NEW news!

There's been a lot of NEW and exciting news at our house lately...

I got a NEW bike! I have been wanting a spinning bike for awhile now, so when Ryan leaves on his rotations for PA school I can still exercise at home and manage my weight loss goals. I love it! Thanks babe!

NEW bedroom makeover...

I wanted a place for the girls to learn and be creative. Every morning before Madi heads to school, we have "school" of our own. We have been learning about the days of the week, checking the weather every morning, learning about different states and lots more! I got many of the ideas in the room from a friend of mine, who I love! She made her boys the cutest play/learning room! I never used the changing table for what it was meant to be used for...changing, so I turned it into a learning area instead.

I got this idea from my friend, Amy as well. She just got twine and hung up all her kids coloring creations. What a great way to display their work!It's been so fun having this little area to play, learn and just be creative with the girls. Here's our Farris Wheel we made and then destroyed as soon as we made it. haha!

My NEW hair cut! I cut my own hair and cut about 5 inches off. (I know, crazy huh?) Yet, I wanted it even shorter with more layers so my sister, April did an A -line cut with lots of layers in the back. (Thanks April! I love it!)

Avery is NEWLY potty trained! Avery has been using the potty for almost a year, here and there but I never really tried to push it. Well, three weeks ago we ran out of diapers for her and I refused to buy more. So she has been in underwear since and is doing great! She still has about one accident a day but she has got both 1 & 2 down! Whoo-hoo!

Avery has even learned how to dress herself ...sort of.(haha!)

Someone NEW at the dinner table! Emily has officially started eating baby food. Though, I am not quite sure she likes it. Don't be fooled by this "happy" face...because notice the amount of food surrounding her that she kept spitting out. :)


And the last of the NEW news...
I got Five NEW fillings. OK, so this is a little weird to blog about, but I thought my face looked so funny I had to share. lol! I am not the best at flossing, but I am committed now to do a better job, because having FIVE cavities hurt...real bad! And because I come out looking like this...
My face was so numb it looked like half of my face was paralyzed! I thought, "this would be funny if I posted it" (But please don't black mail me with this picture!)

We LOVE Sundays...

If you are wondering what WE do on Sundays (cuz, I am sure you REALLY do!) I will give you a glimpse...

Before we go to church, we sing made up songs about "zogies" to get our singing voices ready for church...



We go to church and learn about the gospel and the teachings of Jesus Christ to become more like Him...

When we get home from church we eat lunch and sometimes do a little of this...

Or a little of that;watch a family movie,

call our family and friends far away,

Or make homemade cookies...always burning the last batch of course. ;)

Ryan and I always dream about getting a great nap in....Yet, it seems that our kids always have another agenda...

SO naps are rare and much shorter than we would like.

We also like to do family game time...

And at the end of the day when pj's are on we read bedtime stories... have a little lesson, family scripture study, and prayer...
and off to bed...
We love Sundays!

*disclaimer: Some pictures were taken on different days.

"Help! I've fallen and I can't get up."

This last Sunday we just barely got home from church in fact, I think I was even in the process of hanging my own coat up, when I hear Avery yelling from the other room..."Help me. Help me." She wasn't all out screaming like she was going to die or anything, so I casually slip off my shoes and probably roll my eyes a little as I am sure I was thinking something like, What now! We just got home! I tell her to hold on I'm coming. I walk into the computer room where I hear her yelling for help and this is what I find....


Hahaha!! She must have ran inside and jumped in the play car thingy and then when I told the girls to take their coats off and hang them up she tried to get out and this is how I found her. I quickly grabbed the camera of course to take these few shots before getting her out. I'm so mean.

My Cute Girls

Yesterday morning I was taking pictures of Emily and before I knew it two other cute little girls joined in!

Emily in the middle of a sneeze...Me and all my cute girls!

Another Favorite

My sister, April made this dish for us one time for dinner and I have made it at least twice a month since! It's healthy, fast and so good! I love it! And my kids like it too!

Ingredients:

Saute' all these together:
1 TBSP olive oil
1 medium onion- chopped
1 package of Italian sausage- sliced up
1 tsp. garlic (optional)
1 large tomato- chopped up
1 package of mushrooms (optional)
2 squash- sliced up
2 zucchini- sliced up

Cook on Medium High. Stir often and cover with lid. When squash and zucchini are tender it's done about 15 minutes or so.You can salt if you like, I just like it plain because it makes a lot of juices while it cooks.

Hope you like it too!

Friends!

I have been so busy lately I haven't found time to blog about seeing some of our old friends who came up and stayed with us for New Years!

We moved to Boise in Jan. 2006, and we met Joanna and Nate Morin from the ward within a few months. We hit it off as soon as we met and hung out almost every weekend and some weekdays! We've done it all together...dinner, lunch, game night, sleepovers, Thanksgiving, running races, movie night, and the list goes on. They are such good friends and I am grateful for their friendships. They later moved out of the ward (we were heart broken!) to Caldwell. Not too far, but far enough we couldn't see each other as much. But we soon moved away as well, moving here to Pocatello. We have since remained friends and get together a few times a year. Kade and Madisen (2006) They don't know it yet, but they will be married one day! ;)

Kade and Madisen (2010) Avery, Madi, Kade and Brooke Nate and Jo

We went out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse and had a great time!

The guys had a great time playing Wii Tiger Woods Golf and watching a TON of football. Here they are posing with their "golf club".

Jo and I Thanks for the fun times guys! Can't wait to do it again in a few short months!! ;)

Victory is SWEET!!!!

Hey, Ryan here again.

With the close of college football season, many of us guys (and gals) have a bittersweet feeling in our hearts. Guys, because football season has again come to a close (bitter), and gals, the guys will once again hear things you say on Saturday (sweet!).

We had a grand ol' football bash at our house on Monday, January 4th, to watch our favorite team, the Boise State Broncos, face the dreaded TCU Horned Frogs. BSU came into the game ranked #6 in the nation and TCU was ranked #4. There was a lot of pent up anger and frustration in our hearts from last year when we played TCU in the Pointsettia bowl and lost by one single point.

We all gathered in front of our new TV to witness this epic clash. Some of us ate, some of us couldn't eat, some of us picked our noses (Avery and Colton). In the end, Boise State came out victorious, beating the TCU squad 17-10 in a defensive nail-biter! Tears of joy were shed and husky voices cried out with glee as Boise State's defense intercepted a TCU pass with about 30 seconds to go, clinching the victory!

It has been a very good season to be a Boise State fan, or a college football fan in general. Heck, it's a good time of year, period. Women, you get your men back. Men, you get to come back to reality and realize that your family has missed you over the past 4 months. You might even be shocked to discover that you have another child or the child you have has grown quite a bit while you've been lost in a self-induced football coma.

So thanks, ladies, for your patience with us guys, and for loving us through our addiction!

Here's some Fiesta Bowl pictures from our fest:

The men supporting our team. As you can see,
only some of us remember how many fingers to hold up for "we're #1!"

Nice legs!!

Adam (far right) suffering from footballitis: a
condition a man enters upon achieving a state of football nirvana.

Christy, April, and Genn enjoying watching the guys go crazy.

Christy showing the first signs of footballitis


I think it's contagious!

Adam and Genn enjoying the big game.

April, Josh, and some kid from the neighborhood that looked hungry (just kidding, that's Colton, Adam and Genn's offspring)

Moments after Boise State picks off TCU's quarterback
for the third time to win the Fiesta Bowl. One of the few times
it is appropriate for grown men to hug like girls.
And some crazy girl in the back yelling with no one to hug.