Spring Fever

Being here in the northern part of Utah, we have enjoyed the snow this winter, but boy are we anxious to see the buds, green grass, and feel the warm sun. I planted this primrose last year and it was only suppose to be an annual. It was even pretty scrappy looking when it was growing last year, I really didn't think that it would make it. BUT, much to my enjoyment, it has grown back and making up for lost time. I just hate the location cause you can't see it unless you knew it was there. But it seems to happy and don't want to destroy the beauty that it has become. So if you come visit, ask and i'll point it out to you.

When the weather warmed up into the 70's, we took our cue and headed to the store for supplies. We decided that we were going to plant a garden and in order to do that, we had to till up part of the back yard. We found one to borrow and Jared went at it. We plowed quite a plot and then the next day it snowed!!!

Talk about raining on our parade. We had even gotten A LOT of different seeds including purple carrots and purple beans, habenero peppers (I have NO idea why he got those), and other exoctic looking things. I keep pondering in my mind, "how am i going to process all these things when we have to harvest and i don't even know what the heck they are.")

I think my husband has a hard time comprehending exactly what the outcome will be with all these different kinds of things, so he planted 49 melon plants (watermelon, melons, honeydew, cantolope)in a 15ft. by 2 ft. space and wants to plant more. I figured that instead of trying to reason with him and explain the concept of vine plants, I'll just let him do his melon thing, and i'll do my vegetable thing.

Since it snowed, i was still looking forward to planting so i got a mini greenhouse and planted seeds inside. Mykael planted her flower seeds and only 3 days later, already sprouting. I've got them back in an unused room. (Out of sight, out of mind....thanks to my dear son Eli. He did find them this morning, but i told him that they were baby plants and were sleeping. SO....he'll go in there, but very quietly. (After i discovered the sprouts, the whole fam came in to see. I had just finished telling them that the seeds were sleeping when Jared sneezed and Ash said, "Mom, dad just woke them up." We all got a good laugh out of that.)

Now that it's starting to warm up again, we will be able to tackle the garden once again and finish the planting. Wish us luck. It's going to be a lot of hard work to have a successful one.

Two peas in a pod...

This is Eli's best friend. Korah. We got her about a year ago and love her to death. Although last fall she found a new "family" that wanted her. And they only live just a few houses away. At the time we gave her to them, i was almost due with a little one, Jared was crazy busy with work and having to train a VERY hyperactive puppy just wasn't going well. We felt that she needed a home where she would be happy and trained properly. Well...She has definitely grown up and mellowed out and her "family" unfortunately has since broken apart and dang-it...we wanted her back. Fortunately the guy is totally cool with that and is going to let us take her. We first have to fence the yard in but in the meantime, she comes over all the time play and we stop and pick her up and take her places with us and jared takes her to work in the trucks.
Eli definitely has a bond with Korah. If he has disappeared, 99% of the time he has walked down to her house to see if she can "play". She loves him too. Nothing but kisses for him. When we take her to the park, the two of them like to go play in the sand and dig. Eli will get going on a hole, then Korah will come up and start digging right along with Eli. Then he'd lay in the hole and Korah on top of him. It's the funniest thing. I've attempted to capture those times on the camera, but when i have succeeded, i will definitely post them.
One time, Jade was with us and he was trying to build a tower. He gets it so high, Korah will come over, sniff it, and smash it with her paw. He'd move to a new spot and start over. Yet again, here comes Korah and smashes it. He built about 5 different castles when she would just come and demolish them. Finally, she got distracted long enough for Jade to build a nice one, when here she comes and just lays right down on top of it. It was so funny!!! I had to try to keep things light with Jade cause he sure was getting mad. We love her though. She truly is a beautiful dog. And look forward to getting her back permanately.

Easter

I know i'm a little behind on this, but the pictures are cute and wanted to post them anyways. Easter was spent with Uncle Coley and Shanna who both flew in from different destinations. Coley really got into the egg dying thing and ended up doubling the amount of eggs to color that i had originally planned which resulted in another trip to the store. It's ok, cause the kids had fun looking for the "goods".

We kind of did things a little different this year. Instead of having a basket waiting for them in the morning full of treats, we (or i should say, the Easter Bunny) hid ALL the treats and toys outside in the yard and gave them all empty baskets and sent them on their way. We had ended up buying things that the kids could do/play together. And in lew of Jaden having just started baseball, we bought a SOFT bat and SOFT balls so that when daddy practiced with Jade, the others could participate also. SO...when they found these items, they would all be using them and there would be nothing to fight about. The nice thing about this all was, we did this on saturday and that left us to spend easter sunday thinking about the real reason. A quiet peaceful day thinking about Him!

A weekend with Joe and Nat

Just this last weekend we were blessed with the visit of Joe's fam. I love his kids A LOT! And when our kids get together, it's nothing but chaotic bliss! Thanks for visiting guys. First of all, Corbin is such a sweet little boy and i was anxious to get his hug the morning after they arrived. And that he did. I called for him and he came up to hug me. I love his hugs. Lydia has grown a lot and it was fun for her to tell me how kindergarten is going. Jane, i've decided, is just like Eli in the manner of curiosity. I found myself revisiting steps that I had just recently taken with Eli over and over and over again. For example....Eli loved to get his hands on the baby powder and empty the bottle COMPLETELY until i discovered the simple philosphy of "out of sight, out of mind." Well....I had a slight moment of forgetfulness and didn't put the bottle up and found that Jane liked baby powder too. But for some reason with her doing it, Tinker Bell fairy dust came to mind. Perhaps because she was a girl and Tinker Bell is a girly thing. The babies room was "coated". With Eli, it was just a "mess." Miriam....all i have to say about her is "Big Brown Eyes." They captivate you everytime you look at her sweet cherub face.

I was then able to spend some time outside with Joe and Nat playing with the kids' toys. I pulled from the wreckage, i call a garage, a pogo stick of Jaden's that we all took turns trying out. Much to our surprise we weren't that bad at it and was able to dip our fingers into a bowl of childhood fun. Thanks again for coming guys. I really did enjoy you being here.

Dedicated to the ones we love....

Because i have such an awesome extended family and have been blessed to have had them visit individually recently, here's to you! I love you! (And those not pictured...will be added as soon as you come visit.)

Oh! It's so toot!

We had the opportunity today to go see and hold a baby bear. So we all loaded up, and got there to find a long line outside. It was kind of cold so i went to stand in line while the rest stayed and watched a movie in the car. (We never were able to do that when i was little. We had to stand out in the cold with mom and dad and freeze our tookises off right along with them.) Finally I had advanced far enough in the line that i was now close to the door. That's when the family was able to join me. I have to say that it wasn't that bad waiting because, 1- I met a nice woman in line (whose family was also in the car waiting for her advancement) 2- That baby bear sure was a cute thing. (Reminded me of Gizmo on the movie Gremlins.) and 3- They let me use my own camera for pictures just so i could blog it! I was so excited!

I guess i could mention that the little furry mammal came from Bear World in Rexburg Id. A great place to visit and we can't wait to go there ourselves. (A little advertising for them. It's the least i could do for them letting me take my own pictures.)

Kind of looks like a Klingon from Star Trek...

I don't know what it is, but there is something about putting something rather large on your head that just makes you feel quite mighty. Perhaps it's a child thing to do but I remember pulling shirts off until they got stuck on my head and instantly had really long hair. Or the all time favorite, balloons in my shirt to show how i've "grown."

But just this morning Eli found the perfect thing for his head. He almost had it right, but i think it was the point to NOT have it right. He found a brothers sparing helmet and put it on in Eli fashion. Pair it with a toy gun and he was set. Another way to take on his little world, I guess. I had a hard time holding the camera still cause i was laughing, so Jared had to do it for me. I sure love that boy.