19T12:13:00.000-06:00

Friday we took our first hike of the season up Grove Creek Canyon in Pleasant Grove. We ended up starting the hike at about 5:50pm and we got back about 9:20. It didn't even get dark until we were pretty much finished with the hike anyway so it worked out just right. It was a long, steep hike (very steep in some places) and I don't know how but I actually made it! Of course, I was pretty sore Saturday and Sunday. I'm already starting to feel much better today which is good because tomorrow Paul wants to go on another hike already, up Battle Creek Canyon in PG. That one will be a lot shorter and easier though so I'm not as nervous about it. We've made that hike a couple of times already but we figure the boys will really like it because there's a pretty big waterfall at the end. It's also a much safer hike. We probably should have started with the other hike but no, we started with the harder hike!

Papa and Kendall went on their Father/Son campout so the rest of us decided to hike up to Paul's bridge on Friday evening. He built a small bridge up the canyon for his Eagle Scout project and I hadn't been to see it yet so we accepted Kendra's invitation to accompany Grandma, Lisa and her on the hike. We were excited to see it was still in relatively good condition despite some severe flooding of Grove Creek a couple of years ago.

We even took the boys with us, though, after experiencing the steep terrain and the narrow trail with the dropoff to one side of the trail, I don't know if that was the smartest decision we've ever made. Still, we all made it without injury (other than sore muscles) and the boys really enjoyed it! There was one moment where we stopped to rest and Ryan started running toward the edge of a cliff. That about made my heart stop and all my paranoid panic begin but I was able to grab him before he got too close and I think all of our panic scared him enough to not want to try it again. Just thinking about it still scares me to death! It'll be awhile before I'm willing to take them on that hike again.

Paul actually carried Ben on his shoulders the whole way up and Kendra had Ryan on hers for most of the hike. They're amazing!!! I barely made it up myself and there's no way I could have done it with a kid on my shoulders the whole way! Ryan actually walked most of the hike back holding someone's hand after we got through the more treacherous part of the trail and he was so happy the whole time! We'd tell him what a great little hiker he was and he'd say, "Thank you!" Ben got to walk a few stretches here and there and really enjoyed that but was carried most of the way and didn't seem to mind that either. By the time we were on our way down the moon was out pretty high so he said "Bye moon!" most of the way back. He's so cute!

Fun Pictures

2008-05-08T15:30:00.003-06:00

I thought I'd post some fun pictures of my boys (I may have gotten a little carried away!):

Here's Ryan & Ben with Keith when they came to visit. Aren't they so cute?! I especially love that Keith has pants but no shirt and my boys have shirts but no pants. It's just funny to me!

This is Ryan on his new snowboard. Yeah, his. My 2-yr old actually won a snowboard from a local grocery store Easter promotion. I was pretty shocked. Paul won a bag of candy and Ben got a bag of chips. I wasn't there. Doesn't Ryan look pretty experienced already?! We didn't tell him what to do, he just plopped it down, got on it himself, and started "snowboarding!"

Way back in January and out of the blue Ryan started asking Daddy if they could go fishing (which was pretty surprising since they hadn't gone since August or September of the previous year. We didn't even realize his little memory was already working that well!) Of course it was too cold to go back then but the first chance they got after it warmed up a little, Daddy took Ryan fishing! Ryan was SO excited! He was even more excited when they actually caught one. A pretty good-sized one at that! After their adventure Ryan was pretty tuckered out and fell asleep on the way home.

These were taken on another fishing trip shortly after Daddy & Ryan's first. This time we all went. Check out the look! And then the eye. You can't see it too well because the picture is smaller but Ben totally biffed it and hurt himself right above his right eye. It's true folks, he takes after his mother in more ways than one!

Ben was starting to get tired of hanging out down by the river, mostly because I wouldn't let him go swimming, and he was making me nervous so we went back to the car to wait for Daddy & Ryan to finish. Ben loves cars! It's funny to drive into a parking lot with him because there are so many "Cars!!" //Another thing of note in these photos is his hat. I love his little backwards hat. Ben always puts his hat on backwards. If I try to turn it around, he'll change it back. On the flipside, Ryan hates wearing his hat backwards and always makes sure his is on properly! Just more evidence of how different my boys can be.

And here's another of my little angel, Ben. He got to the top of the stairs and I guess he just decided he couldn't make it any further so he fell asleep right there!

My Kids' Quotable Quotes

2008-05-07T22:40:00.000-06:00

It's been a couple of weeks since my first post so I thought I'd get on and update everyone a little. I'm not giving up on blogger already, I just still have to learn to make a habit of writing. I'm actually pretty bored right now so I thought I'd get on and share a couple of cute things about my boys. They're just funny kids!

A couple of days ago Paul took the winter covering out of our swamp cooler since it's about time to use it again. Well, you know how there's always some dust and dirt that settles in the vent during the winter, Paul turned on the swamp cooler and that dust and dirt all came flying out. Ryan was standing right there because he's always curious and loves to watch (and help if possible) his daddy work. So when all the junk came flying out at Ryan he yelled at Paul: "You scared my eyes!!" It was so funny!

Today Ryan and I were sitting at the table eating lunch when he suddenly exclaimed, "I have to go to work!" So I countered, "You have to go to work?!" And he said, "Yeah, I have to go to work for my own business!" I was a little surprised to say the least. I had no idea my oldest son was already so entreprenuerial! I tried to ask him what his business was but he wouldn't tell me. I guess someday I'll find out. I know he's said lots of funny things in the past but since I don't know that I wrote them down, they may be lost forever. That's why from here on out I've started writing down everything he says that's so funny.

Some of his favorite phrases lately are: "too bad!" as in not gonna happen! (Mom: Time to take a nap Ryan. Ryan: Too bad!); he says "I don't think so!" a lot too; and he loves telling me "It's too late!" if he doesn't want me to do something. It can be the middle of the afternoon but for him, it's too late! (Mom: I need to go to the store. Ryan: You can't go to the store! It's too late!) and he says "Not quite yet" a lot also. That's one he uses a lot with nap time or bed time. I'm sure there are more but those are his most-used. Oh that and he says "Sure!" and "Great!" or "That's great!" a lot when he is happy about something.

Ben hasn't said a whole lot of funny things yet although he already speaks quite a bit for his age. His nursery teachers mention often how he's the easiest child in his class/age group to understand which is fun to hear. I'd love to take credit for it but since I have no idea why my children are so blessed with great vocabularies at such a young age (Ryan was too), I'll just be glad that he can communicate and the teachers don't feel like they're always guessing what he wants. I know I've been very grateful that he's always been able to tell me what he wants or needs or that he got hurt because I would probably get frustrated faster than him if I didn't understand him! Every now and then he says something I don't understand and he'll sit there and repeat it and repeat it and finally he just walks off but he's never gotten upset with me for it, thank goodness!

No, Ben doesn't say many funny things yet but you can already tell he has a great sense of humor! He communicates that more through his facial expressions and his eyes. Some of the mischief I see in his eyes already has me warned that I'd better be on guard as he gets older! Between him and Ryan, I know I'm in for some very Kodak moments! Hopefully I'll be able to appreciate them as they come. They've already started teaming up too so I'm in for an adventure to say the least!

I love my boys and it's been a lot of fun to watch them grow. It's sad to see them leave the baby stage but at the same time it's been so much fun watching their personalities develop further as they can communicate more clearly and become more independent.

Oh! On the independent note, I do need to mention one more thing, Ryan made his first peanut butter and jam sandwich last week and he was so proud of himself. I was in the kitchen when he walked in and started saying, "I want to do it myself!" "Do what yourself?" "I want to do it myself!" {blank stare} "Peanut butter?" "Oh! You want to spread the peanut butter yourself?" "YEAH!" "Okay..." So I got out the bread peanut butter and a knife and he dipped the knife in the peanut butter himself and very excitedly started putting it on the bread and even trying to spread it around. After he was done with that slice he went for another slice and I realized he wanted the whole sandwich so I asked him if he wanted the jam to which he eagerly said yes and we repeated the process with the jam. Then all by himself he put the slice with peanut butter on the slice with jam. He was so proud of his accomplishment and he actually ate the whole sandwich! Yay for him!

Generic Welcome!

2008-04-15T14:40:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the Tanner Family blog! (Well, let's be honest. I'll probably be doing most of the writing here but still, it'll be about the family!)
Okay....So this is something that I probably should have done back when Paul & I got married, or at least when we had our first baby! But alas, I am barely getting to it today for the first time. Paul and I have been married for almost 4 years, Ryan is almost 3 and Ben is almost 2. But hey! I've got to start somewhere, right? And maybe--just maybe--I'll be able to record some of those hilariously funny things that Ryan & Ben (and eventually others....) have said or done so that 20 years from now, I'll have something to share with those girls who take interest. Or not. But at least I'll have them for Paul & I to be able to go back and reminisce about!
Anyway, I'm a pretty long-winded writer in general so I'm trying to keep my comments to a minimum but my mind is whirling with all the things that have happened in the past 4-5 years that I never wrote down and I have a desire to get them written, if for no other reason than to clear my mind. I'll do my best to take it one day at a time, one story at a time. (Incidentally, this picture was taken at Hoover Dam when we went down to Las Vegas to see Mom & Chuck! It was a fun trip!)