Ryerse Sprinkles

Happy birthday to me!

2012-01-22T09:10:00.000-08:00

Since my birthday was so closewhile we were still visiting Utah, we decided to celebrate it. (Well, not “we”, I told everyone I was finenot having a birthday party, that way Kolby and Julie could have their own,since they always have to share with me). But my Mom and Sue Mom insisted. So, we went to church with my parents on New Year’s Day. It was fun seeing people from the ward I grewup in, though it’s changed a lot. Thenwe went and hung out that afternoon and helped to get dinner ready. Then Amy and Kolby came. It was Kolby's actual birthday, he's a News Years baby. Right when they showed up, Cal started throwingup, breaking out in hives, his body started swelling, including his lips. He and Mark and Emma were eating nuts and wethink it was the Brazil nut (or possibly the hazel nut). Now we knew he was allergic to peanuts, buthe’s always been fine with walnuts, cashews, and almonds, so we figured theothers were fine. The doctor said justto let him try them in small quantities, and just see. But he must have an awful allergy tothose. We have an appointment to get himtested. And, we were going to use theEpi-pen it was so bad, but it was expired (Mom of the Year award rightthere). So my Dad and Marko ran to thestore to get some Benadryl. He threw upagain and where he threw up, he broke out again, so this allergy is verysevere. We gave him the Benadryl, andDave and Kolby gave him a blessing. Thenhe started feeling much better. It wassuper scary though, the worse allergic reaction we’ve seen from him. So after this fiasco, we had dinner. We ate yummy island pork loin, with garlicmashed potatoes, Caesar salad, yummy rolls, and cheesecake instead of cake, ofcourse!

Cal getting better. Nothing a little game won't fix for this boy. He's a total gamer! Emma helping him and watching out for him.

Luce with her Uncle Kolby. Who doesn't love Uncle Kolby?

Singing "Happy Birthday" and getting ready to blow out the candles. Lucy was fascinated by the candles, as you can see!

Make a wish!

A picture with all of the girl (and Marko...) But this picture is so cute. I love it!

I had a birthday party withJulie. Thanks, Julie, for sharing yourparty with me! You’re so cool! (: Wehad dinner, though I can’t say I remember what we ate… Then we got to blow out the candlestogether. There were a ton on there, but luckily all ofthe kids were there to help! We hadcheesecake and red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. Lucy was mesmerized by the candles and wesang our crazy version of happy birthday and then just hung out the rest of thenight and talked and said our goodbyes, since we left the next morning brightand early.

Again, check Lucy's face out. He he!

Making wishes!

Okay Jerry, you can stop now! It ain't over until the [Jerry] sings!

On my real birthday, we celebratedby having a sleepover with the cousins. All of the kids had fun with that. We made crepes for breakfast, played, and played some more. And I was in the mood to clean and organize,so that’s what I did. I got some phonecalls from my Mom and my in-laws, and Amy Lou. Thanks for calling! Then, we gotready, and my Aunt Suz watched the kids while Dave and I went to see the newSherlock Holmes (Mellie gives it 4 stars, I loved it!). Then we went to dinner at Red Robin. It’s so nice to get away without thekids. School has been so busy, we’relucky if we get a date night once a week! It was very nice just to talk and just have itbe us. So thanks, Suz, for the babysittingand for always being there! Then we camehome and watched a movie with the kids, Peperli brought some yummy cinnamonrolls over, and the kids and I and read lots of books and snuggled.

This year, I wanted to make my own cake, since I found this recipe months ago and have been waiting for a particular occasion to use it. I decided my birthday would be a perfect one! Cookie dough? Chocolate? Cheesecake? Yes, please! I made this (http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/07/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-cheesecake.html) chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake (are you seeing a common thread here? Ha ha! 3 birthday celebrations, 3 cheesecakes. My name is Melanie and I’m a cheesecakeaholic). Happy birthday to me! It turned out well and was one of the best things I’ve tasted!

I also got lots of sweet cards in the mail! They were all so nice, thank you to all who sent them to me! I love snail mail! I felt loved also when I checked my Facebook account that night. Aw, shucks! Thanks to everyone who sent nice things my way!

To top things off, we got snow that evening, after a long dry spell! I can’t be let down! (; It always snows on my birthday.I think there have only been 2 or 3 birthdays my whole life where there hasn’t been a large snow or small snow storm.It was a nice day!

New Years, New Goals

2012-01-22T09:06:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! A lot has happened in the past year. I gave birth to my third, and adjusted to three, we moved to Washingtno, Dave made it through his first semester ofschool at Washington State U, Emma finished half of her first year of school,Cal is close to being potty trained, and Lucy is now almost 1! I can’t believe how fast time flies, and howlittle time I have to myself when there are three little ones and a husband tocare for. We are down in Utah right now,today is our last day here. It’s been sogreat to spend time with family and friends! I love them all! As for New YearsResolutions, I’m going to report on my experiences with last years resolutionfirst. Last year, I tried to make “I’mTrying to Be Like Jesus” my motto. Itried to think more about him and be more like him. I did try my best to do that, but I’m no where close toactually being perfect like He is. Thatis a lifelong quest, and I’m trying my hardest, but still have a long way to go. I like to write my goals down so I'll follow through and check up on myself. This year, I’m going to focus on a few things:

1) Focus more on the positives, not the negatives.

2) Enjoy my children NOW – they’re only little once.

3) Be more patient - with everyone, including myself.

4) Give a little time to myself each day to do what I want.

Those are the things I’ve beenthinking that I need to do lately. I hope this will add to blessing the lives of those around me and myself! Here's to a happy 2012!

Still more holiday fun...

2012-01-22T09:04:00.000-08:00

The week after Christmas was justas fun! Monday morning, we headed up toMonte Cristo to go snowmobiling, courtesy of Amy and Kolby, with the wholeStoddard family. We were worried therewouldn’t be any snow, but we had enough, barely. It was such a fun day!

We all took turnssnowmobiling! It was fun. Dave also loved Kolb’s new sled. It was fast! Even Grammie got on, which doesn't surprise me. She's a tough granny ("Don't call me "Grandma". That sounds too old and wimpy!").

We sat around and talked and played games when we weren’t on thesnowmobiles. I don’t know if people hadmore fun playing or saying “Farkle”!

Lucy slept a lot, and got passedaround. She stayed nice and warm in hersnow suit, which is 0-3 months and still fits her. It was way to big for her when she wasborn!

Cal hates the cold and wanted tosit in the back of our car the entire time. I made him sled down the hill for a minute and go on the snowmobile withAmy once. He just hates the cold. But everyone was surprised how well heentertained himself and how happy he stayed. He colored, stamped, read boks, and played with some cars I brought him. I thought he’d come play more. Usually when we go outside to play in thesnow, Cal is ready to go in after five minutes or so. But I thought he’d do better than that. But at least he was happy.

Emma loves the snow and the cold,on the other hand! She loved everyminute making snowballs, sledding with me, Aunt Amy, and my cousins, andespecially Snowmobiling! She had to wearher pink Fox racing shirt so she’d match Aunt Mamy.

My parents went snowshoeing, my mom got them matching snowshoes for Christmas. I thought that was a cool idea since they used to go cross country skiing a lot.

We had some lunch, we had chiliand cowboy soup, crackers and hot chocolate. We also surprised Kolby with a birthday cake from Costco, his favoritekind.

Marko and my Mom, awww! Love them!

And of course, lots and lots of sledding! So, so much fun!

It was a blast being with everyone! We really have the best family! Me and my BSE (Best sister ever!), Amy Lou! I love you!! Thanks for all of the good times!

I forgot to tell about this time in my previous post. Monday night after we got to Utah, we went with my parents, Marko, and Amy and Kolby to see the lights at Temple Square. These pictures were taken on Dave's EVO phone, but they still turned out pretty well. The lights were so pretty and it was so fun being with my fam. It was so exciting to see them for the first time! Amy and Kolby brought 7-11 hot chocolate for everyone. Helped to warm up our hands and our insides. Our hands were cold, but not our insides. They were plenty warm thanks to the warm feelings of love we have in our family. It's so true that "Distance makes the heart grow fonder." It does. Emma was so excited to see Amy (and Kolby, too!).

One morning, my Dave and I and myparents went to the Bountiful Temple. Wedid a bunch of family names my mom has found. We did baptisms, that was cool, since it’s been about 5 years since Idid that last. Dave baptized me for thewomen, just like the good old days, and my dad did the male names! Then we did the confirmations for thosenames. My mom and I and Dave and Dad didinitiatories after that. I always lovedoing that. Then we finished things offwith an Endowment session. It was aspiritually uplifting morning serving in the House of the Lord. I’m grateful for the Spirit there, what Ilearn, and that I can help others and myself through that great work. And it was nice being back at the Bountifultemple, which just happens to be my favorite! (; Though they’re all great, itwas just nice to be at the one you grew up with, helped to bring about and gotmarried in.

We went to Zoo Lights at Hogle Zooonee night with the cousins and Grandma Sue. It was so cool, way better than I even thought! It was worth going to, if you can! It was awesome to see some of the morenocturnal animals, like the big Cats that always are sleeping and loungingaround during the day, up close and personal. The tiger came right down to the glass and was roaring at everyone, itwas pretty cool! And the lights they’veput together are spectacular! And, itwas so warm the kids wanted to all take off their snow stuff. The kids had a great time, as well as theadults!

We took Kaison one night and Emmawent up and slept over with Tayla. Theboys are just crazy, but fun. Going tothe park to play was probably the highlight. It was such a beautiful day, it was 60 degrees outside! We saw two butterflies, heard the birdschirping. I think the animals, insects,and plants are going to get confused with this weather. We played on the playground, in the sand,chased each other, and rolled down the hill. We had a blast! It was so warm,the boys took their jackets and shoes off. I was floored that the weather was like that! But I'll take it!

On New Year’s Eve, I went to hangout at Hlee’s house with my old friends. We had a girl’s spa day. We didpedicures and Hlee cut hair. The bestpart was just catching up while we snacked on some yummy things. I love those ladies! Then we had my Grammie’s side of the familyCurran party. It’s always the Saturdayafter Christmas and like always, had fun talking to some we don’t get to see atall except for at this party, had a yummy lunch, and played games likebasketball, keep away, football and dodge ball in the gym. Then our family went shopping for theafternoon, went to Chick-fil-A (oh how I’ve missed you!), then to Christie andRex’s party for a while where we snacked on appetizers, played the Wii, playedScattergories & Slamwich, and played with the kids. Then back to the Ryerse’s for fireworks. We went earlier that week to a firework standout in south Salt Lake, which had a huge selection, and we found a lot of greatthings. They even had a train ride forthe kids, which was cool. We got somecake fireworks, our favorite was the Ladybug one, it was awesome! And after years of searching, this stand hadthe Friendship Pagoda firework, my favorite one growing up! We did that, and then just hung out the restof the night, watched the ball drop and then watched a movie, though I don’tremember which one.

A picture of Emma and her friends from my phone. It's so cute when they get together!

A picture Emma took with my phone of Hlee, me, Ashley and Stacie.

We were able to celebrate Tayla’s 6^thbirthday with her. What a cute girl,Emma just adores her! Emma and I went up for herfriend birthday. She had a Unicornparty, everything was so cute! The kidsplayed Pin the Horn on the Unicorn, then we had a Unicorn piñata, had magicrainbow unicorn cake, and then we did some impromptu games. It was fun to see them all and Tayla and Emmaand the rest of their friends had a blast! Then that night, we went to Chuck E. Cheese for Tayla’s familybirthday. Oh man, do kids (and the bigpeople) all love Chuck E. Cheese! Theyplayed all of the games, went on rides, played on the play place, watched ChuckE. Dance on stage, ate pizza, sang to Tayla and had more rainbow cake! We got so many tickets, the kids actuallywere able to get legit prizes.

We also celebrated my birthdaywith my families since we were down. I’ll do a separate post for that, so look for it! (:

Some of my favorite moments were just hanging out with the grandparents at their houses. Playing, talking, watching movies together, games, and just hanging out. It was so nice to be home with them and see them again! I love them all so much! Thank you, thank you!

Merry Christmas!!

2012-01-12T18:34:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas would really describe the kind of Christmas we had - a merry one! We started things off at Aunt Lois and Uncle Keith's for our family dinner and program. It was fun to see everyone and talk to everyone! Here's Emma, she loves all of my younger cousins, and they are so cute with her and Lucy and Cal too!

We had Prime Rib for dinner, it was yummy!

Cal was watching Daren play games on his phone, he's such a little gamer!

Then we had a little visit from the big man himself, yep, Santa Claus! Lucy was intrigued by him.

I love this one of Emma! Daddy's listening in on what she and Santa are talking about.

Cal with "Ho Ho", which is what he calls him.

Then we have our program. Here are some shots around the room of everyone. I love my family!

Santa, baby! Christie and her Santa!

Marko helped Emma and Amber (Mark's friend's daughter) sing "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer". It was cute!

Cal went on the piano and just made up a little song for his talent. Go buddy!

Emma played "Jingle Bells" on the piano with Grandma Di. She's really enjoying piano lessons!

We stayed for part of the program, we got to stay for Grammie's talent, she talked about Light and the Light of Christ. She gave us little battery-operated tea light candles. Luce wanted to hold it the whole way to Grandma Sue & Grandpa Dan's, and fell asleep with it in the car.

Then it was time for Brian's birthday. I like this picture. This year the pinata was Spiderman.

As per tradition, the youngest goes first. So here's little Brody trying his hand.

Then it was Lucy's first time as well, with a little help, of course!

Cal loved whacking it!

The kids were so cute and were cheering and clapping for everyone. They'd chant "Go Julie Go!", or cheer for whoever was having a turn.

The birthday boy! It took about two turns for everyone before we broke Spiderman open (we duct tape the heck out of it, of course).

Candy!!

Spider-Emma!

The kids with Brian - Happy Birthday Uncle Brian!

The babies with Aunt Julie, we all love Aunt Julie!

Then we had cake and ice-cream and played and then we got to open our new jammies. Cal got Monster truck ones, and slippers!

Emma got doggy jammies with a bathrobe, and Lucy got WSU Cougar jammies. I got some Paul Frank giraffe ones, and Dave also got some Wazzu P.J.'s.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night...sort of!

We read a few books to the kids, then got them to get to sleep. Stacy is such a great, cute, super awesome Mom and Aunt, so glad she's in this family! Then the adults stayed up really late and played games. It was so much fun and we had a lot of laughs. That night, Kaison was sick and threw up, Callahan was crying all night, and Lucy was up all night too due to teething. It was a LONG night.

In the morning, Jeff and Shirley came and woke everyone up, we were all still sleeping. We hurried and opened a few toys from Santa. The kids were so excited! I'm so grateful for Christmas miracles! My sister (yet again, going about doing good) called about a month before Christmas and said they needed one more family to help for Christmas at her job. Her boss always likes to provide Christmas for three families. At first I was hesitant, because we've never been helped out like that, and I don't like accepting help. Sure I'll help others, but I'm too prideful sometimes. But then after I got off the phone with her, the thought came to my mind that I've been praying that we'd make it since Dave was only able to work one month, because his graduate program is so much work and so time consuming. So then I got the impression that this was an answer to prayers. So we accepted, we wrote our letters to Santa, and Santa delivered! I'm grateful to those who helped and care so much for us that they would do that! For my sister and her boss and to all of the good people out there, there is so much good in the world! The kids were thrilled with what they got!

We made egg nog French toast for breakfast, along with bacon and sausage, and Christmas potatoes. It was delicious. We also had church early in the morning (10 a.m., that's early when you only got a couple of hours of shut eye the night before and when it's Christmas). We went to Church and it was a beautiful program! I loved going to church on Christmas, it really helped to keep the true spirit of Christmas in remembrance. They had some beautiful cello music, harp songs, flute (and she was really good!), a string quartet by the youth, primary choir, and the normal choir. It was nice, but very long, which the stake leaders weren't very happy about. It went way over time. But as I see it, it's better to be there, thinking of the Christ child, than anywhere else. My favorite number was by the Primary "Oh come, little Children, oh come one and all".

O Come, little children, O come, one and all
To Bethlehem haste, to the manger so small.
God's Son for a gift has been sent you this night
To be your redeemer, your joy and delight.

After church, Cal fell asleep. I think he was sick too. He slept a long time. I felt like sleeping too, I was so sleepy, but didn't. I played with the kids all afternoon, until it was time to go to my parents.

At my parents, we ate first. We had a ham, garlic mashed potatoes, orange rolls, salad, jello and trifle for dessert. Yum! Lucy at her first Christmas dinner.

Emma, amy and Kolby ready to eat!

Everything my mom bakes or cooks or makes looks like it belongs in a magazine. Wow! She's good!

Cal with Uncle Marko. The kids loved playing with him again. The shirt Marko is wearing, Emma and Cal picked out for him. It's him who introduced them to Angry Birds, and they knew it was exactly what Mark had to have. He he!

After dinner, we opened some presents. Here are the kids playing with their Christmas toys! Cal wanted a train and a truck for Christmas, and Emma asked for an ice-cream shoppe and a cardboard house.

Making some ice-cream with her ice-cream shoppe.

Then we watched "17 Miracles" about the pioneers, which was one thing my parents got for Christmas. It was so touching, and I'm so grateful for the sacrifices that the Mormon pioneers made. When I read, watch, or think of their hardships and sacrifices, it makes me less prone to whine. I'm grateful my kids have never been hungry or cold or sick like those honorable pioneers. I'm thankful for their sacrifice, they gave everything they had to God and never gave up. I hope I can do the same in my life.

After the movie, we got in our jammies and had a sleepover all together at Grandma Di and Grandpa Scott's. We played some games and talked. Then we went to bed. I slept like a rock that night! We had a fun time! Merry Christmas to all!

"
Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the home, the genial flame of charity in the heart." Thanks to all who have done just that for us this Christmas! I love all of my friends and family so much and am so blessed to associate with you! (:

Going home for the Holidays!

2012-01-12T17:40:00.000-08:00

Recently while driving in my car, the snow was falling, and the song "There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays" by the Carpenters was on. I have to admit, I've been very brave and haven't really cried about leaving home. I need to be strong for the kids, right? But when I heard that song, many tears made their way to my eyes. I was so excited to go home! The kids were just as excited! We left bright and early in the morning, it was foggy and the roads in our city were icy because of that, but once we made it out, the roads were clear and dry the whole way, so we were lucky the weather was so good. It was a beautiful drive and awesome to see the sunset come up!

We also had a nice surprise in the mail...we got a $200 gas card and some gift cards for some fast food places from "Santa"! The card said simply "Enjoy your holiday travels!" For some reason, I knew right away it was my sister and her husband. When I told her "thanks!" she was bewildered and wasn't sure how I knew, because she was sneaky. She printed everything out, including recipient, and didn't put a return address on it. So that was so sweet of them! I love them so much, they are so kind and good and we're so lucky to have them!

On Saturday afternoon, we made it to Idaho Falls, where our BFF's, the Millers, now live. It was so great to see them! I miss talking to Calena in person so much, and getting our kids together to play. They had such a fun time together! And the babies were cute, though I didn't snap any pictures of them together. Calena got some good ones, I'll have to steal some of those from her. Dennis cooked out on their BBQ even in the freezing weather, and Calena made some awesome sides. We had fun talking and catching up, and the kids had a fun sleepover. They're just awesome and we're glad they're on the way to home and back, makes it convenient! (:

We had our surprise 60th birthday party for Sue, my mother-in-law on Sunday afternoon when we got there. See the post "Happy Birthday, you old crow Sue!" We do love her so much! It was a huge success and I think she had a happy birthday!

After the party wrapped up, we were so excited to get to see Grandma Di and Grandpa Scott! We didn't tell them we were coming over that night, either, so my Mom was a little surprised to see us at the door! For the last few years my Mom has always had a little stocking on the tree for Emma and has put a little prize in it for her everytime we come. This year, she made personalized mini stockings to put on her tree for all of the grandkids. Everytime we went over to visit, she had some playdough, a little homeade treat, toy or gum in the stocking. The kids thought that was great, and the stockings were adorable! It was so good to see my mom and dad again, and they were so happy to see the grandkids. They often get emotional when talking to them because they miss them so bad. So it was good to be together again for a while!

The kids coloring with Grandma. She's such a great Grandma!

We got together with the cousins as much as we could, when we or they weren't sick. Emma and Tayla just have a ball together! They crack me up!

Callahan and Kaison love playing as well! They gave Cal this firetruck for his birthday, and Kaison got a police car. They drove these things all day! It was good to keep these two busy, otherwise they're getting into something they shouldn't be in. Cal's favorite line when Kaison is arond - "but Kaison does it!" Ha ha!

It was fun to watch the babies interact. They're the closest in age, less than one month apart. Lucy kept stealing Kaison's binky and putting it in her mouth. They loved crawling around and playing side by side. Em and Cal were fascinated that Brody is standing up by himself and walking! I was, too! The kids are all so cute together and it's so much fun they all have a buddy to play with!

One day, we went up to Ogden for a Christmas party with our old friends at the church. It was so good to see everyone again. My old neighbors and friends there are just jewels, I love them all! Cal and Ana ran to each other in the parking lot and gave each other a big hug, they were so excited!

Emma was also so happy to see her old playmates - Elisha and Oakley!

We did a "snowball" fight with giant cotton balls. It was a riot to watch.

Lucy and Ewan playing together!

Getting supplies to make crafts.

Sitting in a circle, playing games.

Group shot!

After the party, we went to Hlee's house. Hlee is so awesome! She was my neighbor a few doors down and we'd always be back and forth. She is one of the best people I know and we had fun talking all afternoon and letting the kids play, just like the old days.

We went to Amy's house one night. We had a yummy dinner (Am's an amazing cook), and then she gave the kids all haircuts. She's so super talented in so many ways!

Emma told me right before we left "I just want to see Mamy!" And she got to do just that. It was great spending time with her and Kolb. We watched some of the Jazz game as well. Go Jazz!!

We also went to Cabela's that night. The kids always love it, and Dave's been gun shopping, so he enjoyed that!

One night, we all went to the Dee for the Weber State v. University of Utah basketball game. Weber killed them by 30 points! It was awesome! We totally bleed purple! My dad is the only Ute, the rest of us are 'Cats!

Emma with Waldo! My Aunt Lois and Uncle Keith are super awesome and go to every WSU game. They have the hook-ups and got Waldo to come see Emma. She was delighted! "Weber State, Weber State, Great Great Great!"

Another night, we had a "Beverage Tasting Party" with the Ryerses. We went and picked out a bunch of random drinks and had a scale to rate them all. It was fun! Thanks, Jazzy, for the idea! It's like a wine tasty party, only no wine involved! Just fun drinks, non-alcoholic ones.

"Cheers!"

One was really bad and everyone was spitting that one out and dumping it down the sink! It was a fun thing to do!

Pulling Aunt Stacy around. We had fun playing games that night, too!

I also went and had lunch with good friends Jasmine and Katie. They're so sweet and I was so glad to see those bosom buddies, too! I'll do a separate post about Christmas Eve and Christmas! It was truly so nice to be home for the holidays, becaues "fot the holidays you can't beat home sweet home!"

Happy Birthday, you old crow Sue!

2012-01-12T14:35:00.000-08:00

It was so exciting to go to Utah during Christmas break to see all of the family. We were especially excited to go down to surprise my mother-in-law, Sue, for her 60th birthday. The siblings all planned a surprise birthday for her the Sunday we made it to Utah. She knew we were coming down sometime later, but she didn't know we'd be there right when she got home from church! (: She was so excited and surpised! We did a crow-themed birthday, I thought that would be cute, since she loves black crows! Here's the banner I made.

We had little candy jars with black jelly beans and lemon candies, which she likes, we also had white yogurt pretzels and black, yellow and whtie gum drops and sunflower seeds. The thing behind all of the snacks is a birthday hat I made for her to wear. You'll see more pictures of that later.

Her giant birthday card, that everyone who came to her party signed inside (except for Em, she decided to sign it on the cover).

The wreath I made for the front door.

She just loves crows, I think she really liked the idea of doing that.

Lucy snitching some of the white pretzels.

When the cousins came, the kids were thrilled to see them! Brody and Lucy had a blast crawling around and being little scavengers together.

Cal and Kaison - Time out. Yeah, thats where they like to spend a lot of their time. He he!

It was the most heartwarming to see Emma and Tayla, they embraced and were so happy to see each other they wouldn't let each other go! It was super cute! They have the best time together and Emma has missed Tayla really bad!

Julie did a ton of the work! Here she is preparing food, she wouldn't let me take a very good shot of her. I guess she takes after her Mom, avoiding getting her picture taken at any price. (: She is so great, and I just love Miss Julie!

It was fun to work together with all of the brothers and sisters (and my father-in-law) to make this happen. Everyone is so much fun and willing to do anything. We had a great time collaborating. I had fun doing the decorations. Jeff & Shirley, awww!

For dinner, we had bean salad, pasta salad, a fruit bowl and veggie tray, chips and dip, and cold cuts and cheeses/ chicken salad with rolls.

The 60 year old! I love her so much, and I hope she had a fun, memorable birthday!

We had all of our family there, and a few of Sue's best friends we invited - the Plaiziers, Strattons, and the Townsends. It was fun to have them there.

Blowing out the sixty candles (or something like that). Happy birthday, Mom!

O Holy Night, Our 2011 Christmas Card

2011-12-23T11:23:00.000-08:00

Ryerse Rant 2011

Lucy – Joined our family on February 19 weighingin at 5 lbs., 12 oz. and 18” long. Sheis just a delight! She loves crawlingaround and exploring, watching her brother and sister, learning new tricks(like clapping, making sounds with her tongue, signing, babbling), giggling and smiling.

Callahan – Justturned 3! Loves getting into things andmaking messes, is fascinated by Big Foot, loves jumping off of and onto things,can always put a smile on your face, likes jamming out to music, enjoys trucksand sports (“Not girly things,” he says, “just boy things…like Monstertrucks!”).

Emma – Is 5 andstarted Kindergarten this year, which she loves! Her favorite part about school -- the artprojects, P.E. and music time. She loveshaving play dates with her little (and older) friends, second cousins, andneighbors. “I really like to read.” She’sa sweet big sister and really takes good care of the younger two.

Melanie – “Has her hands full”, aspeople always say. Feels so blessed tobe able to stay home with the kids. Packedour lives up in Ogden and got everyone settled up here in WA. Served as the Wolf Cub Scout Leader and nowis the Relief Society Secretary. Joined PTSOand volunteers at Emma’s school. Teachessome music lessons. lessons.

David – Worked for U of U Healthcare. Applied for grad schools. Finished the Medical Coding program at Weber State and received thatdiploma and an AHIMA medical coding certificate. Began the Washington State University HealthCare Policy & Administration graduate program in August. Enjoyed part of the year off-roading with his4-wheeler and motorcycle. Sold them allfor the sake of education. Got hisconcealed weapons permit. Was a SundaySchool teacher for the 16-17 year olds, now a Deacon’s Quorum advisor, and hasbeen teaching with the missionaries for our ward quite a bit.

As a family,our big news was the birth of Lucy, we moved to Spokane, WA (and are enjoying it), we were asked to make a WIC commercial that's airing on the majornetworks up here in Spokane. Keep upwith us at: www.ryersesprinkles.blogspot.com, or find David or Melanie onFacebook!

“A night of light, a night of joy, The birthday of the Baby Boy;
A night of light and celebration, Filled with love and adoration;
A night of light, a night of love— Our Savior was sent from God above.”

- Linda Gresser

Merry Christmas and a bright &hopeful new year! With love, TheRyerse Family

Christmas time is here...

2011-12-19T10:32:00.001-08:00

Christmas time is here...have yourself some cheer! We've been doing just that around the Ryerse household! (: We love it!

Here is a pic of Emma and Lucy by our Christmas tree, with their new monkeys that our good and talented friend Peperli made for them. Are they not the cutest things ever?

Callahan also loved his monkey, but wouldn't get in the shot with the girls. He snuggles and hugs and loves it! They are so cute, thanks Peper!

We went downtown to see some of the sights with a couple of friends. We went to the mall...perfect photo op for the kids. They especially loved playing in the real sand!

They had a ginormous Christmas tree there, it was magnificent! I'm glad I didn't have to decorate and string the lights on that tree...

We went to the Davenport hotel to see their gingerbread house displays. It was awesome! The theme was travel and everything was edible (the kids wished they could try some).

Bigfoot - that was Cal's favorite part. It was on the back of a mountain camping gingerbread house.

This Yellowstone one was great!

This was another Yellowstone one. It must be a favorite vacation destination.

Merry Christmas to you!

Emma had a Kindergarten "Holiday" concert. They sang (or yelled, depending on the child) a lot of fun songs and were all so adorable!

Getting ready to sing! She told me that she tried hard not to smile at Daddy looking at her. Her favorite song was a song called "Snowpants".

Our neighbors invited us to a Live Nativity that we went to. It was so great! We had to wait in our car for almost an hour until we got there, but it was worth it. We stayed in our car the whole time and they gave us a CD with music and narration about the Christmas story, and candy canes and hot chocolate to snack on in the car while we waited. They had live animals like sheep, oxen, mules, and camels even! Wow! The best part was taking some time out to remember what Christmas is really about. I'm so very grateful for the Christ child whose birth we celebrate this time of year! This is the wise men.

Here's the baby Jesus with Mary and Joseph. It was a still, beautiful moment.

Bethlehem was neat. They had a huge market set up. We also loved the angels scene, but that picture didn't turn out well at all.

Dave driving and drinking hot chocolate.

Lucy and Mom waiting in the car.

Emma and Cal nice and cozy in the back. It was nice that we didn't have to get out of our car the whole time. They liked seeing the Christmas story come to life.

We gave little treats to some neighbors, the missionaries an investigator, and some friends. These ones said "Jesus is the 'Reisen' for all season!"

We had a baking day and made a huge mess in the kitchen! We made cashew brittle, peanut butter cream balls, peanut butter bark, peppermint bark, fudge, and chocolate covered pretzels. Mmmm....

Emma loved the cashew brittle especially and said "I just can't stop eating it!" She had a fun time breaking it apart.

We usually like to make a homeade gingerbread house, but I was feeling a little stressed and decided to just buy one from the store. We got home, and the house was all cracked. I tried to repair it, but to no avail. So I just let the kids go to town with the frosting and candy. This is the result. Emma called it the "Crappy House". Ha! Cal just loved eating the candy!

Gingerbread Fail.

We had a party with a few of our friends. Spencer, Abby, Lilly, Emma, Cal and Cruz. The kids had little crafts, we had soup for dinner, and the kids played while the adults played games, did a white elephant gift exchange and talked. This was the only picture I took. I guess we were having too much fun playing!

We also had a great ward Christmas party. We had dinner (ham, creamy potatoes, ceasar salad, and rolls with cheesecake and cake), then a program (I played "Still, Still, Still" on my flute and Emma sang with the Primary choir. Then we had a special visitor: who else but the big man himself! Emma was excited, she loves Santa now, but Cal wasn't so sure and said before he actually got on his lap "I don't like him!" Lucy thought the beard was pretty cool!

I love this shot of Santa and Lucy! Yes, Santa, Lucy's been a good girl this year!

Cal and Kyle!

Em and Morgan!

The Primary Choir singing.

I'm so happy to celebrate Christmas and participate in all of the fun and traditions. I love Christmas and I love Jesus, who is the reason for this and all seasons!

Grateful. So. Very. Grateful.

2011-12-19T10:31:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving, what a great holiday! I seem to enjoy it more the older I get. I used to be gun-ho and ready for Christmas the day after Halloween, but now I'm resisting that urge and taking one holiday at a time. We had a great time celebrating Thanksgiving, by decorating the house for it, reading Thanksgiving books a lot, doing FHE's on gratitute and the story of the pilgrims and Thanksgiving, playing the gratitude game and more.

On Thanksgiving Day, we woke up and watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, made regular rolls and orange rolls, and headed out to my Uncle and Aunt's for the Thanksgiving Feast. We had a yummy meal, and talked, watched a movie (kids) and football (the dads), and played together. It was a nice day! I forgot my camera! So I took some photos with my camera.

We also made Thanksgiving cards to send to loved ones. We used paper plates to make pumpkin pie, Emma painted them. We put a cotton ball on for the whipped cream and even sprinkled pumpkin pie spice on it to make it a scented card.

The kids talking about Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving!

President Henry B. Eyring: "Our Father in Heaven commands us to be thankful in all things, and He requires that we give thanks for the blessings we receive. We know that all of His commandments are intended to make us happy, and we also know that to break commandments leads to misery.

So to be happy and to avoid misery, we must have a grateful heart. We have seen in our lives the connection between gratitude and happiness. All of us would like to feel gratitude, yet it is not easy to be consistently grateful in all things in the trials of life. Sickness, disappointment, and the loss of people we love come at times in our lives. Our sorrows can make it hard to see our blessings and to appreciate the blessings God has in store for us in the future.

It is a challenge to count our blessings because we have a tendency to take good things for granted. When we lose a roof over our heads, food to eat, or the warmth of friends and family, we realize how grateful we should have been when we had them.

Most of all, sometimes it is hard for us to be sufficiently grateful for the greatest gifts we receive: the birth of Jesus Christ, His Atonement, the promise of resurrection, the opportunity to enjoy eternal life with our families, the Restoration of the gospel with the priesthood and its keys. Only with the help of the Holy Ghost can we begin to feel what those blessings mean for us and for those we love. And only then can we hope to be thankful in all things and avoid the offense to God of ingratitude.

We must ask in prayer that God, by the power of the Holy Ghost, will help us see our blessings clearly even in the midst of our trials. He can help us by the power of the Spirit to recognize and be grateful for blessings we take for granted."

I've been trying harder to see some of those blessing I often overlook that are not so obvious (family, religion, the atonement, a home, food, etc.), and ask to see all of the blessings, even little ones in my life. As a family, we did this exercise, and each of us named one in each category. It was fun to hear what everyone had to say, from trucks, pizza, kitties, and air conditioning to temples and eternal families.

Try it yourself, and you will see that there are so many things to be grateful for! (:

"Gratitude Challenge

Let’s not just talk about counting our blessings—let’s do it! Write a list of 100 things you are thankful for. If that sounds like it is too many, try this:

Write 10 physical abilities you are grateful for.

Write 10 material possessions you are grateful for.
Write 10 living people you are grateful for.
Write 10 deceased people you are grateful for.
Write 10 things about nature you are grateful for.
Write 10 things about today you are grateful for.
Write 10 places on earth you are grateful for.
Write 10 modern inventions you are grateful for.
Write 10 foods you are grateful for.
Write 10 things about the gospel you are grateful for.

When we make a list like this, we discover that a list of 100 doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of all the things God has given us."

Cal's Dynamite 3rd Birthday!

2011-12-07T22:41:00.001-08:00

Flippin' sweet...Cal is 3! We celebrated Cal's birthday a few weeks ago, his real birthday is November 28, but we had a party for him a few days early! For his birthday party, he asked to have a Napoleon Dynamite birthday. Yep, it's pretty much the best movie ever to him. Most movie's Cal won't sit through, but he loves Napoleon and is just entranced when he watches it. I had to convince Emma and Cal to watch it and I didn't think they'd like it, but they sit and giggle and get a kick out of it. (I do, too!) We dressed him up like the star of the show. No Napoleon is complete without crazy hair, oversized wire frames, a Vote for Pedro shirt, tight jeans and some moon boots. We put this little number together quickly. He looked so cute and thought it was pretty cool he got to be like Napoleon for the day! Yesssssss! We also decorated like the dance scene with streamers all over the ceiling.

Emma wanted to be Deb, so we put on a pink shirt and pulled her hair into a side ponytail, and she

was good to go!

GOSH! Cal has been into quoting Napoleon lately, he likes saying "gosh" and "idiots" (the latter we're trying to convince him that's not a good one to say).

We based his party off the movie. We started the movie, and would do activities when they came up. That was a nice way to break things up, perfect for Cal!

Watching the movie and eating Kip's chips.

Our first thing we did was lunch! After the scene in the cafeteria for the first time, we paused the movie and ate some food. "Tina, you fat lard, go eat your dinner!"

We had "Get your own tots" and "flippin' sweet corndogs".

Preston High veggies

Dang Quesda-dillas

Deb's 1% milk & Idaho farmer's protein drink

Kip's chips

The kids in the dining room-transformed into the cafeteria. Cal just wanted to invite his 2nd cousins, Morgan and Kyle. So those were the party guests. They're always so much fun and such cute kids!

Present time - Cal was so excited and had so much fun with all of the presents he got! Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa, he loves what he picked out from you, the Boomer's Flippin' Fire Rescue and the Thomas bouncy ball.

Enjoying his presents. He kept saying "that's pretty coo" about his presents!

This is the cake I threw together. It was a fun and pretty easy one to make.

Cake, yum! Cal wanted strawberry cake, and picked out some ice-creams. We ate the cake when Pedro got his Felicitones cake.

Glamour shots by ~~Deb~~ Mom.

Kyle holds Lucy.

They also got goody bags, and would get a little something to put in it when a related event would happen in the show. They got chapstick for "my lips hurt real bad!", pencils for when Napoleon was drawing a liger, bubble gum when Summer was popping some bubbles, and dum dums when he said "you guys are dumb!".

We did an Uncle Rico's football toss outside.

We used our tire swing in the backyard and the kiddos tried to throw the football through it. "How much you wanna bet I can throw this football over that mountain?"

The kids paired up and drew each other. Their pictures were really cute. Luckily, they didn't spend three hours shading upper-lips. (:

We also attempted to make boondoggle (spelling?) keychains. Doesn't that just take you back? Lucy had a fun time playing in it. It was a fun party, and Cal had a memorable birthday!

Cal loves doing the dance from the movie. That's how we ended things off, with him dancing! He wanted to do it "all by meself", so that's what he did. Then the girls wanted to do it. He's got some pretty sweet moves, I have to admit! For some reason, the video doesn't want to load. I'll post it on FB or something.

Cal's real birthday was on Monday. We had a fun day reading together, playing with his new birthday toys, talking about when he was born, made messes, and we had pizza for dinner and watched a new movie he got for his birthday. He's getting so big, and is such a cute, busy boy! We love him so much! He is always saying and doing the cutest (and sometimes most frustrating) things. He's a keeper for sure! Hope all of your wildest dreams come true, little buddy!

HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY CALLAHAN!

Almost famous...

2011-11-27T14:43:00.001-08:00

A couple of months ago, I got a random call from the Spokane WIC (Women, Infants and Children) director. She said the people in our North Spokane WIC office had seen our family at our WIC appointments and thought of us when asked who they should have on a WIC commercial. The enrollment for WIC is down, and 75% of the children who qualify for the program are not participating. If they do not get their numbers up, they will lose funding. So, Spokane WIC and the Spokane Regional Health District launched a WIC education campaign, and they wanted us to be a part of it. I said that would be fine, thinking it would be fun to see some behind the scenes and let the kids have the opportunity to see how things get on TV. So we went in one day to meet the crew at North by Northwest Productions, and the WIC/SRHD people, and to let the kids get familiar with the camera, and for them to get to know us. Then, we went in one morning bright and early to film the commercial. We had to be on the South Hill at 8 a.m., which is quite a drive from our house. That was super early for our kids, conidering they usually don't wake up until a lot later (except for Lucy, she's an early bird like me!). But we arrived on scene and went downstairs, where catering had breakfast set up for everyone. They had fruit kabobs and banana bread, breakfast burritos, yogurt, cereals, drinks of all kind, and coffee, of course. We then went through wardrobe and creative service people, everyone was really nice. Then we all had makeup and hair done. Then, it was time for my belly makeover. Ha ha! They wanted me to be pregnant in the commercial, emphasizing that WIC is for pregnant or nursing women, too. So, we put on a beer belly and ace bandaged it up until I looked pregnant. They were having a hard time because I have such a short upper-body, we really had to squeeze in the stuffing! Then we went upstairs to get filming. They had several cameras, sound people, lighting people, the director, the producer, and more. It was quite the experience! We had to film each shot over and over, so they could get just the right angles, just the right lighting, just the right feel for the commercial. We were filming until about 12 noon. It took 4 hours to film a 30-second commercial! The kids were so tired, but did so well doing what they were instructed! It was a good experience for us all.

"And action!" (again....)

Miss Lucy hanging out on the floor. The crew all loved her and had a great time holding her and playing with her. She was really good. She wasn't used in this commercial. ): Since I was "prego" for the commercial, they thought that might be too close in age to be that pregnant with an 8-month old.

Cutting the peppers. I think I went through two peppers, slicing and slicing them.

We had to get the lighting just right and were having a rough time getting the right light needed for the time of day they wanted for the commercial.

We were also interviewed about the WIC program, so they could use these clips on future media projects. There were also still-photographers there taking pictures. We had to sign a picture release, because they said they were probably going to buy up space for bus ads and billboards, so our pictures might be around town. I haven't seen any yet...

It was a long day, but the commercial turned out really well! NXNW Productions & The SRHD/WIC staff did awesome! It was kind of fun to do. The kids were getting tired near the end, and we couldn't get Cal to smile at the end when he was eating the {cold} spaghetti. /: He was just ready to run around!

Here's the final product. You can see it from this webpage below. The commercial is going to air on three major networks during local news commercial time. We still haven't seen it yet, but then again, we don't watch TV very much. Enjoy!

http://www.spokanewic.org/interact

Also, this past week on Monday, we had a news reporter and camera man from the Spokesman Review come interview our family and the WIC PR Director and SRHD Director. They interviewed us, and then the photographer took pictures while we were making dinner (ribs, broccoli salad, rice and corn). Our next door neighbor came over the nerxt day and showed us the paper and told us we made the front page news! It must have been a slow news day...

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/nov/22/filling-a-family-need/

We also had KHQ, the local NBC affiliate do a news story that same day about the WIC program, the kids and Dave and I were on that one. It was kind of a cheesy one.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v=205768206166487&set=vb.123574424380445&type=2&theater

Here are some of the still pictures from the commercial shoot.

Family and friends have been joking around with us lately about being famous. Famous? Ha ha ha hardly! But we do feel like the WIC poster family now. I am grateful for the program, which has helped us learn more about nutrition, breast-feeding and all-around wellness, and has helped supplement our family's food budget each month by providing nutritious food for our family while attending school. I like what my friend Calena said when talking with her a while back, when we were talking about the commercial and their slogan. She said one that really made me laugh out loud: "Beans and rice and everything nice!" Yep, that's WIC! (: And that's a wrap!

Hi, I'm Melanie. I'm a Mormon.

2011-11-06T07:20:00.000-08:00

In Spokane, a media campaign has been going on to try to get people more familiar and comfortable with the church and its members. There are commercials running on prime-time television, and billboards on the main roads. We had training on the new Mormon.org website, and also are doing a pilot program up here with church tours. Our family already went on one church tour, and it should be a great way to do missionary work! We had training on the new missionary efforts a few weeks ago, and were all encouraged to do a profile. So I finally did it. You can view my profile (as well as many others on the website) here:

http://mormon.org/me/72XQ/

I hope I can do a better job opening my mouth and sharing the Gospel, because I want everyone to feel the same things I feel and know the same things I know because of it! That's what's been coming to my mind lately "open your mouth"! I also keep thinking of one of my favorite quotes by President Hinckley: "This work requires sacrifice, it requires effort, it means courage to speak out and faith to try. This cause does not need critics; it does not need doubters. It needs men and women of solemn purpose. As Paul wrote to Timothy: " . . . God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. . . ." (2 Tim. 1:7-8.) I would that every member of this church, and every good man throughout the world, would put those words where he might see them every morning as he begins his day. They would give him the courage to speak up, they would give him the faith to try, they would strengthen his conviction of the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that miracles would begin to happen over the earth."

HH11 (Happy Halloween 2011)!

2011-11-01T15:27:00.001-07:00

I just love Halloween, especially with kids! I don't know if I or they enjoy it more! Here they are on Halloween morning! We had a fun morning eating pumpkin donuts for breakfast, reading Halloween books, and watching Mr. Boogedy ("Boogedy Boogedy Boogedy!"). Then we got ready to take Emma to school. I was able to go help at her school for her Spider Party! It was a lot of fun and the kiddos in her class are darling, and Mrs. C is just fantastic! I helped at the Spider Counting booth and Oreo spider making booth. She had a blast!

Since we wouldn't be home during dinner time, we had white chicken chili and witches broomsticks for lunch. Yummy!

After school, we went to Washington State for their Trick-or-Treat family activity. Here's baby Maggie! (Suck suck...suck suck) Again, everyone loved our costumes and we loved making people smile and laugh!

At the WSU family event, we even got to meet Butch, the WSU mascot! Dave and I have always thought Butch needs a makeover, he looks kind of ghetto! Oh well! Go Cougs!

Emma and Cal do another cake walk! And they both won cupcakes, which they thoroughly enjoyed!

We went around to all of the offices at the Riverpoint campus and trick-or-treated! We liked this pumpkin that was out, but still think Daddy's was better! (;

Cal playing the bean bag toss. We love that the graduate programs of WSU is very family-oriented.

Emma having a fun Halloween!

Sugar rush!

The Simpsons! None of our pictures turned out very well, DOH!

After the WSU thing, we went to grab some dinner at Wendys, got to talk to Aunt Amy, Grandma Di, and Grandma and Grandpa Ryerse. Then went to the Shiloh Hills Christian Fellowship Trunk-or-treat, which was a fun thing! Then we just went to a couple of our neighbor's homes. It was a nice night! The kids got more candy than they could handle! We traded all of Cal's peanut candy for other things Emma had. They had fun negotiating over candy. I remember that. "I'll trade you 20 smarties for 1 Snicker's bar..." Ha ha!

"Bart!"

Emma kept singing or "playing" Careless Whisper by George Michael, made familiar to her by the Sexy Sax Man (go check it out on YouTube if you have no idea what I'm talking about). Silly Lisa!

Marge in the kitchen.

Trick-or-treat!

Until next year...muwah ha ha ha! We're already talking about what to be next year, of course. Now it's time to hit the Halloween clearance sales, which means time to get some basic supplies for next year's Halloween!

Halloween Tricks and Treats!

2011-11-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

Halloween! It's truly one of my favorite holidays, and we've had a great Halloseason! A few weeks ago, we got a package from Grandma Di! The kids are so excited, like always! Cal got a 3D Monster truck book, which he loves and reads over and over! They also got a cute set of Halloween pop-up books we read at least a couple of times a day.

Emma got a jingly bells Halloween bracelet, which is so cute, and some prizes for her good piano practicing!

The package also had lots of little Halloween treats, a Halloween cookbook, decoration for mom, and more! A big thanks, Grandma and Grandpa! Also, another big thanks to everyone else! Dave went to Utah on a recruiting trip to some of the universities a few weeks ago, and was sent home with goodies and fun from everyone! Coloring books and candy from Tayla and Kaison, foam swords, trick-or-treat buckets, shirts, and candy from Grandma Sue, and jerky, cookies, gum, and a pink belt buckle for Emma from Amy. Wow! The kids were way excited! I couldn't find my camera that night so I couldn't take pictures! We are so lucky to have people who care about us and think of us, thanks again! We love you all!

One of my favorite parts about Halloween is making all of the fun goodies to give to neighbors and strangers! We made these skeleton cupcakes, that were pretty fun, but the picture turned out not so well. Also, Emma had the idea to dip Scooby snacks in white chocolate to make skeleton bones. They were way cute and super easy! We made monster feet out of Nutter Butters, by dipping them in chocolate and using cashews as toenails.

The weekend before Halloween, we had a party with a couple of our friends, the Collier's and the Bennett's. We made homeade individual pizzas, had games for the kids, decorated some sugar cookies, and played some fun games with the adults. Thanks for coming, guys! We have so much fun with you! I only took a few pictures...

Cruz, Abby, and Emma playing the eyeball game!

Lilly and Callahan helping each other with the ball toss, with Aaron and Dave visiting in the background.

The Saturday before Halloween, we went to the Halloween Carnival at Emma's school. It was a trial run with the costumes to see what worked and what didn't, and we weren't quite dressed up, we didn't wear any makeup or have our glasses! I think they turned out pretty well! I had a fun time sewing everything and putting everything together! Most common questions were about how I made the costumes, particularly the Marge hair. The answer is: posterboard, cotton balls, and LOTS of blue spray paint. Yep, everything is homeade, except for Dave and Cal's shirts and pants. I love having costumes that no one else has, they're unique since we put them together. And it is so much fun to see people's reactions! On Halloween, we feel like celebrities. Everyone was getting their cameras and cell phones out to take pictures, or asking to take pictures with us. Lots of people say we should win a costume contest or something. Seeing the smiles on everyones faces is worth it!

There were the typical carnival games, like the fish pond, which the kids love!

We had some yummy food like nachos, cupcakes, and cotton candy. The cotton candy machine kept setting off the smoke alarm, so they moved it outside. We had to wait a long time for it, but it was worth it. Mmmm... The cotton candy matched Lucy's outfit.

Lucy had her first taste of sugar....she grabbed off a piece and knew exactly what to do with it!

Lucy's first experience with sugar! She would get a little taste, and smile. It was pretty cute, we couldn't prevent her from eating it.

Hope you enjoyed that, little lady, because there will be no more for you until your first birthday! (:

I think Cal likes cotton candy because he likes all things messy!

Sticky, sweet!

The cake walk - Cal and Emma both won!

Playing ghosty golf! At all of the booths where balls were involved, all of the workers mentioned that he has a nice arm and good aim. Cal likes throwing, kicking, passing, rolling balls of any kind!
Cute Lisa Simpson. She was excited to see some friends there all dressed up!

Emma is always very nice and helpful with Callahan. It was a fun thing, thew PTSO did a great job!
Saturday night was our ward Chili Cookoff contest. I brought a white chili, and it was good. There were so many yummy chili's there! It was tasty. Even better though, was the cornbread, it was the bets cornbread Dave said he's ever had! We sat by the Bate's, a couple I visit teach and Dave home teaches. They During dinner, Cal fell asleep! I guess he had had enough fun that day.

After dinner, there was dancing and music. It was a lot of fun! We really like our ward! My favorite costume there was "Cloudy with a chance of rain". A sister had a blue jogging suit, and she attached cotton balls all over that, painted her face blue, and made a cap with cotton balls. Then she went around with a spray bottle misting people. Cute! The kids just raided the dress up box. Emma wore the new wings and skirt Grandma Sue sent her and was a fairy for the night, Cal went for the Cowboy look.
I love the great family traditions and activities associated with Halloween! Sunday was the day we carved pumpkins. Dave is the master pumpkin carver, and Emma had a great time doing it this year too, and is getting pretty good!

Emma even did well with the knife (we were right there helping her, of course)! Cal kept picking up the knives and tried to stab the pumpkins all over....uhhhh...yikes!

Cal decorated his pumpkin with foam stickers, then called it good and ran around the house and read books.

Lucy, our little pumpkin!

Dave's was the champ, like always! He did a Wazzu pumpkin, it looked great! Even better in person, of course!

Here's the all-star pumpkin line-up! Dave's WSU pumpkin, I did the Simpson's logo, Cal's race car pumpkin (and he had Emma draw Napoleon Dynamite (his recent favorite) on the back, Emma's witch hat pumpkin, and Lucy's pumpkin in disguise.

After the pumpkin carving, comes the pumpkin seeds! I love them! This year we used butter instead of canola or olive oil. It was so tasty! You use 1 Tbsp. butter per cup of seeds, and salt to taste. Bake at 250 until a little browned around edges and crunchy.

And now, check out the most recent posts to see Halloween day happenings!

Green Bluff Farm Field Trip

2011-11-01T13:54:00.001-07:00

There is a group of farms up in Spokane that makes up Green Bluff farms. Emma went with her Kindergarten class to the Hidden Acres Farm on a field trip! I was able to go with them and help out, and it was a great time! The kids got to go explore and see the animals, go on a hayride, pick their own apples and pumpkins, learn about farm life, listen to Priscilla the giant pumpkin, and eat homeade apple spice donuts and apple cider. Emma loved it!

Getting lost in the corn maze!

We got to see "exotic" farm animals, like a farm dog! They also had sheep, pigs, chickens, roosters, and a few other things. The dog jumped into the pig's pen and the two were playing together. Emma's good buddy Brooklyn (closest to the adult, her mom Miranda) is in this picture with her, and they love getting together for playdates!

In the little old farm house.

Going on a hayride - Emma and Trinity, the two were paired up as buddies for the day!

Did you know there's a particular way you need to pick an apple? There are two ways to do it, actually, which I thought was kind of interesting and never knew! "Are you smarter than a kindergartner?"

This girl is the apple of my eye!

Out in the apple orchard.

Mrs. C teaching the class about the apples and how we get them. He he! The rest of the kindergartners ate their apples, but not Em. She said she wanted to wash it first, so she took it home to eat after she washed it. I guess I've created a monster...or a germaphobe! (:

Emma and her cute little friend Guiliana. There are some really nice girls and boys in Emma's class, and she's made lots of friends (when I come to pick her up, Emma and her friends always say goodbye and gve each other hugs).

Mrs. Camponella's Kindergarten class!

Picking her pumpkin out in the pumpkin patch! She was very selective, and found the perfect one!

Priscilla the giant, talking pumpkin.

Emma had a great time doing everything, but probably the most exciting part for her was riding the bus! (:

Best job chart ever!

2011-10-16T14:30:00.000-07:00

Dave's had a monopoly on the computer as of late, since he's been doing SO much homework! But I have been working on some posts, and now I'm trying to catch up! So here we go!

I was so excited for school to start, to get back on a structured schedule after moving. We've been trying to teach our kids responsibilty, and that each member of the family needs to do their part and pitch in. I thought it would be a good time to introduce chore charts for the kids. I found this in Family Fun (Oh, how I love that magazine/website...I give thanks to them for most of my creativity!), and adapted it to make it work for our kids. The link to that, if you're interested in making them is http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/make-a-job-chart-1022607/. I found and printed off black and white clip art of things the kids needed to do on a weekly or daily basis - homework/work book, practicing piano, making bed, getting ready, household responsibilities, etc. because they can't read very well yet. Then I had Emma help to color the pictures, and we laminated everything. We have the things they need to do every day (pick up toys, one chore we rotate out every week, getting ready), and the things they need to do once a week (like working out in the yard or helping to make a meal). Once they do their responsibility for that particular thing, they get to move the straw over from the "Do it" side to the "Done!" side. At the end of the day, the kids get a nickle or dime if they finish everything on their chart. I gave them clean baby food jars, we decorated them, and they became their little banks to collect their money in. We also keep tithing envelopes next to their change jars, so they can learn about and start to pay tithing. They have been so motivated and love doing this! Now instead of them begging for things at the store, we just tell them that they can use their own money or save up some of their money to get that sucker or the little toys they want. And I think they feel a sense of accomplishment because they can actually see what they've done in a day. Just wanted to share, incase anybody else is looking for a great job chart...

Spokane Interstate Fair - Emma's gone viral!

2011-09-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

Shortly before we left Utah, and we were talking about moving, Emma asked "Well, what are we going to do about the Fair? We can't go to the Fair!" I assured her they have a fair in Washington, and that we'd go to it. We go to the fair every year, since the State Fair was the first date Dave and I went on, for sentimental reasons. And it's just "karats of fun" (which is the slogan for the Spokane Interstate Fair)! We love the fair, so we went a few weekends ago. It was just about as large as the Utah State Fair, the state fair up here is in Seattle, I believe. We did the usual...checked out the animals, looked at the exhibits, saw some shows, the usual.

Ziggy - yahhhh Ziggys! Ziggy's is a hardware store up here, and the kids loved their mascot. He handed out candy and was pretty funny! This pic was taken right after Emma was dancing with Ziggy, she's in the stripey shirt.

Lucy's first trip to the fair!

Happy times!

Cal liked all of the classic tractors and trucks the best!

They had a kids tractor pull that Emma decided she wanted to do. We were kind of surprised, but she's really broken out of her shell in the last few months.

The tractor pull was a bike pedaled one, they added weight to a cart attached to the trike. They let 3 to 8 year olds do it.

Here she goes! Emma pedaled 50 lbs., and made it about 12 feet out. She said it was fun!

Emma got her ribbon and a piece of candy for participating. She had a good time.

We watched mutton busting (an event that happens at rodeos similar to bull riding, where kids hold onto sheep as long as they can) earlier when we first got to the fair. We asked her if she wanted to do that but she told us "no way". So we didn't bring it back up again. Later on, we walked by the stadium where we watched the mutton busting. Emma said, "I want to do that!" Really? We asked her and made sure she really wanted to do it. She said she wanted to. So they were starting their last mutton busting show of the night right then and Emma was the last of 36 to sign up, we barely made it. Dave and Emma went down to get fitted for a vest and helmet and I took the younger kids and went to watch her from the stands. Here she is waiting to get her helmet on and secure.

Putting her helmet on and getting a little nervous.

Daddy making sure Emma was ready to go. While they were waiting, Dave was "coaching" Emma and trying to help her. She did get a little nervous, but still wanted to do it. She didn't chicken out, which was good. Some kids did, other kids got bribed with candy or Barbies to do it.

After watching 35 other little ones do this, it was Emma's turn! They put her on the sheep, opened the gate, and that sheep went! It was a fast sheep she was on! She stayed on the length of the stadium, for more than 6 seconds, which was the qualifying time to be a finalist! Cal said "Emma made it!" He was quite impressed! I was, too! Many of the kids fell off right after the gate opened, or made it about half way and fell off, crying. Emma got off and was just fine, though her wrist hurt a little bit. The people who were helping the kids out were really nice. And then as Emma was coming back, all of these little kids standing outside of the gate were giving her hi-fives. It was cute! She thought it was pretty cool. "Aunt Amy and Uncle Kolby would be proud!" (one of her favorite sayings lately...he he!) We went to a rodeo earlier this summer that my sister and her husband were in. I guess she's our little cowgirl. We even went and got her some cowgirl boots this week! She earned them! (:

The family wanted to see the video, so we went to post it on Facebook, but it wouldn't upload. So Dave put it on Youtube. Emma's now online! He he! I tried to put the link in for Emma's Youtube video, but it wasn't working for Blogger. So just copy and paste this address into your browser if you'd like to see it!

It's kind of fun! Last time I checked, there were fourty views.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0KSKmBqA1s

Good job, little cowgirl! It was a memorable night for everyone, and mostly for Emma!

Labor Day Weekend!

2011-09-14T14:33:00.001-07:00

The end of the summer is coming....NOOOO! It's been so nice and warm here every day, we've loved it! I'm one of those girls that could live in summer forever. Labor Day weekend was a blast! The fun started out on Friday, getting a package from Grandma Di! The kids were so excited! Inside, school supplies for Emma, an outfit, and Littlest Pet Shops toy, gummy candy for the kids to share, and then a toy for Lucy and Cal. It was a blast! On everything, Grandma Di put a little sticky note with a fun message. Emma wanted to keep the sticky notes, and we had fun reading them all. Thanks, Mom!

Grandma also sent some outfits she made, well Lucy's anyways. She finished the other two kids outfits before we left, but didn't quite finish Lucy's. She's been on a mission to use up all of her scrap materials. She's so great at taking something like a scrap, or something old, and making it into something beautiful! So here they all are in their cute outfits. They look like little island cuties! My dad got the material for Cal's outfit when he went to Samoa.

My girls, so sweet!!

Grandma also sent a package of little gummy candies with hotdogs, hamburgers, pizza, fries, colas. On that sticky note, she wrote that they can have a gummy picnic. They were so happy and had so much fun doing that!

Later that night, Morgan and Kyle came over for a cousins sleepover (well, they're second cousins, but still call each other cousins. One day, Emma was saying, "So they're your cousins like Tayla is my cousin, but I'm still their cousin, too? Why are they so much younger than you, Mom?" I had to explain everything to her. I think she's got it now!). We grilled hot dogs and ate chili dogs, cheese & peas salad, fruit salad, and chips. Then we played like crazy, read some books, watched a short movie, ate snacks, and the kids actually went to bed at a decent time!

Kyle and Cal playing ball in the toy room. Cal idolized Kyle! And Kyle is so good with Cal!

Emma and Morgan playing with little princesses. They look like they're concentrating very hard here!

Having fun playing!! I thought it was kinda funny that the girls jammie style matched, and the boys matched as well.

They all do so well playing together, we never have squabbles or fights. They just start making up games, like this one below together. It's way cute!

Saturday, we woke up and made blueberry muffins and orange juilius, then we got all ready, rode bikes outside, and then went to the park to play for a while. After that, it was the BYU vs. Ole Miss football game at Dave & Suz's home. We had a yummy lunch and snack foods before the game. Dave was so excited for football to start. He's always following BYU football on KSL or Cougar Tracks. My Uncle Dave gets kind of into the games and yells a lot, which I've always known. It's always kind of made me giggle. I asked Morgan what she and her mom do when footballs on. "My mom and I usually stay upstairs while my Dad and Kyle yell," she responded. My Dave doesn't quite yell like that, but he still gets into it. So the Dave's enjoy watching the games together. The moms and kids watched some of the game, but we went for a walk around the block for a while, and just talked and played outside. Dave and Suz have been so good to us! We went over and had FHE with them one night, and went downtown last weekend to Rocky Rococo Pizza, and they're always calling to check up on us, and we get together quite a bit.

Saturday night, some friends in our ward who live a few houses away from us, Peperli and Derrick, invited us to go with them and another couple to Pig Out in the Park. It's a huge event at Riverfront Park they do each year, where food vendors from all over come and you basically do what the title says, pig out! They also have bands playing, the only band name I recognized was Marcy Playground. I think there were lots of local bands from the Northwest. Emma and I got Chinese food, it was yummy!

Lucy got baby food...which she's loving. Except for the meats. She gags on those sometimes. But can you blame her? Have you ever smelled that stuff?

Daddy got southern barbeque. On the little BBQ trailor, there was a sign that said "Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured." We thought that sounded familiar, and I immediately knew who said it! President Hinckley, of course. We had to support that booth after that. Also, there was a bee that kept coming around as we were eating on the bell tower steps. Dave kept trying to shoo it with his hat. It made me giggle, as it reminded me of the Toys 'R' Us experience a few years ago. He he! Some of you will know what I'm talking about. Luckily, he kept his shirt on this time.

Cal wanted pizza, so he gobbled that up. He loves pizza, but enjoyed playing with the extra pair of chopsticks I got even better!
Dave gets along really well with Aaron and Derrick. They are cool guys. Aaron is going to Gonzaga to get his Masters in Religious Studies, and Derrick is going to Spokane Community College for Radiology. The kids loved being by the bell tower, the color of lights on it were changing that night, it looked cool. They all wanted to get up on this ledge, so they all took turns getting up there.

Hello down there!

The kids were all so cute playing together. The park was so crowded though! And it was hard to get everywhere with our little stroller caravan!

We topped off the night by getting dessert. We tried homeade huckleberry (those berries grow in abundance here) ice-cream and chocolate dipped turtle cheesecake. Yum! It was a fun and tasty night!

Monday, actual Labor Day, we slept in, and then we went to the annual ward picnic for lunch. It was fun talking to some people and getting to know some more ward members!

Wheee....crash! The kids playing at the park during the picnic!

We topped off the weekend at a Peperli and Derrick's, the same friends who invited us to Pig Out in the park, at a BBQ. They made some tasty brisket, and we all brought things to share. Two other families were there, and they also invited the Elders that serve in our area, so that was fun to talk to them. The kids all had so much fun, they have a fun backyard with a swingset, slides, and a playhouse! And the other families are so great. We appreciate their friendship to us and making us feel so welcome here! It was a great weekend!

Emma's First Day of Kindergarten!

2011-09-08T14:17:00.000-07:00

It's official: Emma is a kindergartener! She's been waiting for this day for a long time! She's been so ready for a while, as many of her older friends have been going to school for a couple of years or so. She has always longed for the day when she could grab her backpack and say she was going to school like Daddy! Emma woke up bright and early, at 7 a.m., which is not like her. Which is exactly why we chose afternoon P.M. kindergarten. She's not a morning person! Let's just say she was excited! The night before, she picked out her outfit and wanted her hair crimpy, so we put it in a bunch of braids the night before. The night before (and several weeks leading up to school), we also read "The Night Before Kindergarten," a book that Grandma Sue gave to Emma. It's a cute book, and helped Emma get a feel for what would happen. Emma asked for crepes for breakfast, so we made strawberry crepes, yum!

I always loved the first day of school and all of the new stuff you get that comes with the first day! Emma does, too! As I mention, Emma picked out and sported a pink Hello Kitty sparkly graphic tee, some shorts, and her pink converse sneakers. Her backpack is a pink sparkly Disney princess. Her hair, as I mentioned, is crimpy, to which she stated, "Aunt Amy would be proud!"

Here we are at Shiloh Hills! We drove the first day, but usually walk, as it is a close distance to our house.

We thought it would be fun to go get a little more familiar with the school before we dropped Emma off, so we went to the school and explored and went and had school lunch. Emma was already doing more playing than eating with her cafeteria food. That's what you do, right? Here she is making an E with her fries.

Cal had a great time in the cafeteria! I don't know if he had more fun eating or more fun trying to run along the benches before I pulled him off!

Miss Lucy ready to drop her sister off at school!

Going to her class, what a big girl!

Emma got Mrs. Campanella, or Mrs. C for a teacher. From what we understand from all of the neighbors, she is the best! And we believe it! We were impressed at Back To School Night, and Emma just loves her!

Emma went in, found her nametag and put that on, and began playing with playdough. She was put in the Green Family with three other kids. Each day, they rotate and sit by different kids. She walked right in and started talking to her classmates, and her teacher. That made me happy, because previously, she could get really shy and not talk at all. But we've been working with her, and I think enrolling her in dance, and doing some other things really helped her break out of her shell. When I go to pick her up, she'll be talking to the other kids and saying goodbye.

Cal thought kindergarten, a.k.a. "Emma's school" was pretty cool. He especially liked the reading loft! He wished he could stay! But we have a good time with the two of us. We play a little while together outside, or ride bikes, or play with toys, then I read him a couple of books and put him down for a nap. It's good to have some one-on-one time with him. I'm trying to get on this new schedule now with school. But it seems if Cal's asleep, Lucy is awake and vice-versa. Plus, it's hard because by the time we get Cal down, we have to go get Emma soon after. So we've gotta get used to this. It will come, I'm sure.

Goodbye, Emma! We'll see ya in a few hours! I must say, I was very brave, and didn't cry or all-out bawl like I thought I would. I kept it together. I got a little emotional and teary-eyed, but didn't full on cry. That's pretty good!

When I picked Emma up and asked her the classic question, "How was your first day of school?" Emma enthusiastically replied, "I love kindergarten, Mom!" (:

Of course, now that she's in school, we need after-school snacks! The first day, it wasn't a very healthy snack, but they were good! I made these apple pops, using Oreos, red candy melts, green gummy candy, and M&Ms. Emma and the neighbor girls who came over to play after school were delighted!Happy apple!

I think this picture she colored pretty much sums it up! Emma has enjoyed her first week, and loves going to school, feeling so distinguished and grown up! "I go to school like Daddy and Uncle Marko now," she tells me. "I've got to go to school now, buddy, but we'll play when I get home" she tells Cal. She also thinks it's pretty cool she gets to do homework. She has a folder that has a couple of things to do each night, like count the steps in your house, write your name, draw a picture of your teacher, count to 20, find something in your house that begins with a certain letter, etc. I wonder how long she'll enjoy doing homework? Hopefully, she'll continue to develop a love for learning all of her life!

Happy 5th Birthday, Emma girl!

2011-09-02T22:11:00.000-07:00

Can it be? My little Emma is 5 now!? Where does time go really? It's been an incredible five years. Emma brings such joy to us as her family, and to me personally. I will do a post soon here about all about Emma - her milestones, personality, likes and dislikes, funny stories and more (I will do a post like that for each of the kids). So look for that! But today, I'm going to talk about how we celebrated Emma's birthday. Emma loves birthdays (who doesn't?), and several months ago got concerned because we wouldn't be living in Utah anymore with loved ones when she had her birthday. So we decided we could do a party in Utah before we left, and a party up in Washington for her real birthday. We did her "un-birthday" a month early, on July 31. We had it at Grandma Sue & Grandpa Dan's house (they are just great!!), where we were lived for part of the summer. We invited family, and just a few close friends. Emma wanted to do a tea party birthday, so we went with that! We had a bin of dress-up clothes and accessories fit for a tea party, and let the kids put dress-ups on.

The little birthday sign I made that was on the front door.

More tea? Oh, yes please!

The cousins had a great time serving up some "tea" for each other!

We ate some dinner - chicken pot pie at Emma's request, along with some salads, and pink lemonade. Then we did a few little crafts for the kids. Thanks to my lovely mother and awesome friend Hlee for helping out with this!

First, they made paper fans with doilies. Emma picked out gold doilies, fancy!

Aunt Amy the model...I love this pic. Ha ha! Love my sister!

We also made some little sucker flowers. They turned out really cute!

Xou holding Lucy. Hlee kept teasing Xou that he was baby hungry, and their youngest is only a few months older than Lucy.

Tavin, the looks on his face and the things that he says are priceless. The Millers made the cutest picture books for Emma with pictures of her and Tavin, and all of the kids! We've made some great memories together! That was super fun!

Cal with his doily! He even knew what it was called and the way he says it is so funny. Oh, the things you learn when you have a big sister!

Then we had presents. Emma was so stoked to get some playdoh! She loves the stuff almost as much as I love cleaning up after it! (:

All of the kids had a fun time testing the toys out. We opened a couple and the kids had a blast!

Emma really wanted a Barbie cake, and this was the first attempt at using a wonder mold pan. It was fun to do. The stars on the dress took forever...my wrist started hurting like mad! But the embellishments were easy (lace, bow in the back, etc.). I topped it off by finding a Barbie on Amazon that had a tea set included, and used that. Emma was so excited and loved it!

Everyone singing "Happy Birthday". All of the friends who hadn't heard the Ryerse version of the song (which is everyone singing whatever they want on whatever key they want at whatever speed they want) were dying laughing, just like I was the first time I heard it. Classic!

Uncle Jerry singing to Emma. He finishes out the song, and it ends when he quits screaming. Ha ha!

Tayla, Emma and Elisha. Such sweet girls!

Brody and Lucy. Brody's already bigger than Lucy and he's all over the place, too!

The girls dressed up Uncle Jeffry and got a kick out of it. It was hilarious! Looking at this picture again made me laugh out loud!

That was a fun night. It was kind of like the last hurrah with everyone before we left. We love all of our family and friends and miss you all. Fast forward now. Then we had a birthday party for Emma up here in Spokane on her real birthday, August 31! We got to talk to some family members - Emma got to talk to Tayla and Kaison and Aunt Stacy, then Grandma Di, Tavin and Calena, Aunt Amy, and Grandma Sue, Grandpa Dan, Aunt Julie, Uncles Randy & Brian. That made her so happy to talk to everyone! Thanks for those of you who called, it made her day!

Here's the birthday girl! The big 5!

We had cousins Morgan and Kyle, and neighbors Mia and Ayanna come over for a little party. Emma wanted a pink and purple polka dot birthday. So that's what we did. We had pizza and veggies and drinks for lunch on pink plates and a purple tablecloth.

Lucy loves her sister! We're all so lucky to have Ems!

We played a bunch of water balloon games with pink and purple water balloons in the back yard. We had relays and races, played baseball and more!

Catch it!

Water baseball.

Little slugger!

Passing the water balloons from neck to neck.

We made this homeade pinata together, which was so much fun to do with Emma! Emma learned a great lesson in patience, as it took a long time to make and dry! It held up pretty well!

Whacking it!

Getting ready to go in for the goods. We filled the pinata with pink bubble gum, pink and purple (and other colors for Cal and Kyle) yoyos, playdough, pink and purple bubbles, and a few other little toys instead of candy. That turned out to be fun!

Filling the goody bags!

Present time! Emma was excited to get her play sewing machine!

It was cute because Morgan and Kyle would read the fun notes the other older kids all made and wrote to her. Grandma Sue and Grandpa Dan also sent a Tinkerbell card with music in the mail - Emma just dyed!

We played the thimble game, and then we played a freckle game. I made a bunch of punches out of pink and purple construction paper. Then we put everyone in teams. One person got freckled, and each team had to try to get as many freckles on each other as possible before the time ran up. That was a hoot!

Emma said "I already have freckles. How about we put freckles on you, Ayanna?" Here are a few more, but these ones were pink and purple.

You've been freckled!

We made pink and purple polka dot cupcakes using Nerds candy. They were so easy and turned out pretty cute.

Emma blowing out the candles! Make a wish, big girl! My wish is that these kids o' mine would stop growing up so quickly!

Morgan and Kyle brought Cal a present - a truck and candy, so he wouldn't feel left out, which was so sweet! After the party, he went to sleep with that, along with Emma's My Little Pony. It was cute!

After the party, we played some more with the new birthday toys. Then we looked at Emma's baby book while Cal was asleep. Emma watched "Aristocats", one of her favorites. Then we went to back to school night ice-cream social at her new school. She will be going to Shiloh Hills in the Mead School District, which is supposed to be one of the best schools around! We're excited, and she is too. She found out her teacher is Mrs. Camponella, who we've heard from neighbors is the nicest kindergarten teacher ever. And she was! The classroom was way too awesome, and Mrs. C held up to her reputation. I think Emma will have a fantastic time! We got to see her new classroom and went on a scavenger hunt. Then we went to get a free backpack and purchased a school t-shirt and water bottle for her. Finally, we went to the gym to eat some ice-cream. Then we were starving, and asked Emma what she wanted for dinner. She decided on Chili's, so we went there. Once we got home, Emma played with her new toys some more, and we talked to Aunt Amy on Skype. It was a great day! She had so much fun! Again, happy birthday to my little Emma girl! She's not so little anymore! But she'll always be my little girl, no matter what age she is! I love you, Emma!

End of summer, beginning of school...

2011-08-29T08:50:00.001-07:00

{The picture formatting got all messed up again...sorry, I don't have time to play with it all day and fix it. So hopefully you can get passed that and enjoy these pictures anyways} I just thought I'd give a little update for all of those back home who are curious as to what we're doing up here. The first full week we were here, we decided to spend a lot of time together doing things before Dave started school/work. It feels almost like we're on vacation, only we're not coming home. We have been to the Riverfront Park three times already, we love that place! Walking down the path next to the river, the carousel, the splash park, the parks, and of course, the giant Radio Flyer wagon! We have also been busy getting our house together, so now it's all pretty much set up and ready to go. Except I still can't decide where and how to hang a few pictures. We bought a pantry and a kitchen table and some shelving and a few other pieces of furniture to outfit our place. So we're pretty much settled in now. We really like the area though! It's been very nice! The neighbors, the climate and weather, the scenery, our ward, we really like it so far! Our neighbors are sweet on the other side of our duplex. They have 7 and 9 year old girls that have been playing with Emma. They're cute. They brought over a card and some zuchinni bread to welcome us to the neighborhood. They're Baptist, and Donna, the mom is super sweet. We only know one other person on our street and hope to get to know more soon.

Riverfront Park!

Emma liked this block because it had her initials - E.R. on it! One day, we went to visit Albeni Falls Dam (my Dad, who works for the Army Corps of Engineers would be proud!). Then we went to Sand Point, ID to go swimming and play on the beach. It was a beautiful beach and we had a wonderful afternoon swimming and playing in the sand! We've been surprised by how many points of attraction and outdoor activities are so close and there are lots of free activities, too, which is good!

We went to Couer d'Alene...so breathtakingly (is that a word?) beautiful! We played at their giant playground and then to Capone's, which was featured on Drive-ins, Dives and Diners to eat some dinner. It was SOO yummy!

There are lots of big city parks around here, abundant in splash pads, tall trees, and squirrels. The kids get a kick out of it! It is beautiful! The splash pads are fun, there is one a couple of blocks away from our house, but this one where these pictures were taken is downtown.

My Uncle Dave and Aunt Suz and their kids Alex (15) and Kyle & Morgan (8) live up here and we've been spending tons of time with them having dinner together, going to get ice-cream, having family home evening, and getting the kids together to play, and going to church together (yes, we're in the same ward! It was crazy it turned out that way). They have such a ball together! Morgan and Kyle have lots of fun with Emma and Cal and they all get along really well. One day, we all went swimming together at a pool owned by a person in our ward. Our kids love the water. Emma is getting really good at swimming and tells everyone "My grandma taught me how to swim!" since she went swimming with her just a few days before we left, and Grandma Di taught her some things. Cal also loves the water and is fearless and will try to jump in all by himself. Lucy gets so excited as well and doesn't ever want us to take her out of the water!

Here's Uncle Dave giving the kids chips to snack on in the water. Soggy sour cream and onion, anyone?

Kyle, Morgan and Emma in the raft.

Lucy with Morgan. These kids love Lucy!
Cal and Morgan splash away!

Dave started school last week and has officially put in a full week! The work load is crazy, which is expected for graduate work, but it's a lot! He has had three interviews, and a second interview for full-time work, but he's not sure if he'll be able to work full-time. He's now looking for a part time job. He's really liked it so far though! They had a "Bring the Kids to School Day" event this past week for the HPA (Health Policy & Administration) program, where they had big jumpy houses and blow-up toys and slides for the kids, and pizza and drinks right on the lawn at Dave's school. They loved it! And it was fun to meet some of Dave's cohorts and their families.

After the first week of school, the WSU HPA students and alumni held a picnic we went to. The south hill playground and park was a great one where they held it, and again, it was fun talking to the cohorts in the program, and those who have graduated already. There are a few guys and their families from Utah, and one from Idaho that are LDS, so that's been kind of fun. When the rest of the people in the program went to go drinking Saturday night, we did some more sober activities instead. (: Drinking and coffee are huge around here...there are billboards all over, and ads on TV, and it seems that's half of what grocery stores carry! One day, we were passing the Big Foot Bar, and the kids love it, because they have a Big Foot sign on it that's pretty cool they like to spot. We were talking with them about bars, and how they serve drinks like wine, liquor, beer and other drinks that we don't have because they aren't good for our bodies and Heavenly Father doesn't want us to drink it because that would be breaking the word of wisdom. Cal got a funny look on his face and said "But I like root beer!" It was pretty funny.

So that's about it! Thanks to all who've called or e-mailed, our family and friends mean the world to us. And though we're having good experiences up here, we miss you and love you all and think about you often!

Family pictures post and link

2011-08-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

So for some reason, the link didn't work on my last post. The link where some of our family pictures are is: www.recipesandphotosbyamy.blogspot.com. (: Enjoy!

Family Pictures 2011

2011-08-22T23:32:00.001-07:00

My sister Amy took some family pictures for us a few weeks ago, here's a sneak peek! We had our photo shoot at Wheeler Farm and they turned out so well! It was so much fun, and she is amazingly talented! She has posted a few here of the many on her blog. If you're interested in getting your family or individual or baby pictures done, she's so great at photography and very reasonable as well. Her contact info is on her blog. (: Thanks, Amy Lou! Love and miss you!

Spokane, our new hometown!

2011-08-14T14:27:00.000-07:00

We made it to Spokane this week! We were busy getting things ready to go last weekend and saying our goodbyes. We really appreciate all of the help we received from family and friends!
Last Sunday, we had a little birthday party for Grammie/going away party at my parents with my family. That was great to see everyone again. Grammie was up here visiting my Aunt Suz and Uncle Dave the week before, and went with them to see the places we were looking at renting. She recommended the one we're in now, and we're glad for her insight! Later that night, we went and met Dennis & Calena and their kids for one last time for a while. They got a cake that said "We Miss You Already" on it, which was so cute of them, and we had cake and cold milk, and let the kids play at the park together.
Monday, we just packed the final things up and put everything in the Budget moving truck. The kids thought the ramp and the moving truck was pretty cool! During the afternoon, my mom took the kids over to Aunt Shirley and Uncle Jeff's place to go swimming, to take a break from all of the moving. They had a ball and learned some new swimming techniques from Grandma Di. All of the family came over that night and we had dinner and hung out for one last time. Stacy tried to prepare an FHE lesson, which was sweet, and the kids did an activity. It made me cry seeing the girls (Emma and Tayla) say goodbye. They've grown up together, and now won't see each other as much, but it will be good! They're going to be pen pals, so that's exciting! We gave cards to the ones we have been living with, to thank them for all they've done. We tried to get to bed early as Dave said we'd leave at 4 a.m. - ahh! But we didn't go to bed until about 11:30 p.m.

Here's the spider that built a web our moving truck over night, it was huge! Even more scary was the shadow it cast! That was even larger!

The alarm clock went off at 4 a.m. Tuesday. Early! But I never have a hard time waking up, so it was just fine. We got ready, then my Dad and Mom came over. Dave's parents woke up to say goodbye, and then we got in the cars/truck and waved goodbye right at 5 a.m. Dave led the caravan in the moving truck, then my mom drove with me and the kids, and my dad was behind us. I drove almost the whole way, except for about an hour an a half. I was glad I had some help, because there's no way I could've helped the kids and drive the whole way, yea for Mom! I had a fun time talking to my mom as well! She is so great! We kept the kids entertained with activities we found, movies and lots of snacks. And the kids drove with Dave for part of the way! They thought being in that big truck was the coolest thing ever!
We stayed in a motel the night we got up here, because the carpets weren't dry yet after cleaning. I'm actually glad that happened, because we were all so pooped, I don't think we could've moved very much.
Wednesday, the 10th, we woke up, and Dave an I wished each other a happy anniversary! We both agreed that moving was expensive, and we weren't going to buy anything for each other, but just celebrate by moving! (: We went to a "romantic" breakfast at the Rodeway Inn together before all of the kids woke up.

Then we checked out and went to sign the rest of the papers and get the keys for our duplex at Call Realty. Funny thing, everyone at Call Realty is LDS. We aren't in Utah anymore, Toto, so now we're the minority. It was fun to talk to them. We actually ended up being in my Uncle Dave & Aunt Suz's ward, which is funny, because we had no idea when we found this place. Suz told me she would try not to be too biased when she went around to see the places we'd found, but did say she'd love to have us in her ward. A few minutes after we got here, my Uncle showed up with Alex, Kyle and Morgan, my cousins. Then Dave asked for some help from the ward, so we had quite a few here helping us unload the truck. I stood by the truck and directed everyone where to put things. It was so nice to have the ward come out and help and get to know some people already! They were all way nice! Morgan and Kyle, the twins who just turned 8, were so much fun with Emma and Cal, they had a blast playing together. This made it nice so we could get things done. Suz brought over some lunch for everyone as well, so it was very sweet of her to do that! I didn't take many pictures, because things were so hectic, but I did take a couple of the kids later on in the day.

This is what we all felt like doing, but only Cal did. ZZZZZ, we were all wiped out!

Taking a break from all of her "hard work" dressing up and playing with the cousins to eat some dinner. The kids have liked Washington so far and I think they're excited to be here! Cal because he got his toy trucks back and there's a lot of room to run around; and Emma likes it because we live by Morgan and Kyle and she loves red apples and they're grown up here! (:

The place we ended up moving into we just love! This is a good thing, especially because we had a really hard time choosing, there were two places that were very comparable, that we kept going back and forth on. We prayed about it and felt that either choice would be fine so it was up to us, but a few days before, I just kept feeling over and over "Colton, Colton, Colton" (that's the street name this duplex is on). And Dave's really felt good about this one from the start so we went with this one. We've been looking at places (houses, duplexes and apartments) to live since about March. Dave's been like a shark and knows Spokane back and forth, thanks to Google Earth and Maps. This place came up for rent early summer, but then the owner decided to try to sell it. She put it back up on the market, but it didn't sell, so just a couple of weeks ago, it came back up for rent. We jumped on it and called and had our family go see it. And now we're here! The place is about 1700 square feet, so it's pretty big. There's lots of natural light (sky lights and big windows) in it, which I like. It's in the best school district for this area. The price is right and a lot cheaper than most right in this area. It's got a fun fenced-in backyard and porch. It's close to Dave and Suz. It's three bed, three bath, a family room and living room, 2 car garage, and a big kitchen with lots of counter space. It's close to lots of shopping, yet isolated, as there is a big empty lot right behind us. It's only 6 miles from school for Dave. The neighbors (that we've met so far at least) have all been really nice. I haven't taken any pictures of the inside yet, because it's not quite put together, but I took a few of the outside. I'll post some of the inside soon. Nothing fancy, but we like it and it suits us well. The yard needs some work for sure, it's been vacant for four months.
Thursday, we unpacked all day, and then went shopping at night to get some things we needed, plus Washington State University shirts for everyone! That was fun!
Spokane is beautiful! We've done lots of driving around, familiarizing ourselves with this place. We are really loving it!
On Friday, we did more unpacking and organizing drove to the Spokane temple and walked around the grounds, it's a nice temple. Emma said she liked this temple, but not as much as the Bountiful temple. Cal said "I like the Poskane (that's not misspelled, that's how he says it) temple!" Then we went to a park downtown and played. Then we went to "The Onion" for dinner. It was delicious!
Saturday, we did more putting life back together and are just living out of a few boxes now. Then we drove to Post Falls, ID (just about 30 minutes away from us), and went to see the falls and walk on the paths over there, play at the playground, visited Cabelas and got some fudge and walked around.
We got a couple of phone calls, and Dave has some job interviews this coming week, yah! Wish him luck! (:
This next week we still have to do a lot, register Emma for school, switch our insurance, get our car through safety and inspection, get new liscences, and stuff like that that comes when you move out of state!
But things are really working out, and we feel like this is where we need to be for now. I know we've received a lot of help from our Heavenly Father, as well as from our family and friends, and I'm so grateful for that!

"God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it usually through another person that he meets our needs."

-Spencer W. Kimball

I'm thankful for those of you who have helped meet our needs! Thank you, thank you! Love from Spokane! Until next time...

I love my family, farewell all!

2011-08-07T06:29:00.001-07:00

The past couple of months have been great, to have been able to spend so much time with family! We've had the privilege of staying with Dave's family the last month and a half. They've been so good to us! We've loved being able to see them so much (though I don't know if they could say the same for us!) Screaming baby, toddler meltdowns, and four-year old drama...Just teasing, I'm sure they enjoy it, too!

Most people ask, "So, how is it living with your in-laws?" thinking there will be a lot of dirt or everyone is driving each other crazy. But they are so great, and we are so thankful that they are the people they are, and are so willing to let us come into their home. I always said I'd never live with family, but this summer, we really had no other choice. I love them all so much!

My mother-in-law Sue is awesome! She loves the kids, and the kids love her! They enjoy watching Scooby Doo and other cartoons with her on her bed, helping them pet the kitties, and eating Otter Pops together. She takes the kids to the store with her quite a bit, and they love that, especially Emma! I always tell Emma not to ask for anything, but she always comes home with something for her and Cal, and a bunch of food she got to pick out. She will do favors for me, like fold up my laundry before I can get to it, and clean up after our messes because she says she'd rather have me play with the kids than clean. She really is great and I'm so grateful she is my other Mom!

My sister-in-law Julie is amazing! She's always willing to step up to the plate and help out with the kids without being asked. She is so cute with the kids and they just love her! The other day I was packing, and I noticed in the bathroom box, she put a bottle of vanilla soap (my favorite) from Bath & Body Works in our box. She's always doing sweet things like that.

Grandpa Dan, my father-in-law has also been so good! He's very funny, and the kids just love him! He always says funny things. He's been calling Cal "Tickle Boy" and tickles him and he likes to tease the kids. He's so laid-back and easy to get along with. I appreciate how hard he works. He's always doing something!

Randy has been nice, too. He's never complained about sharing his space with us. There's just one problem, I think he's rubbing off on us! He stays up way late, and Dave and I have been staying up unusually late as well.

We've also been spending lots of time with my parents and family. We're so lucky to have them both live in Bountiful. Makes it very convenient! (:

My dad loves the kids and they've softened him up a lot! He has been getting emotional the last few times we've been with him. He says things like "Emma, who's going to give Grandpa a hard time when you're gone?" He tells Cal "Come see me! Grandpa won't get to see you as much anymore!" And when he holds Lucy, he tells her how much he's going to miss her. He got a little choked up. My parents are going up with us to help us move, so we will get to see them a bit longer. They are so good to us!

Ever since we had Emma, I've been visiting once a week, usually on Friday. Dave would drop us off on his way to work, and we'd spend the day with my Mom (and Dad on his flex days). I will miss those days so much, but we're going to Skype it up and call her all of the time! I love my Mom! She is the best Mom and Grandma around! What am I going to do without my mommy? I guess I'll figure things out. We were joking she should come be our nanny! (: I wouldn't mind that. Or she said with all of her grandkids living away, she should get a job with the airlines so she could fly for free and come see us all of the time.

The kids also love Uncle Marko! Who doesn't? They get so excited when he comes and love to play and wrestle and have a good time with him! He's fun to talk to and a great bro.

And then there are the cousins...they are so cute and will miss each other so, SO much! This past weekend, Stacy & Jerry took Emma, and we took Kaison so the kids could have sleepovers together. Em and Tayla did all kinds of activities together, and the boys got into all kinds of trouble together. Stacy picked up these cute matching dresses and did their hair like princesses. They looked so darn adorable!

The boys...always up to no good! Cal idolizes Kaison and wants to do everything he does! Here they are wearing Grandma's glasses. Tee hee!

Brody and Lucy!

Brody is all over now, he's so active and happy!

The Ryerse cousins! Come visit us, guys! And we'll do the same!

Silly faces!

Lucy is oblivious to this whole move. Cal has really idea what’s going on, though he is excited to get his box of trucks back when we move! Most of his toys are packed up, and it's torture for him seeing his box of trucks in a clear storage tote out in the garage on the bottom of a stack of boxes. That, and when he’s driving other cars or his bikes around, he says “I’m driving to Washington!” I think it has set in to Emma what’s going to happen. She has always been able to figure things out and sense when change is coming. Emma’s excited to move, but also sad. My sister Amy took our pictures the other night. When we were done, we were trying to figure out what we were going to go do. We hadn’t eaten dinner yet, so we asked if Amy and Kolby wanted to come. They needed to get going. They explained to the kids that this would be the last time they’d see them before we move. We said goodbyes and buckled the kids in the car. We were outside talking for a minute and then I went in to put some things in the car and we noticed Emma was crying. I asked her what was wrong. “I’m saaaaaad!” she wailed. “I want Amy!” I think that night, it finally set in. It made me so sad to see her crying, and it made it set in for me as well, I started crying, and Amy started crying! We were all just bawling! Emma was so cute, but it was so sad at the same time! Her eyes were red and she was sniffling. We will miss them and the rest of our family so, SO bad! But this will be a good experience for everyone, though it will be hard! Distance makes the heart grow fonder, I just have to keep telling myself. I’m just grateful for Facebook, Skype, cell phones, and all of the other technology that will help us all keep in touch! It helps a lot!

We just had to get a picture of Emma and Amy! Emma managed to smile, though her face is red from crying.

Then here are all of the girls! You can see though we're all smiling though our hearts are breaking. I love my sister!
We really do have the best family! I know everyone always says that, and it sounds clique, but in this case, it's true. I will sure miss everyone when we move to WA. I love you ALL! Please call, come visit, write, Skype, and we'll do the same! We'll miss you! But smile, and don't be sad! (: We will come back in two years!

Time to prepare...for Halloween!

2011-07-31T07:57:00.000-07:00

Today is July 31, which means we're only 3 short months away from Halloween, yahoooo! This also means I need to get going on making Halloween costumes! We love Halloween and go all out! To prepare, we shop garage sells, hit the D.I., utilize eBay, visit costume shops, borrow items from family members and friends, and use fabric I can find at a good deal to make our costumes each year. So I need to start early. There's just one problem, we're not sure what we should be yet! Maybe you can help us out!

The first year we were married, Dave & I were cowboys...but I don't have a picture from that year. ):

2006 - When Emma was a new little baby, we were the Carebears. I was Cheer Bear, Emma was Wish Bear and Dave was Funshine Bear.

2007 - We were the Flinstones, the modern stone-age family! Dave was Fred, Emma was Pebbles, and I was Wilma.

2008 - Blue Man Group! Betcha never saw a pregnant member of the group on the Vegas strip...I was 8 months pregnant at the time! We love Blue Man Group, and saw them in concert earlier that year.

2009 - The cast from the musical "Wicked". I was Elphaba the witch, Dave was Fiyero, the stud of the show, Emma was Glinda the good witch, and Cal, a flying monkey. We went to see Wicked that year, and we love it!

2010 - Kiss! This was Dave's idea, and at first I thought "you gotta be kidding me?!" But we had the most fun with it! People ask us how we're going to top that...Well, you help us decide!

Now, it's time to vote for 2011 - Option #1. The Incredibles! I'll be sewing lots of spandex, but it will be worth it!

Option #2. The Simpsons! This is my favorite choice (and Cal's, too! I guess that means 2 to 1 to 1. We win! JK). I think it would be fun!

Option #3. M&M's! This one is Emma's idea. Which I think would be cute.

Option #4. Write-in. Do you have a unique idea for us of a favorite five-some? Let us know by commenting on this post or on my Facebook page. (: Happy Halloween!

Pioneer Days

2011-07-26T06:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Pioneer Day! It’s been so much fun celebrating! On Friday, we went to the Handcart Days parade in Bountiful, which we do every year! I love it, it’s by far my favorite parade of the year as well! We went with the entire Ryerse family. It’s so cute to watch the cousins wave their flags and go after the candy together. And the babies were held by the daddy’s most of the time. At the Handcart Days Parade!

Waving old glory...

The boys putting their hands over their hearts.

"Too loud!"

The daddy's and the babies...Jerry with Brody and Dave with Lucy!

After that, we ate some dinner and then went to the Handcart Days fireworks. We sit up above the temple and it’s a pretty good view. On our way there, we passed the temple. Emma said, “Oh, cute! I love the Bountiful temple! It’s the biggest and best place in the world!” Then her and Tayla and Cal broke out singing an impromptu rendition of “I Love to See the Temple”. It made me so happy to hear that. When we got there, the kids had a fun time rolling down the hill and playing with fireworks. This year, the fireworks were over 30 minutes long! But, we left a couple of minutes before it finished, because the sprinklers turned on and got us wet…again! (: We sat in a different location this year, but it happened again this year!

Cal chewed on a glowstick and it broke and got all over him, he was glowing!

Rolling down the hill waiting for the fireworks to start. I love Cal in this shot, ha!

Cal and mommy having fun at the fireworks. Cal was getting pretty sleepy, but stayed awake throughout it all.

Stacy, Grandma and Emma watch the fireworks. We have the best family!

Finally, we ended off the night with our own firework show at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Dave and Randy, of course, as the pyroiarcs. They’re always the ones to light up the sky for us. We had some good ones, and even got some of the new legal aerial fireworks this year. The kids loved the show, as well as the adults!

The Ryerse firework show is about to begin!

Can't get enough of the fireworks!

Dave lighting it up for us!

On Saturday, we went up to Lyman, WY to see my sister Amy and her husband Kolby in the Lyman Ranch Rodeo. Neither have been in a rodeo before, and now that they have their own horse, Super, they decided to do the Hyde Race in Kolby’s hometown this year. Oh, the things we do for love! Amy used to be a total girly girl, and now, thanks to Kolby, she’s a hunting, fishing, riding, camping, and now rodeo girl! It’s so much fun to see her in action! She was dressed in pink, her favorite color, and she put the rodeo queens to shame! (: They did the Hyde Race with Kolb’s brother Drew. Kolby’s whole family was there as well, so it was fun to sit by them and visit with them, they’re great people. I loved the small-town atmosphere. I felt like a cowboy gringo though. I didn’t have my tight wrangler jeans on, a cowboy hat or a belt buckle! In fact, one guy, as I was going back to the stands after throwing a dirty diaper away made the comment, “I like your glasses. You look very dignified.” What? Who says that? It was a lot of fun, and there were great events that aren’t at the big city rodeos that we’ve gone to. The kids even got in on it and did the bunny catch! They had what seemed like a million kids though and only six bunnies, so neither of them caught one, but had fun running through the arena trying to get one. They did get some licorice just for trying, which they had fun with. Dave grows a beard/goatee/some kind of facial hair out every year around Pioneer Day, “in the spirit of Brother Brigham”, as he always says. This year, it was a full-on beard, which drove him crazy, but then Friday afternoon, he cut it differently to fit in at the rodeo. I thought it was hilarious! He’s so funny! The kids got a kick out of it as well. Amy and Kolby did well though for their first time at the rodeo! There were probably about 6 others who entered the Hyde Race, including the Elders! They didn’t win, but we’re so proud of them for doing it! They are awesome!

Amy leads the kids over to Kolby and Super the horse.

Cal wasn't too sure about all of the "horsie poop" all over. He kept pointing to it and saying "Ewwww! Gross!"

Uncle Kolby helped Emma ride on Super, she loves riding horses!

The Lyman stadium.

Cal sits on Super!

At the Rodeo! Yeeeehaw!

Contestant 184 and 182...they thought it was cool because Emma is 4 and Cal is 2, and their ages were their numbers. Ready to catch some bunnies!

Dave with his beard "in the spirit of Brigham"...variety unkown.

This is a picture Cal took of Kolby, right before he left to go compete. Kolb & Am got nervous the few days before the rodeo, they weren't sure how Super would do. But they were fantastic!

Lucy loves Grandma...and rodeos!

Emma was trying to make a beard like daddy's with her licorice...

We made some posters to help cheer Amy & Kolby on. We are, after all, their #1 fans!

The kids had a fun time decorating the posters! If you can't read them, the one says "Yeehaw Kolby!" and the other one says "Go Cowgirl Amy!"

The video we took turned out well, but none of the pictures we took. This is the best one!

Future cowgirl!

After the Rodeo, good job, guys!

Cal loves this cowgirl!

On Sunday, it was pretty much a regular day, but I enjoyed having Pioneer Day on the Sabbath, because it was easier to think about the reason we celebrate the 24th of July. I helped the kids make some covered wagons and we played the stick-pull game as a family. That was fun!

Elder N. Eldon Tanner said –
“Pioneers are still needed. A pioneer is described as one who goes before, preparing the way for others. He is a leader, first in his field in discovery and invention. He will be followed by settlers and developers who expand and exploit his discoveries. Anyone seeking to become a pioneer will take care to fill his mind with what is known about the route he plans to take. Some of the qualities needed in pioneering are interest, intelligence, imagination, and determination. A pioneer must investigate, plan, experiment, and work.
“As we pioneer into any endeavor, we have the benefit of those who have pioneered before us. We have the gospel plan to follow, which needs no experimentation, but we must plan and work to accomplish the goal we seek—eternal life.
“We express gratitude to our Father in heaven for the gospel, which shows us the way. We are grateful to all who were prepared and came forth to accomplish his purposes and establish his truths, which are the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

On Monday, the kids slept in, and then we watched some of the Days of 47 Parade on TV. Then we went to Dee’s for breakfast, to get the kids a new bunk bed, and went riding on the 4-wheeler. We’re going to sell it here, so it was probably one of the last rides we’ll go on with that four-wheeler.

The kids riding with Daddy...they love it! They kept saying, "Daddy, do some tricks", "faster!", "Do a flip" and more. Giggles and excited screams were all around!

Monday night, we went to my Mom & Dad’s house, and we had a pioneer dinner with my parents, Marko, and Grammie. We had homemade brown bread with homemade butter, Mormon pioneer stew, corn on the cob, pioneer salad, and for dessert, boiled raisin cake and homemade vanilla ice-cream. Yum! I have a feeling the pioneers only ate like this on the best of occasions. My mom did have some hard tack as well, which is more like what they ate on a regular basis. My mom had some pioneer handkerchief dolls, a whirly gig, and we played some other fun pioneer games.

Emma plays with the pioneer doll.

Grandpa has a soft spot in his heart for all of his grandkids!
Dave using his muscles to shake up the butter.

I’m grateful for my pioneer heritage! What great faith and courage they had! When I was young, I always wished I could’ve been a pioneer. I dreamed about going back to that era. I love the culture and I love their stories. I love them. I’m so happy we have a day to revere our “blessed, honored, pioneers”! I hope I can be like them and show the same determination as they did, be unshakable in their testimonies as they were! As Elder Tanner said, we need pioneers today. I can be a pioneer in my own way, though I didn't cross the plains!
I’m also glad we’ve been able to spend so much time with our families lately, because in just a few weeks, we’ll be up in Washington! I will miss everyone so much! We have the best family! I love them all dearly!

I AM a mother!

2011-07-20T07:22:00.001-07:00

Recently, I finished reading a delightful book by Jane Clayson Johnson, former news reporter and personality, called “I Am a Mother”. I loved it! I thought I’d share some of my favorite quotes from the book, and then my own little insights as well. Her thoughts are especially pertinent to mother’s, but anyone can gain insight from the words she shared. Clayson Johnson was at the top of her career, when she made the decision to stay home with her children and step-children. She emphasizes how important the work mothers do is, and related her frustrations with people who think, “Oh, you’re just a mother” or “I’m just a mother.” JUST!?! I share her sentiments and am grateful I’m able to say I AM a mother!

“Any woman who has devoted herself to raising children has experienced the hollow praise that only thinly conceals smug dismissal. In a culture that measures worth and achievement almost solely in terms of money, the intensive work of rearing responsible adults counts for little. One of the most intriguing questions in economic history is how this came to be; how mothers came to be excluded from the ranks of productive citizens. How did the demanding job of rearing a modern child come to be trivialized as baby-sitting? When did caring for children become a ‘labor of love’, smothered under a blanket of sentimentality that hides its economic importance?” - Ann Crittenden

“More than sixty years ago, the First Presidency said it all when they called motherhood ‘the highest, holiest service…assumed by mankind’. Simply stated, everything I have experienced and everything I have observed tells me this doctrine, the doctrine of motherhood, is true. Have you ever wondered why prophets have taught this doctrine again and again and again? I have. I’ve thought long and hard about the work of women of God. And I’ve wrestled with what the doctrine of motherhood means for all of us. This issue has driven me to my knees, to the scriptures, and to the temple! In each of those places I have found reinforcement of this ennobling doctrine. It is a doctrine each of us must understand if we hope to be steadfast and immovable in the face of the complex and confusing issues that swirl around our gender. For Satan has declared war on motherhood. He knows that those who rock the cradle have the power to rock his earthly empire. And he knows that without righteous mothers loving and leading the next generation, the kingdom of God will fail.” -Sheri Dew

“Let France have good mothers, and she will have good sons.” -Napoleon Bonaparte

“Our mother provides us with our first experience of nurturing. She is our first and most powerful female role model. It is from her that we learn what it is to be a woman. Our cells divided and grew to the beat of her heart. Our skin, hair, heart, lungs, and bones were nourished by her blood, blood that awash with the neurochemicals formed in response to her thoughts, beliefs, and emotions. If she was fearful or anxious…, our bodies knew it. If she felt safe, happy, and fulfilled, we felt that too.” -Christiane Northrup, M.D.

“Every daughter contains her mother and all the women who came before her. The unrealized dreams of our maternal ancestors are part of our heritage.” -Christiane Northrup, M.D.

“A mother’s heart is a child’s schoolroom. The instructions received a the mother’s knee…are never effaced entirely from the soul…Family life is God’s own method of training the young, and homes are largely what mothers make them.” -Harold B. Lee

“No greater recognition can come to you in this world than to be known as a woman of God. No greater status can be conferred upon you than being a daughter of God who experiences true sisterhood, wifehood, and motherhood, or other tasks that influence lives for good.” - Spencer W. Kimball

Don’t Quit
“When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the roads you’re trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit…
Success is failure turned inside out.
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit.
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit."
-Author Unknown

“The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.” -William Ross Wallace

“Cleaning and scrubbing can wait for tomorrow,
For babies grow up, I’ve learned, to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust, go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby, and babies don’t keep.”
-Unknown

“Rather than trying to be Supermom try being simply Mom – and let the wonder in your child’s eyes give you the strength to keep on going.” -Jane Clayson Johnson

“You do not lose your identity when you become am other; you have the opportunity to more closely identify with God, to become more like Him and to enrich the lives of all who come after you.” -Jane Clayson Johnson

“Certainly, motherhood involves some sacrifices. Every worthwhile venture does. You will certainly lose some sleep over the years, and every now and then, you might temporarily lose your sanity. But you will also learn- about yourself, about the world, about the Spirit. The woman you c an become as you nurture your children is a woman of faith, a woman who trusts in the Lord and knows he has a plan for her, a woman who has developed patience and empathy and knows how to listen, a woman of courage.” -Jane Clayson Johnson

“It is not only in her calling as a Young Women president, or a Primary teacher, or a visiting teacher, that a woman can be magnified. You can be magnified in your calling as a mother. You must simply ask for the Spirit to guide you. Women who pray in faith to receive revelation, particularly as it relates to the nurture and rearing of children. And the more we act on revelation, the more we are able to receive.” -Jane Clayson Johnson

“If LDS women criticize each other rather than connect with and support each other, the adversary wins the day by driving wedges into natural, womanly relationships of strength. Because women can give so much never-failing charity to each other in relationships, one curse of the modern world has been to isolate and alienate women – including LDS women – from one another by making them more competitive.” -Elder Bruce C. Hafen

“Mothers go longer on less sleep and give more than any other group I know at any other time in life. It is not surprising when the shadows under their eyes sometimes vaguely resemble the state of Rhode Island.” - Jeffrey R. Holland

“In every woman’s story there are unknowns – struggles only she knows about, fears she’s tried to overcome but still harbors, disappointments and sorrows she bears. The last thing any of us wants – or needs – is to be judged by others who don’t know our stories, in part or at all.” – Jane Clayson Johnson

“What a difference a small act of charity can make in another woman’s life! Charity has the power to pull us together, to make the labels we place on ourselves-and that other stick there for us – obsolete. And without the labels, we are known only as daughters of God, sisters in his great work.” -Jane Clayson Johnson

“I’d rather be a mother than anyone on earth/Bringing up a child or two of unpretentious birth…I’d rather tuck a little child all safe and sound in bed/Than twine a chain of diamonds about my [carefree] head. I’d rather wash a smudgy face with round, bright, baby eyes/Than paint the pageantry of fame or walk among the wise.” -Meredith Gray

“We can all rejoice in the sacred calling of motherhood. To give birth is only one part of this sacred mission…Bug to help another gain eternal life is a privilege that is neither denied to nor delayed for any worthy woman...The world is filled with people to be loved, guided, taught, lifted, and inspired.” Every woman can find happiness and fulfillment in mothering. “You need not possess children to love them. Loving is not synonymous with possessing, and possessing is not necessarily loving The world is filled with people to be loved, guided, taught, lifted, and inspired.” - Sister Ardeth Kapp

“Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days…will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that they are seen as distinct and different – in happy ways – from the women of the world.” -Spencer W. Kimball

“Sisters, we are all mothers! There are no justs involved. And as mothers, as women of God, we each have a story to tell, to share with our children and their children and all the children whose lives we touch.” -Jane Clayson Johnson

My life has been impacted by so many incredible mothers! I am grateful for my Mom, and the powerful example she's been to me! She has taught me so much. My heart is full of love for her, and to her I owe so much! I'm also grateful to all of the mothers who came before her, as I have pieces of all of them inside of me. I'm grateful to my mother-in-law, Sue. She is so good and kind, I love her! My Grammie has taught me so much, she has so much knowledge and wisdom that I draw from each time i'm with her. All of my aunts are great, they have helped in mothering me. My great Aunt Lois is more like a Grandma than an Aunt to me, she is such a neat lady. My dad's sister, Christie is always so much fun. She loves to talk and is fun to talk to. And Aunt Suzanne, or Suz is awesome! And my Aunt Jo is a great mother with great kids! Then my mom's sister Debbie, and her sister-in-laws, the Shuana's and Cheryl; each has made an impression on me in some way. My sister, Amy, though she has no children of her own yet, is a fabulous mother. She is so great with my kids, and any young person she comes in contact with. She will be such an amazing mom some day! My sister-in-laws are all so great! Meghan is the cutest Mommy. She's the mom everyone wants to be. Julie, again, has no children of her own, but she is such a nurturer. The kids all love her so much, and she, too, will be such an awesome mommy when the time comes! Stacy is so good with her kids. She had Tayla five and a half years ago, about 8 months before Emma came along, and we've been in this mothering thing together ever since. She's such a support! Shirley is so great with her own children and grandchildren, and as an aunt. It's fun visiting with her! Then all of my friends, they have been there to help me raise my kids, and to compare notes with. Calena, Hlee, Ashley, Katie, Jasmine, Katrina, Nanette, Kasey, Lorie, and all of my other friends -I love you all! My ward members of my youth who were neighbors, leaders, and friends; as well as my ward members now, there are so many to look up to and emulate. I can't thank all of you enough. It's true that it takes a whole village to raise a child, and I'm so happy that you have helped to raise me and are helping to raise my children as well. May I be a better mother is my wish. I love my children and hope I can have some kind of impact on them!

Wheelwright Family Reunion

2011-07-10T08:35:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we joined my mom and her four brothers, Dean, David, Dale & Danny (her sister, Debbie was unable to make it) and their families (many cousins were not able to make it - whether it was because they were on missions, internships, races, or working) for a reunion up in Blackfoot, ID.

We had a lot of fun! It was great to get to know my uncles, aunts and cousins better. My mom organized it all this year. We held the reunion in Dale & Shauna’s backyard. The first night, we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over their fire pit, and had some Dutch-oven cherry rhubarb cobbler. We played games, like police line-up, and neighbor pick-up, and jumped on the tramp, went on the swings, and talked. We set up our tents and went to bed. The kids did really well, like they usually do when we camp.

Playing outside on the swingset.

Lots of games we played!
The Idaho Wheelwrights on the tramp - they have seven kids, the oldest is on a mission in Brazil, and their next is leaving to Finland next month.

Playing police line-up.

Lucy Mae <3's Grandma Di!

Cal swinging away - weee!

Emma enjoying her s'more...there's probably more on her hands than in her face! (:

Cal and Lucy having some sticky fun. Sorry, no s'more for you, Lucy! Next year...

The next day, we woke up bright and early to cow calls and the sound of frogs ribbiting. I helped get breakfast ready, we had all kinds of quick breads, and then mountain man breakfast casserole in the dutch oven. We played some more, got ready, and played volleyball, had water fights, played water baseball and water balloon volleyball, minute-to-win-it games, and more. My mom also gave everyone copies of her “My Pioneer Ancestors” book she wrote. It is excellent! I’m so excited to have my own copy. The book highlights the lives of 9 pioneer ancestors who came across the plains. I was able to proof-read it, and the stories are amazing. Their courage and faith…reading their accounts makes me speechless! They are an inspiration, and I’m grateful for my righteous ancestors who put me where I am today! I’m also grateful for my Mom, she is so incredible! Genealogy is one topic that is bound to come up with the Wheelwrights. Many of them are very into it, which I think is cool. They are good examples to me of not having to wait until you’re old and grey to do family history work. They are cool people, and I'm glad we were able to hang out for the day!

Emma snoozing...She is NOT a morning person. Emma loves to stay up late and wake up late.

Cal, on the other hand, wakes up happy (almost too happy for so early) and is so excited to greet everyone!

Little squirt playing with water guns.

Shauna, Tricia, and Cheryl. All of the siblings in my mom's family have first names that start with D's. If that isn't confusing enough, two of the brothers married Shauna's and one married a Cheryl. Confusing? I think so. But I love them all the same.

We had a great time playing volleyball especially. I'm rusty! It's been a while since YW volleyball, he he!

Amy with Lucy. Lucy is wearing a shirt that says "My Auntie is Awesome!" (And you'll never guess who got her the shirt...) Yep, it's true. Aunt Amy is pretty darn awesome!We played a lot with water balloons. Here's Emma's first time playing water balloon volleyball. She loved it!

I caught it!Cal with the dog Hofa (means "Hope" in German). I have fond memories (NOT) of this dog. Once, when we had a family Christmas sleepover up there, I had a close encounter with this pup. I was sleeping in the girls' room. During the night while I was sleeping, I thought I was drooling really bad and had bad breath. I woke up and realized the dog was licking me in my mouth! YUCK! Anyone who knows me, knows I'll tolerate animals, but I am by no means an animal lover. It was gross. Cal and Emma loved this dog though! They played catch with it, rode on it, walked around with it, petted it! Call called it "Cofa", and would talk to it like a friend. It kept telling him not to go by the hole near the windows to their house, "That's dangerous, doggy!"

Water baseball...batters up!

We had lots of water fights as well. Emma and Cal with Daniel, going to look for revenge! Going to get Uncle Marko!

Running to first!

Minute to win-it!

Uncle Kolby, Nathaniel and Uncle David were great at this Minute to win-it game!

Proud to be an American

2011-07-05T07:15:00.001-07:00

"And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free! And I won't forget the man who died, who gave that right to me. And I proudly stand up {pause & cymbol crash} next to you and defend Her still today. 'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land! God bless the U.S.A!" Everytime I hear that classic, I get the chills. It really rings true to me. I am proud to be an American and proud I have the freedoms and opportunities I do here. I'm grateful for those who have worked so hard to keep America great.

We had a fabulous Fourth weekend full of fun! (If that isn't alliteration, I don't know what is!) Things started off on Friday night when Tayla came over to Grandma's (and now Emma's) to sleep over. She is such a cute little niece and her and Emma are so much fun together! We had dinner and played and went outside to dig and play in the dirt. These guys were making holes. Tayla said a pretty funny thing (she does that a lot!). She had an eyelash fall off and she told us you have to make a wish when that happens then blow the eyelash away. I asked her what she wished for. She said, "I can't tell you. Wait, okay, I'll tell you! I wish that I could have a pet unicorn and that my daddy could clean up all of it's poop!" This caused an uproar of laughter from Emma, Cal and I. Funny girl. We watched movies that night and did popcorn, and went to sleep.

The girls made some fun Uncle Sam hats with me, and we did some other fun things on Saturday. We went swimming in the backyard together during their sleepover. I think it's fun because on Emma and Tayla's first Fourth of July, they took a dip in this same swimming pool and we got some fun pictures of them then as well. These girls definately love to splash, I know Emma never gets tired of swimming, and neither does Tayla.

I love this shot of my Emma girl!

Saturday morning, we went to the Centerville Parade. The kids liked it a lot!

Lucy waiting for the parade to begin. Anytime now!

Cal sharing his Pop Tart with me. Breakfast of champions, right?

This was one of my favorite entries in the parade. It says "Joy in the Journey" on the side.

Lucy, Emma, Cal, Tayla, Julie & Grandma Sue watch for the next entries.

This was another of my favorite floats. Now that I'm thinking about it, they both had temples on them. The Nauvoo temple here had so much detail! Kudos to those called in this stake who spent so much time on this, it was amazing! Hope to see it again at the Handcart Days parade!

Saturday night, we had steak and chicken along with potato logs, seasoned potatoes, and home fries, with the classic Ryerse salads. Then with bellies full, we headed out to Eaglewood Golf Course in NSL for the fireworks there. Fireworks with the Ryerse's is full of fun, football, frisbee, family and food.

Here's Emma, she's getting pretty good at frisbee. Cal has always called it "Frizzibee"!

Got glowsticks? Grandma does! She always loads up with bags full of glowsticks, much to the delight of the grandkids. She has so many, all of the kids sitting by us were coming around, and Grandma gladly shared with them, too! The kids had so much fun, as well as the adults, too!

The boys up to no good, like always...they are double trouble!

Emma and Tayla playing on the green.

Brian eating our yummy peanut butter popcorn. The Ryerse's always take the PB popcorn (we made almond butter popcorn for Cal) to fireworks. It's so good and addicting! Thought I'd pass along that recipe:

Peanut Butter Popcorn

4 quarts popped popcorn

1/2 c. corn syrup

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

1/2 tsp. real vanilla

Combine corn syrup and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Take off heat, add peanut butter and vanilla. Pour over popcorn. Store in air-tight containers or zip lock bags.

Cal playing football with Daddy!

Even Lucy loved her first firework show! She napped for a while, but stayed awake and stared happily at the fireworks. She also enjoyed the glowsticks!

Shirley and Jeff with a Brody and Lucy. Baby duty!

So Jerry grabbed a huge handful of glowsticks, and threw them out to the kids to pick up. They thought that was great! I wish it was that easy to get them to pick up their toys on a normal day!

52 glowstick pick-up!

That night, after fireworks, we went home and decided to watch Labrynth with David Bowie. I fell asleep about 10 minutes into it. Come to find out the next morning, Emma stayed awake for the entire show! She loved it! I was shocked, it was about 1:30 a.m. when they finished it. She really is a night-owl and not a morning person like her cute father.

Monday, the real Fourth of July, we woke up and went to my parents for a Independence Day breakfast. We had cinnamon french toast, hashbrowns, scrambled eggs, and fruit. It was tasty! And we had some good conversation. The kids played with Grandma and Grandpa, and Dave and I headed up to our condo to do some last minute projects. Then it was time for our Stoddard family picnic at Christie's house. We had a cook-out, and lots of fun in the water!

Here's Rex getting Christy wet! Ha ha ha! Daren also thought getting his dad Lew wet was a good idea...maybe not such a good idea after all. Lew got him back good!

Emma had a blast with the older kids, Natalie, Carrie, Shan, and Morgan and Kyle.

This pic of Morgan and Emma I thought turned out so well. They are b0th such cute girls and they were even matching that day! Emma's excited to move up to Spokane where Morgan, Kyle & Alex (my cousins)! We will see them soon!

Emma shocking Cal! That's what big sisters are for!

Grandma helping Cal get Emma back!

The Stoddard/Richins crew! From left to right: my mom's legs, Auntie Christie, my great Aunt Lois, Carrie [Berry], Aunt Jo, Dandy Randi, Ryan, and the back of Shannon's head.

Cal and little neighbor friend Ava drive the wiggle cars.

Then that night, we had another BBQ with hot dogs and hamburgers and then we got ready to go to the Davis High fireworks. Here are the kiddos getting ready for Davis Fireworks!

Lucy Mae, little star-spangled sweetie!

Our fam at Davis Fireworks. It's the best firework show around! They set their fireworks to music. I love, love it! The best song this year was "Wonderful World" by Louie Armstrong. They also did "Proud to be an American" as well as "We're Coming to America" and some other classics and random songs. It was about a half an hour, so it's pretty good!

Happy 4th! Truly, may God bless the U.S.A.! I am proud to be an American, and hope we can earn a "blessed land" by doing the things that are right. I love this country and am so grateful to be here!