Tech Trep Field Trip

 

Cat Family

Well...we did a thing. 

We had a problem.  A vole problem.  Voles are small mouse-like rodents that dig tunnels right under the surface of the grass and make these burrows all over, destroying the roots and making our lawn look like poo. We tried rodent poison in plastic tubes that only the rodents could get to (to make sure the dogs and cats in the neighborhood didn't accidentally eat it), we tried some traps in their holes, and I tried shooting them with the .22, but nothing was preventing their reign of destruction.  We finally decided that what we needed were some good mousers.  There was a patient at work that told me in passing that she happened to have a new batch of kittens out on her farm and that we could have some for free if we wanted.  So we loaded up the kids and went to check them out. We found 2 orange sister kittens that were born in a little shed. Avery and Emily claimed them right away. Then we found a grey cat that had been born under a bush and Madi fell in love with it.  After some hard work wrangling them all up, we brought them home. Avery named her orange kit Goldemort, but that didn't stick for long.  She soon became Buttercup.  She was out kindest cat.  Emily named her kit Caramel.  She was a little larger and more standoffish.  Madi named her grey cat Captain Cuddlebug, but that name soon morphed into Snugglebug. She was the attack cat. They were soon out in the yard, hunting voles, and then dropping their dead carcasses on our doorstep.  Good kitties. 

Cooper Boy

We have had our puppy Cooper since December 13th when my parents brought him to us from Pocatello. My sister, Celeste got Cooper and had him for a month or so before getting caught by her landlords and was forced to give him away. Ryan and I have been talking about getting a dog for a few years now, so we thought let's try it out. Cooper was a very good dog, and he is very cute. BUT with him still being a puppy, he needed lots of attention and it was very difficult for me. I am not a dog lover and I really tried to have a house dog for my husband and my kids. But it just got to be too much for me. I was the one who was home with him all day and I just couldn't play with him like he needed me to. He seemed lonely and even when the girls got home from school they ran off to do other things and didn't really give him the attention he needed and deserved. Plus Ryan and I were waking up 2-3 times a night for 4 months to take him potty. I wasn't used to losing so much sleep! So I was a little agitated some days because of that. And even when we took him potty he would still pee on our kitchen floor or leave a "present" for us in the living room 3-4 times a week. He knows to go outside but if we weren't aware that he was waiting by the back door to take him, my poor garbage can in the kitchen is where he would do his business. And I found out he sure likes to chew up things too! I found that out right away after several pillows were destroyed. Ahh!

 The worse part was Ryan and I were arguing over him more and more. We didn't like that Cooper was coming between us. It just wasn't worth it. So we decided we needed to find a new home for Cooper. The girls were pretty sad about giving him away, and I felt horrible for a few weeks. I even went back on my decision and decided to keep him regardless of my feelings or frustrations with him, but then after stepping in his pee for the 5th time, I would be in a rage all over again and later came the tears!

 I was done.

Sorry girls.

 Sorry Ryan.

How about we get a fish? Eh?

Actually when I mentioned getting a fish and a few water frogs, they were all cheers and smiles.

 YES. They liked Cooper a whole lot and played with him sometimes, but I am grateful they weren't completely attached to him as I thought they were. So it was an easier transition to make then I thought it was going to be. We found a great home for Cooper and I know he is going to be much happier in his new home. The lady that bought him has 3 other dogs and Cooper was playing with them instantly! She said she tends to spoil her pets. Well that is great! He will love being spoiled.

Surprise Visitor in the Neighborhood...

Have you seen one of these up close before...?

We were having a yard sale two Saturdays ago and had a surprise visitor....A Raccoon! He came walking across our front yard to our driveway. I have never seen a Raccoon before, well, besides in books. It was just two feet away and kept getting closer. I have heard they can be quite vicious and mean. He/she kept coming closer and closer and even came into our garage at one time. It was hard to know what to do. I didn't know if it would attack me or the kids. I could tell it was looking for food and water and for a second I thought about feeding it, but I knew if I did, it would keep coming back to our house for more. And I didn't want to start that!

See the broom? 

Yeah, that's me. 

UP on a chair, camera in one hand, broom in the other, trying desperately to "Shew" the Raccoon away. It finally decided to find food elsewhere or maybe it was just tired of the broom in it's face.

 It was cool to see one so close up, but I was relieved when it finally left.

Our Summer

(Warning: MEGA POST! I apologize that I was too lazy(or too busy!) to post these pictures and stories when they happened so I have combined our whole summer into ONE post!)

This year summer didn't start for us here in Pocatello until late June, early July! It rained most of May and almost the entire month of June! I love the rain. I really do, but THAT was a bit much. So hot summer days came late this year and it's inviting warmth and sunshine is already slowly creeping away leaving us with chilly mornings and sudden overcasts. Sure, I bet we still have a good month of nice weather before it gets bone chilling cold, but by no time we will be back on our frozen tundra. So soak in as much UV-rays and get all the vitamin D as you possibly can before it's gone!

Because summer was so short, (or at least to me it feels that way) I felt like we didn't get to do some of the fun summer activities that we had planned to do. Yet, now having the time to look back through all the pictures of the last couple months, I think we did have a fun-filled summer after all! I just might have been too preoccupied to notice, as Ryan and I were so busy traveling back and forth to Salt Lake to visit the twins, mostly Emily, every weekend, that it's been kind of...well, CRAZY!

But in between all the traveling, we did get to do a few fun things. So let's take a look back at what we did......................

We had a picnic with Grandma and Grandpa Graf then headed over to Hoogle Zoo! The girls had such a good time, they always do with grandma and grandpa! Avery liked Grandpa's hat...so cute!

Hoogle Zoo!

After the Zoo, we went out to dinner at PF Changs, one of our favorite restaurants. Such good food! Grandma Graf and Madi playing around.

Avery trying to eat with chop-sticks...uh, not quite Avery!

My cousin, Brian and his wife, Carmen (who I absolutely adore!) came to dinner with us too! It was so much fun meeting up with them and hanging out. When we went down to see Emily we sometimes would stay at their house in West Valley Utah. Thanks Carmen and Brian for everything! Love you guys!

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The girls just love holding their baby sister. Madi is always asking, "Can I take care of Emily, Mom?" It's so cute to hear them both say, "It's OK, Emily" when she is crying. They love her to pieces!

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The girls got to be in a parade and everyone from primary decorated theirs bikes and paraded down the streets of Pocatello.

Here's Madi, Melissa and Maylee on their bikes.

We also decorate Avery's ride and she loved following the big kids down the street. Go Avery!

Madi helped decorate her bike and was so proud of it!

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This summer we went exploring for rocks in the yard. The girls found rocks that they liked then we came inside to "make them pretty" as Madi would say and painted them!

Avery multitasking...

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We also got to spend some time outside playing in the sprinkler. However, I am not sure the girls got wet much if at all, as Avery wouldn't go near it and Madi tried her best to avoid the water as much as possible trying to grab the ball from the sprinkler either by stretching over the water,

running around the water,

or ducking from the water.

Finally claiming victory by retrieving the ball and only getting partially wet.

Avery watching from the sidelines...

Another time we had our friends, Jordan, Skye and their cute little boy, Asher over for some sprinkler fun too!

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On June 27th we went to the annual Newman Reunion. Every year it's held at Springville Utah. There are some really nice camping areas and we have a big breakfast and lunch. In the afternoon we have our traditional Newman auction, to pay for next year's expenses. Here's a goofy picture of me, with my dad's parents, my Grandpa and Grandma Newman. Eating, talking, eating, laughing, eating, playing, and ....oh, eating. :)




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A fun thing Madi got to do this summer was take swimming lessons for four weeks. She did very well and it was so fun watching her learn new swim moves, make new friends, splash and ultimately have fun! Her swimsuit literally swam on her. It is a size 4T, but she is just too skinny (wish I had that problem!) , so we had to tie it up every morning, making little fins on her shoulders! :)


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This summer the girls also spent many hours running around the house as pumpkin and dog-?


They thought they were pretty cute, but I thought so too!

My lil' pumpkin!

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We also got to attend cousin Colton's Birthday in Rexburg. (This is my older brother, Adam's cute little boy). Colton turned two on July 28th! Happy Birthday Cole!

Cole and Aves eating some delicious bass...I mean cake. By the looks on their face, I would say it was pretty good too.


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The girls also spend many hours outside in the sand box, playing on the swing set and in their house. This was great for mommy too, as it gave mommy a much needed break! Here's a few cute pictures of the girls outside exploring, pretending and digging...

Madi loves to "help" dad mow the lawn.

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And lastly, I took these pictures two Sundays ago and thought the girls looked so cute all dressed up for church!

Overall we had a GREAT summer and hope everyone else did too!