Conor Is Six Months Old

Conor's six months old today! Half a year already. It doesn't seem possible. We have enjoyed him so much. He's finally sleeping through the night. We put him to bed at 8:30 and he sleeps until 6:30. He started eating baby food. He eats half a small bottle of a vegetable and half a bottle of fruit for lunch and then again for dinner. So far he's had peas, sweet potatoes, carrots, pears, applesauce and banana's. He doesn't have a favorite. He just gets so excited when he See's the little spoon coming towards him. He keeps us smiling.

Conor loves his bed. He kicks and tries so hard to roll over when we lay him down. He is constantly grabbing his feet and toes. His favorite thing is to not have his feet covered with socks or anything and he grabs his toes and talks to them. He tries so hard to get them to his mouth. All it takes to get him going is for me to say "I see piggies, I see Piggy toes"

I love these P.J.'s on little man. Conor looks like he's ready to play some baseball. One, two, three touch your toes and "whine up"!
Don't let him fool you...he looks like he's ready to take a nap, but it'll pass in less than ten minutes. All the other kids would take two long naps. One in the morning like at 10:00 and sleep for a hour and a half. Then one around 1:30 in the afternoon and sleep for two hours. Conor takes a twenty minute "Cat Nap". If he hears any noise at all he's wide awake.

Makes me wonder why Heavenly Father sent him last!?! Because he is such a light sleeper. He hears everything. He acts like he may miss out on something. We all know how quiet his sister Miss Marli is. Hahahah!!!! It's pretty impossible to get Conor to nap when Marli is in the same zip code.

Meet Mr. Delicious! He is such a yummy little guy! I absolutely adore him!
Conor LOVES his baths. He gets so excited when I take him in the bathroom and he sees the water in his little tub. I love to pour water on him and watch his little fingers grab for the water. He Oooohs and Aaahaas when the warm water covers him. He never cries when I wash his head. He knows to close his eyes and mouth.
Marli is constantly hugging and loving "Her Baby"!
Jacob loves to use his brother as a adventure. He uses the laundry basket for a space shuttle. Conor lets Jake and Marli do whatever they want with him. He just watches them and smiles. He loves the attention.

Conor is one happy little guy. He loves music and loves to have people sing to him. When he gets fussy we just need to find some music or make our own and he is happy!
His brother and sister are quite fond of him.
He is very ticklish! He loves it when Daddy "Gets Him"!

Conor is always observing his surroundings.
He loves to laugh and make us laugh. The harder we laugh, the harder he laughs. He'll snort when he gets laughing.

Sometimes he seems so serious. I wonder what he thinks about. I watch him and am jealous of what he might possibly be looking at. Angels? Brother Jaxon? I know Jaxon is always close by. I have a picture of Jax in these same Jammie's swinging in this same swing.
He loves a good "Cookie"!

Oh Bubby...we love you! Thank you for being so brave and coming to our family. Also Thanks for putting up with your crazy family!

Daddy Blabbering With Conor

I came across this video Ryan took with my digital camera. It's from a few weeks ago when he was watching the kids and I was at work. This video made me smile. Ry is so good at making Conor happy. When Conor sees his Dad he lights up and tries so hard to talk to him. It's been nice for the kids to be able to spend time with their Dad. I think it's nice to give my parents a break, and for Ryan to see what it's like to have three kids to take care of. He hasn't had to take care of them for more than a few hours at a time. We need to break him in gently!

The Good Brother & Mickey Mouse

Please Take A Minute To Pray

I just read this email from my friend Kim Rose. She owns the local scrapbook store Express The Moment (formerly the scrapcoop). She's been a great friend to me over the years and I appreciate all of you praying for her nephew. Thanks!


Express the Moment
557 S. Woodruff
Idaho Falls, Id 83401
208-552-4847
http://www.expressthemoment.com
kim@expressthemoment.com

Business Hours: Mon. - Fri. 10:00 am - 6:00 pm Sat.10:00 am - 7:00 pm

Prayers NEEDED

I know that each of us receive e-mails, forwards, etc daily
about heart breaking situations. I am not one that usually
forwards these types of e-mails, but... this time I
am personally asking for your prayers.
My sweet nephew who is only 18 months old was
run over/hit by a car yesterday. He is the only son
of my baby sister Emily who lives in Phoenix.
My heart is full. It has been a emotional 24 hours for
our family. PLEASE take a minute today
and remember him in your prayers. I can't stand
the fact that we are here and she is so far a way. My
older sister Jen was able to fly in last night and is with
her now, but they still have a long road a head.
He had surgery yesterday and faces surgery again tom.
Please know I love and appreciate each of you for
thinking of him and sending support their way.

CLICK here to view Emily's blog for updates!
http://gobroncos-stephensfam.blogspot.com/

What A Week!

I can't believe a week has gone by already! Thursday at lunch time I picked the kids up from my dad's and took them home to spend the afternoon with Ryan. On my way back to work I stopped at Ethel Boyes elementrary to register Jacob for morning Kindergarten. I was an emotional mess. The paperwork was ridiculous. It was six pages of the same questions. Annoying! I got in my car and bawled all the way to my office. I can't believe Jake is going to ride the bus and go to Kindergarten. I thought for sure the end of the world would come before this day.When I got home I started dinner.I had quite the eventful cooking experience. I was browning hamburger for dinner and went downstairs to throw a batch of clothes in the dryer. I got half way up the stairs and smelt smoke. Big clouds of smoke were in the living room. Oh my! Jake and Marli were flipping out. I sent them both downstairs and told them not to come up until I said it was ok. Conor was asleep in his crib. Ryan was in our room reading. My hamburger had disintegrated and started a grease fire. Pretty frightening. I poured baking soda on the pan and covered it with a lid. I resisted the urge to lift the pan and put it in the sink. I remember seeing a video about a lady who received serious burns from lifting the pan to the sink and pouring water on it. Instinctively that's what I wanted to do.Weird thing no smoke detectors went off. Not good! I think because the hamburger was sirloin and 99% fat free it burned easily.I opened all the windows and front door to air out the smoke. Ryan came out and was not happy. Our house stunk so bad. I finally let Jake and Marli come upstairs a hour or so later. I had to figure out something else for dinner. I learned a valuable lesson too. Never ever leave the kitchen when your cooking. I've done it a zillion times and nothing has ever happened until this. All it takes is once though.

Friday my dad took Jake and Marli to school for me because our plumber was supposed to come first thing and finish the downstairs bathroom. Ryan ran to Home Depot and I stayed home with Conor. The plumber finally showed up at 9:30. Here's a crazy thing...our plumber's name is Darryl and he looks so much like my brother-in-law Rod. He's a lot older than Rod, but if you closed your eyes and listened to him talk you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Ryan and I both thought that Darryl looks like a older version of Rod. It was pretty interesting. He did a great job and even helped Ryan hook up our new water softener. We're pretty close to having the downstairs bathroom up and running. If anyone wants to have a sleepover and try it out your all invited. Ryan just needs to install the towel racks and toilet paper holder. I need to clean the shower and tub really good. Then we're just waiting on the cabinet door any day. Pretty exciting.




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Saturday Carrie and Jim came over. I didn't get any pictures. I wasn't even thinking. The kids had so much fun. Ryan was at work. Jake took Jim downstairs and they played X-box. Marli asked Carebear to watch Daredevil the movie with her. Carrie said I could run to Walmart and get a few groceries and laundry soap. I was pretty excited to not have to take all three kids with me. Carrie cuddled with Conor and watched the movie with Marli. When I got home Conor was so tired, but wouldn't take a nap. I think he was loving having Carrie hold him. I know Jaxon has told Conor all about Aunt Carebear. Conor wasn't scared to go to Carrie at all. He smiled at her and kept starring at her. It was so sweet to watch them.Carrie was telling the kids that her and Jim are moving to I.F. in a couple weeks. Marli was so excited. She asked if they were going to live with us, PLEASE!!! I agree with Marli it would be one great big party at our house! Fun! Later Jake told me he used to be scared of Uncle Jim, but now he knows that was silly. He said "Mom, I love Jim he is so fun and so smart". I'm so grateful my kids were able to spend quality time with them.

Sunday Grandpa Reuel and Koby surprised us by stopping by. Jake was so excited. He's been wanting to play with Koby. Marli kept watching for Kamri. She didn't understand why Koby was with Grandpa by himself. The kids had fun together.

Monday where do I start. This day could possibly go down in history as one of the worst day of my life. I met my dad at my office with the kids. He took them to school and picked them up. I didn't get to have lunch with them. I had to go to a doctor appointment at 2:30. I saw a spine specialist. My neck, back and shoulder have been really bothering me. I tried Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Massage, medical doctors, physical therapy. I haven't gotten any relief. It's gotten so bad that I can't do my day to day activities. I've had a constant migraine and am just really hating life. Ryan has commented on me being grouchy because of the pain. So anyway I went in and after a hour exam the spine doctor wants me to have a MRI. I didn't want one. They explained to me they need the scan to rule out what could be the source of the problem. As I was leaving the hospital I saw my friend Devon's husband Eric. We visited for a bit and he wished me luck. He's a therapist at the hospital. I went to Teton Open MRI. This is where the worst part of my day comes in. After waiting for over a hour, they take me back and get me ready for the MRI. The technician is telling me all the things not to do. You have to hold super still,each scan builds off of the one before. You can't move at all or they have to re-do it. You can't swallow,cough,sneeze. They put huge headphones on me to drown out the noise. I had music blaring in my ears...with a migraine! Nice! The table is metal and so uncomfortable. The back of my head that hurts from falling on the ice is resting on this awful metal. It hurt so bad. Then they slide you into the machine. It is so scary. There's loud knocking and banging. I had to do some serious self talk, telling myself it was OK. Breathing nice and slow. When I shut my eyes I was getting really nausea's and felt like I was spinning. I'd open my eyes so I could tell I wasn't actually moving. My mind got the best of me and I lost it. I started bawling. I was thinking about Jax. I thought of all the scans he had in his life and all he went through. I felt so inadequate. The tech asked me if I was ok. He was in a different room and could only hear me if he turned on the speaker. I told him yeah. He said "Lori there's a lot of motion going on, we're going to have to re-do that last scan. I was in that stupid machine for a hour. The tech came in and pulled me out. I knew that the look on his face wasn't good. He felt so bad that I had such a hard time.I was doing really good until the last few minutes. I was soaking wet from sweat and tears. He sat down and talked to me for quite awhile. We talked about Jaxon and he wouldn't let me leave until he knew I was ok. Man it was pretty brutal. I consider myself pretty tough and that experience kicked my keester. I picked the kids up at my mom's and went home. We realized Jacob left his coat at Mrs. Di's. Shame on him and Grandpa Bill. The kids and I ate dinner. We watched part of dancing with the stars. When Ryan got home we all went to bed. What a long awful day!

Tuesday morning my Mom and Dad ran out to Mrs. Di's and got Jake's coat. My Mom came and picked Jake up at our house. They both got haircuts. I cleaned both the upstairs bathrooms. I mean really cleaned them. From the floor boards to the ceiling and everything in between. Three hours later, I got caught up on laundry and made Marli lunch. Marli had dance and then we went to my parents. Grandma Bette agreed to go with us to get all the kids shots. Super D' Duper! We get to the Pediatric center and all is well. The kids are playing and looking at the fish. Then we find out Conor can't get his shots today because he's not exactly six mo. old. Grandma says she'll wait with Conor in the waiting area. The nurse takes us back. We saw our two favorite nurses and they were so nice. We get in the room and Marli asked me to read to her. I'm reading to her and Jacob is getting himself worked up and is totally freaking out. Melt down! The nurse looked at their charts and said Jake needs three shots and Marli needs four. Marli said she'd go first. When the nurse came back in the room Jacob took off. I had to pull down Marli's jeans so she could poke her thigh. Marli was trying to pull her pants up and said this isn't right everyone is going to see my underwear. I told her it was OK. All she cared about was getting the sparkly band-aid. She said Ow each time she felt the needle, but was so brave. She didn't cry or anything. I was so proud of her. I opened the door to go find the missing patient. Here comes nurse Kathy holding Conor and Grandma Bette pulling Jake down the hall. I took Jake from my mom. She took Conor back out front. Jake broke out in hives and was screaming hysterically "Grandma, save me"! It took all of us to get him up on the table. I told him to count with me and it would be over. He finally started counting. He made it to twenty-five. Than it was over. He said "Oh, I thought I was going to die before I got to thirty"! He calmed down and was fine. Man! The nurse was so funny she said "You sure can tell who's the stronger of the sexes. This is why woman have the babies"! We ran a few errands and then met Papa Bill at Leo's for a early dinner. The kids had fun riding the rides and playing a few video games. My dad went home to get ready to go catch the bus for work. The kids and I went to Fred Meyers with Grandma. Then I took them all to my mom's while I went and had my friend Shannon work on mt neck and back. She's a massage therapist/Acupuncturist/Chi/Essential oil guru. She's amazing. She worked on me for two hours. I came out and my car was covered in snow. I was so disgusted. I went and picked the kids up and headed home. Ryan got home before us. What a day off!

Wednesday so far so good. I dropped the kids off at my dad's on the way to work. He took Jake and Marli to school and picked them up. I went and picked everyone up and took them home to spend the afternoon with Ry. I've been drinking a ton of water to get all the toxins out from the treatment Shannon gave me last night. She left two needles in my back on a pressure point. I'm supposed to leave them in for three days. I feel sore, but I can tell she helped a lot. I go back to the Spine specialist tomm. she'll go over my MRI results with me. I'm going to call it a day and go see my Kiddies. We're having Ham and eggs for dinner. Marli dances tommorow night, she'll do two dances. She's excited to finally do the tap dance they've been practicing. It'll be the first time they perform with tap shoes. She was so cute telling us she's going to dance for a bunch of Grandma's and Grandpa's that aren't hers.

Oh Miss Marli

Oh Miss marli...

The last time Marli performed, to say I was overwhelmed would be a huge understatement. I had to get her to Bonneville High School which is clear across town at a ridiculous time of day. There were two dance competitions going on at the same time.There was no where to park.Not only did I have her to get ready,but Jacob and Conor by myself. I had to pack them all in the school with Marli's dance bag, Conor's diaper bag, carry the car seat and direct Jacob and Marli in the right direction. It was pretty insane. When I finally get Marli to her teacher I realize I hadn't packed her tutu. Great! My daughter was the only one that didn't have part of her costume. OH Well! Good thing she's only four and the whole getting docked points doesn't really matter. Marli was totally OK with it. I was proud of her. I think if it was me, I would have begged my mom to just let me go home and not perform.

Today I took all three kids to Marli's dance practice. When we got there I realized that I didn't pack her shoes. I apologized to Marli. She smiled at me and said "Mom, when did you loose your mind"? I laughed. She was right I have lost my mind. I told her I must have lost it when Conor was born. She told me it was OK and she loved me and forgave me. I told her to tell her Teacher I was sorry. She always wants me to walk her into class. I opened the classroom door and before I could say anything she tells her teacher "My mom is really sorry,she lost her mind and forgot my dance shoes"! I felt so stupid. I looked at her teacher and said she's right I'm really sorry. The first part of dance is ballet and the second half is tap. So I forgot both pairs of shoes. They won't allow street shoes on the dance floor. Marli had to dance the whole class in her tights. She was OK with it. I hope I'm not scarring her for life.

Snow Castle

Ryan got home this morning from working all night. Thankfully it was his last night shift. He'll start his four days off now. When he walked in the door we were all happy to see him. After we ate breakfast Ry took Jacob and Marli outside to shovel the snow that has built up around the front of our house. Right before Ry got home Jacob was asking me if he had school today. When I told him no it's Tuesday he was disappointed that he wouldn't see his friends. He cheered right up when he found out he could go play outside. I was inside with Conor when Jacob came running in excited that he wanted to show me something. I knew it had to be pretty cool when he instructed me to bring the camera.

They built a magical Snow Castle!


They each made a crown. One for the King(Jacob).

One for the Queen (Marli).


I thought it was so awesome that Ry played out there with them for such a long time, when he'd been up all night.

Well I'm off to take Miss Marli to dance. I think we'll have homemade pizza for dinner and watch the new episode of House.

Daily Dish

I'm so ready for warmer weather. If it doesn't get here soon I may just hop on a plane to some place warm like this picture. I always look forward to getting the BBQ grill out and grilling dinner. We usually eat a lot of salads for dinner when it's warm outside. I came across this email and it has some interesting ideas for salads.

Getting Creative With Salads
Tired of eating the same salad, day after day? You can cure the salad blues by experimenting with new and exciting ingredients. Here, approved for all Phases, are a few alternatives to typical salad fixings:

Try a darker, more nutrient-dense green (such as baby spinach, arugula, or a spring mix) over your usual iceberg lettuce.
Opt for squash, eggplant, artichoke, and zucchini grilled with a touch of extra-virgin olive oil, instead of (or in addition to) more traditional ingredients, like tomatoes and cucumbers.
Try avocado or olives for a touch of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat.
Toss in grilled chicken, salmon, tuna, shrimp, or even tofu, for some satisfying lean protein.
Top with pecans, sunflower seeds, or another more exotic nut, instead of white-bread, buttery croutons.
Make your own salad dressing with an extra-virgin olive oil, mustard, balsamic vinegar, and garlic. Adding variety to your salad possibilities will help you enjoy healthy, flavorful meals.

Where Would You Be?

Ryan emailed me this and thought it was cute. For some reason I can't get it to load large enough to read. Click on the image and you'll be able to see it better.

Sunday Session

I wanted to write about what I got from General Conference Sunday session. As I sat with the kids and rubbed their backs the thought that kept coming to my mind was there is nothing more important than what you will do to raise these children with a Christlike love and kindness. No matter what is expected from me each day nothing should come before praying with my children and showing them how much their mother loves them and the Lord.



I'm so grateful to know that President Thomas S. Monson is truly our prophet. He is called to lead and guide our church. I have chills and have such a strong peaceful feeling that can only be felt because it is the truth. President Monson is doing the Lord's work. He has been saved for these Latter days. I want my children to know how much I love the Prophet and his counselors.





This picture is of Mary and baby Jesus. I want to be the kind of mother that Mary was to her precious son.


I made a yummy dinner and as we sat together at the table enjoying it, I expressed how grateful I am to have each of them in my life and how important they are to me.



I will let Christ in. I will gladly serve him. I want to be worthy to return with honor. I want Jaxon to be proud of his mother. I'm so grateful for the beautiful music we heard today. The talks were so precise. Each had a specific message I felt just for me. I can't believe how fast it went by. I can't wait to read all the wonderful talks when they come out.

You'll Rest When

Last night I was exhausted. After Ryan went to work I took the kids in my room to lay down. It was almost 7:00 p.m. I thought we could have quiet time for a hour and than make popcorn and watch a movie. Well Conor woke us up at midnight. Whoops! It's a good thing we did lay down at 7:00, because we we're all up from midnight until 4:00. After I fed Conor and changed him, Jacob was crying and having a hard time. I got him settled in his bed when Marli was "starving". I made her something to eat and got her a glass of milk. Well when I went to check on Jacob, Marli spilled the entire glass of milk on my comforter that I just got back from the dry cleaner. Seriously...what on earth!


I got that cleaned up when Jacob decided he was "starving". I took a series of deep breaths and fixed him something to eat. Than Conor thought he was hungry. I was so tired I just started sobbing. I thought for sure the kids would sleep in since they were up most of the night. Oh no they were up at 7:00 a.m. Apparently my children are teaching me that I will never receive any rest. I should just realize that my body must survive on little or no sleep from the time my children were born and until they leave home. Marli already told me she doesn't want to grow up. She is going to live with me forever. So maybe my dad was on to something when he told me " There will be plenty of time for rest when we die"!

Never Alone

My favorite song right now is Never Alone. Marli & I will listen to it over and over and over in the car. We sing along and when I was listening to it yesterday I felt the feeling of we are daughters and sons of a loving Father in Heaven that will never leave us. Even when we may feel all alone and can't feel him beside us he is there. All we must do is pray for his spirit to be with us. I have been struggling lately with serious depression and anxiety. I have prayed for thy spirit to wrap around me and help me feel thy love. I know my Father in Heaven wants me to be happy. Just as I want my children to be happy.










This song is on my tunes if you want to hear how beautiful it is. Jim Brickman wrote this song. When I listen to this song I feel like it's a song Jaxon would want me to hear. I know he wants his mom to be happy and feel his love.

May the angels protect you
Trouble neglect you
And heaven accept you when its time to go home
May you always have plenty
Your glass never empty
And know in your belly
You're never alone

May your tears come from laughing
You find friends worth having
With every year passing
They mean more than gold
May you win but stay humble

Smile more than grumble
And know when you stumble
You're never alone

Chorus:
Never alone
Never alone
I'll be in every beat of your heart
When you face the unknown
Wherever you fly
This isn't goodbye
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone

Well I have to be honest
As much as I wanted
I’m not gonna promise the cold winds won"t blow
So when hard times have found you
And your fears surround you
Wrap my love around you
You're never alone
Chorus

May the angels protect you
Trouble neglect you
And heaven accept you when its time to go home
And when hard times have found you
And your fear surrounds you
Wrap my love around you
You're never alone

Chorus
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone






I want my family and friends to know I will always be here for you.

Conference Weekend

I put Conor to bed a little after 8:00 last night. He surprised me by sleeping until 7:00. I think he knew I was up most the night with Jacob. It always seems like if one child is sick or having a hard time the others will give you the night off. Jacob woke up around ten burning up with a fever and bawling that his ear was killing him. I put him in bed with me. Ryan started his first of four night shifts and wasn't home. I gave Jacob medicine and ear drops. He wasn't getting any relief from the Motrin. I held him and rubbed his back. He finally fell asleep only to wake up a little later screaming with ear pain. I had a long night with practically no sleep. When Ryan got home at 8:30 a.m. he was surprised to see all the kids bathed and dressed as well as me showered and ready for the day. I told him I was taking Jake to the doctor. He called his parents home to see if I could drop Marli and Conor off so he could sleep and I wouldn't have to take all three kids with me. Ryan left a message and Reuel called me back. He was at work and on this side of town. He said he'd come over to our house and watch the kids while I took Jake to the doctor. Super!


Jake has a ear infection. He is miserable. The doctor said he has a infection in his throat as well. He reminded me so much of his brother Jaxon. While the doctor was examining him he would tell us he was Okay. "I'm okay,I'm okay". Just like Jax would say when he was so sick. What a trooper. Jake and I went to Rite Aid by our house. The pharmacist tech looked like Kyle's friend Mark Dalling. I asked him if he was Mark's brother. Sure enough his name was Craig. He said to tell my family hello when I told him Kyle was my brother. Jake picked out a couple movies and a stuffed animal that he thought was a T-Rex. I thought it was a frog. We stopped at Reed's dairy and then came home. Grandpa Reuel was having a good time with Conor and Marli. When I was carrying everything in from the car Marli met me at the door. She told me Grandpa was listening to the Prophet and needed to stay. She begged me to let Grandpa stay. Today is a extremely special day. Our church sustained a new Prophet. President Thomas S. Monson. He has the same birthday as Jaxon. Grandpa Reuel said he helped Marli and Conor raise their hand to sustain our new Prophet. I was sad I missed it. Thank goodness for video taping. I will definitely watch it later.

Before Reuel left I took these pictures. Marli was upstairs and I couldn't get her to come downstairs. She was eating a cinnamon roll.



Thank you Reuel for spending this special time with us. I know conference is special all on it's own. I always feel like it's even more meaningful when a fresh spirit is in our home. I remember watching general conference in October right after Jaxon was born. The spirit of God was burning inside me as I held my son and listened to the leaders of our church. Same thing today while holding sweet little Conor. I'm so grateful for a Father in Heaven who loves me and has given me four beautiful and amazing children. I often don't feel worthy to be their Mother. I pray I will do a good job taking care of them. I know he has put a great deal of trust in me with his most sacred blessing, being his spirit children's Earthly Mother. I often find myself on my knees pleading in my children's behalf. If you look at my Tunes there is a song "Prayer Of The Children" if you have time listen to it. The person who wrote the lyrics to it was inspired to write and record the song after spending time at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake. It is so beautiful. I love how incredibly strong the spirit is when I listen to the men sing acapella. It is so special. I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful General Conference weekend.

Daddy Takes The Morning Shift

Monday Ryan started his four days off. The kids love it when he's home. They have so much fun with him. I asked Ry if he'd rather watch the kids in the morning or afternoon on Thursday while I went to work. He thought it would be nice for me not having to get everyone ready and out the door by 8:15. As I was getting ready to leave Ry said I think I change my mind. I told him it was too late I was getting ready to walk out the door. I asked him if he wanted me to call my mom to come pick the kids up. He said "No, I'll suffer through it".




When I came home for lunch this is what I saw when I walked in the door. I had to grab the camera and capture this moment. Ryan was reading to the kids. They were all having a good time.


I noticed Marli and Jacob each had their own big bag of chips. I loaded the kids up to go spend the afternoon with my mom and dad. On the way to my parents house Jacob asked me "Why do you give my dad so many jobs to do"? I didn't know what he was talking about. Jake said "My dad says he can't play with me because he has stuff to do, I know their jobs you gave him". Ok! I asked the kids wouldn't it be neat if dad was a doctor and... Marli says "And you could be his assistant". Jacob says "No,that's not a good idea cuz than I'd never see dad. You'd make him work everyday".

When I got done with work I picked the kids up at my parents house. We all met Ryan at Ruby River for dinner. Marli loved sitting by Grandma Bette at dinner.Marli was having a difficult time keeping her fork, cup and than dessert on the table. She was probably lucky she was sitting by Grandma and not Ryan. Jacob said his favorite part was sitting in the middle of mom and dad. It was a nice time and the food was so yummy.

Reasons Men Prefer Guns Over Women

Reasons Men Prefer Guns Over Women

#1 You can trade an old .44 for a new .22.

#2 You can keep one gun at home and have another for when you're on the road.

#3 One gun doesn't mind if you keep another gun for a backup.

#4 Your gun will stay with you even if you run out of ammo.

#5 A gun doesn't take up a lot of closet space.

#6 Guns function normally every day of the month.

#7 A gun doesn't ask 'Do these new grips make me look fat?'

#8 You can buy a silencer for a gun.

Ok so ladies don't be offended...my boss thought this was cute and asked me to forward to Ryan. What he doesn't know is that we could come up with our own list. Right?



I saw this picture and thought of Carrie and me when were older we will still be able to outshoot any guy! I love going target shooting with Ry! This picture of a AR15 is similar to the one Ryan built for himself. I thought I would put it on here for him!

Millionaire

I just got a phone call from the producer of the show who wants to be a millionaire! I am going to be a contestant on the show. It will air in June! I have been trying to get on the show for five years! Wish me luck...you know I'll need it!



This is my dream come true! I will finally be able to see in NYC! Wow! It's amazing!




I can't believe it........And neither should you!!!

April Fool's! Everyone knows I wouldn't even make it to the $2000 question. Oh well! Who needs $ when you have a sense of humor. Hope everyone has a happy and uneventful April 1st! I woke Ryan up with yelling and excitement! He never fell for it for one second. He looked me in the eye and said do you even know how hard that show is. I told him he was mean and I wasn't going to share my good fortune with him. He almost believed me. When I told him ha ha April Fools he laughed and said good one. Pretty sad that my best friend doesn't have much faith in my ability to win on a game show even if it was pretend. I know he loves me for my brain! Yeah right!