Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night...

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!! Good night!!

I got tagged...

Thanks Ash...You'll laugh when I post this...

Tag 4:4:4:4
Here is how it works.

1. Open your photos folder

2. Go to your 4th folder and pick the 4th photo

3. Up load it

4. Tag 4 others



So Ashley tagged me on this, and when I went to the 4th folder and the 4th picture, it was of her son, Louk, playing baseball. I swiped it off of one of her cousins posts I think, or maybe it was off of her blog.
I love that he is so good at this game already. I swear that some kids are just born with a natural talent for life and he definitely was.
O.k., so I tag Mom, Kari, Kim, and Sondra

My New Hair...

I decided on Thursday that I needed a change, so I made a hair appointment for 4:00. I gathered pictures of family and friends whose hair always looks good(Thanks Stace and Kino) and told her that I wanted Stacie's style and Kino's color and this is what she thought I meant??? I'm still wondering how "we" decided on this color??? It's brown #6 and red #6. No, not auburn, not orange, but crayola red! It kind of faded after the first wash and now it's kind of purple/red... I don't like change, so obviously I cried for the first two days, but it's not so bad now, I guess. I will be going back to blonde on my next appointment...even if I have to go somewhere else. Change is good for a minute, but I can't handle it for long.

Keeping the Dentists in business...

Yes, Halloween!! The first sign that over-eating and gaining weight is on it's way!! Here's my little Mario!! He told me on tuesday that he wanted to be mario and I thought that I could just go to wal-mart and find stuff for his costume...but nooooo...they didn't have a hat, overalls or anything!! IFA didn't even have overalls for kids. So we made him some! Without a pattern or anything...trust me, I'm just as surprised as you! I think it turned out pretty good!
Then there's Mckay....He's happy if he can dress up as anything that resembles a hot wheel. We were lucky that there was a costume of bumblebee off of transformers. They really got into their parts. It was funny to hear little kids say, "oh, look, Mario!" It was fun! Tiring, but fun!!
So after walking 27 blocks, resting twice along the way and carrying them both at least twice, I hope we made some great memories!!

Jason and Sturgis...

So, I've been having a hard time posting Jason's trip to Sturgis...Mostly because I wasn't there, so I don't know all the stories, but I think a part of it is that there were 6 boys, un-chaperoned, at one of the most naked bike rallies in history...lets just say that my brother's pictures were just a tad bit more graphic than the one's I saw from Jason.... So I'll tell what I can, and I'll show what I can, and you'll have to use your imagination for the rest...This is where they slept the first night, because somebody's bike broke down(Doug).

This is main street in Sturgis.. If you don't have a bike, you walk through town...Cars wouldn't be very welcome right now. Then instantly, two of the boys just had to find a tattoo parlor and prove their manhood...or something???




This is where they stayed for the duration. It looks cozy, right.
Jason said that the trip to Mt. Rushmore was pretty cool. Don't you think that his face belongs up there with the rest. I think the feeling of history that you would feel while you were there would be very humbling and serene.







So, there were a ton of cool bikes,











a ton of cool sites,




and the rest is history.

Apples don't fall very far from the tree.....

So, I was looking at some pictures this weekend on my space, and I found this one of Grandma.... And it reminded me of another picture I saw on my mom's cute page....Now, I'm not saying that this picture doesn't prove that apples don't fall very far from the tree, I'm just saying....Hmmmm....well, maybe I am!!! I love my Gram and My Dad...who knows, maybe someday this will be me...I can only hope!!!

update on this crazy life....

So, Mckay's cast is off and all that needs to heal is the burn on his heel. His foot looks really good now, although it's still really tender from all the skin that needs to grow back. The surgeon that did his foot, Randy Hansen, just got canned from all things good and he may have even lost his license because of (allegedly) Drugs. They even changed to locks on the buildings so that he couldn't gain access to any more...pretty reassuring isn't it!!! I'm just glad that he wasn't using the night that he did his surgery...I think?? He was pretty slurred and very self-boastful. We had to remind him a couple of times that our son was in the other room waiting for him to put his foot back together!! Aaaahhhhh!!!! I can't handle any more sadness and insecurity!!!! It started around the 24th of July, then Lyndzee's unexpected passing, then three really expensive doctor and dentist bills, and not to mention that Jason got a really bad sinus infection and, what do you know, but me and my boys got a really bad cold/flu combination to boot!!! How can I fix them when I' m so broken??? Oh, yeah, I'm also in charge of the primary program this year and I just got unanimously voted in for financial secretary at work for the district unit!!! We are strapped for cash and everybody wants their money, so we pay as much as we can each month, and we hope that that is enough for now!!! My first and second paycheck is already spent. We still owe for Mckay's life-flight from two years ago!!! And we need to buy more hamburger so that I can continue this crazy, although helpful, diet for my kids!!! They can't live on chicken and tuna the rest of their lives!!! Live sucks right now, but I have a feeling that it'll soon be turning around. For some reason, we haven't failed yet. I know that as long as we do what we know is right, that we will be taken care of. "Every day is an opportunity to make a new happy ending." So from my seemingly crazy, broken life to yours....Rock On!!! (I love this picture of Maile.
It describes how I'm feeling right now to a T!)

bella and edward

update on Mckay's foot....

Here's an update on Mckay's foot....He is still in a cast!!! We have to go in weekly to get the dressings changed, and because it's Dr. Hansen, It takes about 3 hours to do!! I'm so sick of waiting!!
His toe burn is healing nicely. It's rosy pink and doing well. His stitches are now non-existent. The tear is healing well also. His heel burn is not co-operating as readily though. It is still extremely deep and pussy, thus the need to continue with the cast! I'm beyond excited when the weekly visits will end and he will be able to wear his other new school shoe!
We'll keep you posted.

mom tagged me!

Thanks mom for tagging me! Well, here we go.....



Four Places I go Over and Over:1. Work 2.Wal-mart 3. Church 4. jim's
Four people who email me regularly:1. Mom 2. Julie 3. Jason 4. Junk
Four places I would rather be right now:1.Reading Eclipse(yes, I'm hopelessly caught up with Bella and Edward!) 2. sleeping 3. on my bike( yes, Jason's riding it again!) 4. My dad's ranch with the rest of my family!
Four people I talk to on a regular basis:1. Kaden 2. Mckay 3. Jason 4. Jim
Four of my favorite places to eat:1.Brick Oven 2. Fat Jacks 3. Pizza Hut 4. Maple Garden
Four people I tag:1. Al 2. Ashley 3. Ally 4. Lesile

The Nine Lives of Mckay (This title is better suited)

Over the years of parenthood, I would like to say that things have been blissful and uneventful, but I would be telling a pretty big lie. It all started with the birth of Mckay! I think he knew that there would be competition with his older brother, so he felt that he needed to make a slightly bigger impact on our lives. Who knew that he would take the more difficult route!
It started with him jumping off of anything higher than his head. I would catch him trying to climb up shaky coolers to get over the balcony fence so he could, of course, jump off. Luckily I caught him right before he got to the top. It seems that something bad happens the second I turn my attention on to anything but him. Like the time that I was trying to get ready for Kaden's soccer game and I heard a loud thud and came running in and, if his story was correct, he had just jumped off of the TOP of my piano and landed on something hard, aka, Kaden's rock collection! ( He also talks about their little wooden step stool. The details were a little confusing, he was three after all.)
This resulted in a left foot that was broken in three different places!
His next adventure was when I went to get him a bedtime drink and he started screaming. I turned around and found that he had just CUT OFF the tip of his finger in his bedroom door. That resulted in an emergency room visit for both he and I! I was so sick and pale when we got there that they made me lay down until I got some color back. It miraculously missed his bone and a half of an inch of his finger needed to be sewn back on.
Two months later we decided to go swimming with the cousins, at a popular place for some, and he was found on the bottom of the pool! He wanted to try to swim without his tube. He figured out pretty quickly that because of his density he sank straight to the bottom and couldn't get back up. Luckily his dad looked down right at that moment and pulled him out. This little incident landed him in a certain red and white helicopter destined for primary children's hospital. We're still paying for that one and it's been a year and a half! The big coincident is that when I was about 6 I tried the exact same thing in the exact same pool on the exact same spot! Lucky for me, right as I was about to black out, my Mom spotted me and pulled me out. Can anyone say "apple"!(It's a phrase commonly used in our family that when one of our kids behave like us, we refer to the saying, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.")

Then, just as we think things have been going good, we get surprised with another little tid-bit. Jason had been gone with Doug to Sturgis for 10 days and he had just got home, so we decided to go on one of our favorite family Harley rides. We didn't get 5 mile marker posts out of Mt. Pleasant when Mckay decided to see what would happen if he stuck his right foot on my spinning back tire! Let's just say the results were not pretty.
His foot got lodged between the frame of the bike and the hub of the tire. The metal brake hub started to cut through his shoe and foot by the time I had got stopped, and he got a few pretty serious friction burns. I was shocked when I went to dislodge his foot because it was completely turned upside-down and he was still upright. He didn't suffer any breaks or sprains or anything. Luckily,(that seems to be an ongoing theme for this little boy's life! Believe me, we have said our prayers of thanks!) I had listened to a prompting to take hold of his left leg. I feel that if I hadn't listened to the spirit that he would have been pulled off and dragged!I am so thankful for whatever angel was watching over him at that time. Maybe it was Lyndzee? You know, she was always looking out for him while on this earth.

So, for now, our little man is sitting on the couch, t.v. tray in front, remote in hand, toys around, with a little bike bell that rings excessively every time that he needs to talk, eat or pee. We are so lucky to have him here still that we are willing to be annoyed by the bell for a while. Love you Mugs! You are now officially in the plastic bubble! At least until you can walk again!

(There are more graphic pics while the dressings were being changed today in the very bottom post. You can choose to look or not to look, depending on what you can handle.)

My little LuLu...

Nine years ago, around this time of year, a cute little family moved in across the street. They had 2 boys and 2 girls and were an ideal family to be friends with. But, of course, I couldn't make the first move to be friends with them. How could I let these new strangers into my private, twisted, crazy life??!! I was so grateful when she approached me. I was walking and crying, while pushing my one year old Kaden in his stroller, when she just happened to look up at the right time and ask if I was o.k.. I said "yes" of course and she continued with, "no you're not, come on, lets go talk about it." It was then that I met my best sister-friend Diana and her awesome family.
Within the next nine years we became quite reliant upon each other. We would share stories and adventures with our kids, all the while becoming closer and closer to each other. Our boys played with each other and, well, the girls played with my hair. I was in love instantly!

I had the awesome opportunity to be her kids "second mom" and am so grateful that I had Lyndzee for the time that I had her. We did crafts and built things when she would come over, and I even had the honor of teaching her how to sew and bought her her first machine. We always had something fun to do when she came. I am so glad that I didn't just stick the kids in front of the t.v. when they came to my house. Nothing was impossible when they were here. She would say, "lets build something?" and I would say, "o.k., what?" The sky was the limit for Lou."Gina could do it" quickly became Lyndzee's retaliation when ever her mom would say that she couldn't do something. It makes me grateful and honored that I got to be a part of her stewardship while she was on this earth.

Last Monday, she and her brother and sister were passengers on a Rhino that one of their friends were driving and it tipped over and landed on her head and killed her instantly. Nobody else was hurt at all. Now if that doesn't make you a strong believer in having a time to go, then I don't know what will.
At first I was shocked and then I was really mad and then I was selfish and wanted her back. I couldn't seem to believe that she was really gone, and I thought that at any moment she would sit up and wonder why everyone was so sad. It didn't happen, and now, after the funeral is all over and everybody has gone home, I am more grateful for her example, now so more than ever. Diana came and told me that Lyndzee relayed the message that everyone needs to work on their weaknesses and become stronger, so my first assignment was to say the opening prayer at her service!!! Are you kidding me!!! I said no!!!! And then with love in her eyes, she said, "go talk to Lyndzee!"I was humbled and scared to death to think that this was even possible. Then I said yes. (reluctantly, of course!) I think that I cried more for that reason than any other. The message that I got when I finally sat back down from the prayer was, "No more excuses!" We all have trials in our lives. Some worse than others, and we need to stop using these weaknesses as excuses to progress. We need to get over it, become stronger, and move on with our progression forward!
I am so grateful once again to be such a huge part of their lives, and I am also glad that Diana borrowed me a daughter to love as my own, if only for a short while! I love you Lulu! I'll see you later!
There has been a trust fund set up for Lyndzee Robbins at Zions bank if you want to help.

Kari tagged me

Thanks Kari for tagging me for this. It's fun to see how everything thinks.


: One Word Tag:.

1. Where is your cell phone? ?????(someone call me and I will follow the ring!)
2. Your significant other? work
3. Your hair? ponytail
4. Your mother? caring
5. Your father? unconditional
6. Your favorite thing? riding
7. Your dream last night? kids
8. Your favorite drink? water
9. Your dream/goal? safety
10. The room you're in? front
11. Your hobby? everything
12. Your fear? Failure
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? sturgis
14. Where were you last night? Asleep
15. What you're not? cool
16. Muffins? na
17. One of your wish list items? coolness
18. Where you grew up? Bearriver
19. The last thing you did? E-mail
20. What are you wearing? pj's
21. Your TV? lots
22. Your pets? max
23. Your computer? homemade
24. Your life? busy
25. Your mood? harsh
26. Missing someone? YES
27. Your car? old
28. Something you're not wearing? bra(kari will get a kick out of this!)
29. Favorite store? walmart
30. Your summer? crazy
31. Like someone? Yes
32. Your favorite color? blue
33. When is the last time you laughed? fatboy
34. Last time you cried? blog

Ash, Stace and al, you're tagged

Mckay's gross foot

It's looking pretty good considering all he's been through lately! The big toe burn is small but deep. The heel burn looks huge and gross, but it's not as severe so it should heal quickly. The burns and cut on the sides and bottom are looking really good. It's healing fast and it only hurts him when he actually gets a look at the blood! (there's that apple thing again, Jason!) He was pretty lucky!

Kaden's 9??!!

Holy cow, how time does fly! I wonder if I'm the only parent in history that panics whenever another year is added to their child's lives! I love that my boys actually survived another year in their little lives, and that I must not be that bad of a parent if I'm actually aiding in keeping them alive and safe. Can't things just slow down a little so that I can just enjoy them BEFORE they become teenagers and start hating everything that their dad and I are about. I hope that I'm giving them a strong enough foundation so that when they step out on their own that they can be successful in guiding their families in the same direction. It's so hard to raise boys to be the kind of men that any woman would want and appreciate. I'm so lucky to have a husband that fits that bill. Now, how do we do that for the next generation?

We made it!!!

We made it past baseball, t-ball and birthday parties and maybe now I can finally breathe?? Or maybe not??!!
The boys start swimming lessons on Monday for two weeks, and if the instructors are not a joke, it should be beneficial. Last year Mckay's teacher just visited with all the parents and then didn't pass him at the end because he didn't know all the stuff on their report card...side bar, you actually have to INSTRUCT them in order for them to learn!!! I've heard that the teachers are actually doing a pretty good job this year, so I guess we'll see. I'm getting pretty tired of near-drowning boys!

T-Ball and 5 year old's!!!!!!

So, I signed my boys up for Ball this year, and knowing Mckay's track record, I volunteered to help coach...yeah, you heard me...not just assistant, but Coach! Am I crazy??? Please somebody tell me if I am so I can fix it?! I can't fix the bunch of fighting 5 year olds while in front of half of the town, and I definitely can't fix their side-line parents! After every game I just want to go home and eat a whole tub of Ben and Jerry's double chunky monkey! That can't be good! I can't fix every problem of every kid and every other kid that doesn't get along with their kid! Are you confused? Well, so am I! I love most of these kids. They are so dang cute when they all go after the same ball, and when one of the girls just ducks and covers so it won't touch her. There is one, though, who has raised her son, and daughter for that matter, to be superior toward every one around them. This little boy has no respect for anyone or anything! I don't know what to do for this poor kid, especially while his health-freak mom is screaming from the side-line, "come on gabey, come on baby" while he hits the "shortest fuse" on our team with his mitt, just to see if he'll blow! Now, anybody with good advice please share??!! I know the best advice out there is to never do this again, or just quit and let the know-it-all parents take over, but I was taught to finish what I've started, so quitting is not an option! I'm so glad that there are only 7 games and we finished #4 tonight! (barely!) Three more to go. Can you dig it!

I am Pocahantas????

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

 This was kind of fun. Try it?

Welcome Maximus! aka Fat Max....

Well, we finally did it. We got a dog! I think that we are all a little crazy, but he's so dang cute! He was a local pound rescue. We think that he's a Boxer-Springer mix so he's going to be huge!!?? It's been fun to have him here, although he's a little lonely out there by himself. I guess that we should have gotten one of his sisters too. Oh-well, it's going to be hard enough to deal with one.