SNC Concert

Last Friday, Ty took me on one of the best dates ever! We got all dressed up (Samantha chose my outfit) and went out to dinner.
We went to The Cellar for a nice dinner without the kids. We went all out on the dinner, too: appetizer, entree, AND dessert! The bruschetta was unlike any we'd had before. Instead of diced tomatoes, basil, and a little olive oil, it was caramelized onions, roasted garlic, and blue cheese! We had to let go of our pre-conceived notions of bruschetta, but it was sooo good! Ty's salmon was served with a grain we had never seen before. Quinoa. (Pronounced keen wah) It was so pretty and tasted pretty good too. I'm gonna have to find some ways to incorporate it into our meal plans!
Then it was time for the main event! We headed downtown to the Colonial Theater for the Straight No Chaser concert. I was positively giddy with excitement! Ty kept threatening to take me home if I didn't calm down. (Yeah, right! Like he could have dragged me away!) We perused the souvenir table, but I already have both their Christmas albums. I fell in love with a pink t-shirt, but they only had small and medium, and they ran really small. I have been tempted every day since to order it from their website, but with Christmas coming, I don't think that's a very good idea. *sigh*
We had great seats; only 8 from the front!
The boys finally came out and the fun began. They were so funny and you could tell that they really enjoy what they do. (I am going to try to upload some video, but it's my first time doing that and I'm not sure what I'm doing!) It was cool, because after their first song, Jerome Collins came out and made an announcement. He said that as we may know, they were discovered because of a Youtube video clip. So he encouraged us to take pictures and videos and to feel free to post them on Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, and anywhere else we saw fit. So I recorded several! They sang several of their "classics" from Youtube and others I've never heard them do before. I especially liked the Lady Gaga medley, the Billie Jean/That Girl is Poison mash-up, Chicken Fried, and Fix You. I really hope they come back to Idaho Falls again. I'll be first in line for tickets!!! The crowd loved them, too, and they did two encores.
Afterward, the guys came out to the lobby for an autograph line. I was mildly annoyed with the woman in line in front of me. She was obviously drunk and thought she was the center of the group's world. She proposed to Michael, kissed several of the guys, and spoke very loudly. The guys would politely talk to her and then try to turn their attention to the next person in line (me.) Well, she was having none of that. She'd just lean in front of me and talk over me. so, I didn't get a chance to talk to most of them. I could have been a brat about it, but I just let it slide. Here I am talking to Ryan. Our blurry hands are preparing to high-5 in this picture.
It was a great night. I was so wired when we got home, it took over 3 hours for me to calm down enough to sleep! I have an awesome husband! I am crossing my fingers for next year!
Here is the video I uploaded. I think. I can't tell if it will play or not. I'm sorry for the poor quality. It was dark in the theater, and my phone won't let me zoom in on video. I was going to post more, but it takes FOR-E-VER to upload! This one is the Lady Gaga medley. Watch the dancing. It's hilarious!

Our New Toy

After all the fun we had at Banks Lake, Ty's been itching to get a boat of his own. He watched eBay, scoured internet sites, and even checked out local dealers. One day, he found a deal he just couldn't pass up. So, a few Saturdays ago, Ty took a day trip up to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho to pick up his dream boat.
It was FAR from a dream trip, however. He left at about 5am so he could get up there around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. He met with Adam Olinger from Olinger Marine. Soon enough, the deal was done and Ty was on his way home. He should have been home around 10 or 11, but about 50 minutes outside of Butte, MT, one of the tires on the trailer blew out. That would have been okay, since Ty had a spare, but the weight of the boat forced the air out of the other tire on that side when the first tire died. Ty was able to limp off at the next exit at Gold Creek. Gotta love USAA's roadside assistance. They sent somebody out, but the closest tow truck with a flatbed big enough for the boat and trailer was 2 hours away. Ty took out his flashlight and puttered around the boat, tidied up his truck, and looked at the stars. At the time, the Chilean miners were still trapped 2,300 feet below the Earth's surface. He decided that he was blessed to be "trapped" in a place where he could still see the sky and would soon be home. By the time they got the boat and trailer to Helena where the tires could be repaired, it was almost 2am! The tire guy offered to mount the new tires then and there, but Ty said, "No I'm tired and you all deserve some sleep. Let's just take care of it in the morning." He checked into his hotel at 2:15. Poor guy. Luckily, the hotel had some phone chargers in lost and found, so he was able to recharge his phone. Ty was on his way down to breakfast at 7am when the most awesome Frank Kolar from Kolar Tire & Auto called to say the tires were mounted and he was all set! Then, Frank only charged $30 a tire and didn't charge labor!!!
Finally, at about 2:30 Sunday afternoon, Ty and the new boat rolled into our driveway. The following pictures capture the joy that ensued...
Samantha's the King of the World! (Or Queen, as the case may be.)
Zachary is very excited.
This is Tristan and Zachary's favorite place to sit.
You can see the sides where the wake bar goes up, but it is down in all these pictures for the trip. Then, we removed at all together for winter storage, so I guess you'll have to wait til next year to see that.
I like the detailed stitching that matches the artwork on the sides of the boat.
So, we got the dream boat in October. Ty and I dropped it in Blacktail on Columbus Day, just so we could say we did. It was cold and raining, but we went boating, dangit! Then we went out again the following Friday afternoon so we could take the kids. We were all wearing coats and hats and shivering, but we plugged in my iPod and tore around the lake with the music blaring! Now, the boat has been winterized and it is waiting peacefully for next Spring when it will have the chance to play again!

Banks Lake 2010 (Long post, but worth it!)

Ty's sister, Keirra and her husband, Duff invited us to go to Banks Lake with them this Summer for their annual family free-for-all. To be honest, I was a little nervous because we don't know a soul in Duff's family (We met his parents at their wedding and again at their first child's blessing, but that's it!) and I thought it would be awkward. I shouldn't have worried. Duff's family is an amazing group of people with a way of making everybody feel like family!Duff's family have been going to Banks Lake, Washington for something like 25 years. They bring their boats, water skiing stuff, tents, food, and lots of energy. Then they find an awesome beach, set up their stuff, and let the fun begin. This year, there were about 25-30 people there.
One of the traditions is to go cliff diving. Being terrified of heights as I am, this prospect did NOT appeal to me, however, several of the others were more than ready to go. Tristan, of course, was one of the first in line. There is a cliff that is about 10 feet high, but that wasn't good enough for Tristan. He had to go for the 30 foot cliff.
As you can see, he is fearless. Since he didn't tuck his arms in, he was also a little red and sore on the underside of his arms!
Like I said, Duff has been going to Banks Lake for years and is pretty dang good at anything to do with a boat and the water. Here he is showing us how to wake board. Check out the air he's getting! (Besides being impressed with Duff's skills, I had to include this picture cuz it demonstrates what a GREAT sports photographer I am! LOL)
Tristan and Ty both tried next and did great. Tristan got up on his first pull and Ty got up on his second. They were naturals. I, however, was not. I tried again and again and each time, I ended up down before I was up. I swear I drank half the lake! Tristan insists I crashed at least 20 times, but I think it was closer to 12 or 15. Either way, I did NOT get up on the first day! I got up 2 days later, but of course, I didn't bring the camera along. So, no pictures. Keirra took one with Duff's Blackberry, but I don't know how to get it off my phone yet. (When I figure out that little feat, I'll post them!)
On the second day, we went to a place Keirra calls "Clay Beach". The shore is full of clay deposits. We had tons of fun molding it into shapes and smearing it all over our bodies. Our very own spa mud treatment.
Ty decided his head wasn't nearly big enough, so he crafted himself a new one. He was joking that if his hair started to grow back, he was gonna patent the stuff!
Here is our group with our war paint. (Don't we look ferocious?)

Zachary tried his hand at knee boarding. He did great getting up, but then he would get nervous and yell for us to stop. You can see the distress on his face in this picture. We couldn't figure out why he was freaking out because he seemed to be doing so well. We found out on the last day that he didn't understand how the life vest worked. He thought that if he crashed, he would drown! Poor kid. Ty took some time with him, demonstrating how it would make him pop to the surface, but that was on the last day we were there, so he didn't get a chance to go again with his new found knowledge.
Duff's dad (Dan) borrowed a party barge from a friend of his and he took us all over in it. Over to the cliffs for cliff diving, to clay beach for mud bathes and clay fights. And he used the sound system to play music for us. He's the DJ for youth dances where they live, so he had a great selection of music. All the littleies climbed on top of the barge for some dancing while he "spun" some tunes. For a while, the kids booed anything that wasn't Michael Jackson, but eventually they just danced. Lucy and Greta go to the dances Dan DJs, so they were teaching the kids some of the line dances they do.
Samantha loved going knee boarding. She thought she was pretty hot stuff. She even got good enough to splash the other person she was boarding with and to go over the wake and back. She wanted to go any time she got the chance.
Tristan liked knee boarding, too. He became pretty good friends with one of Keirra's nephews, Hunter. They went out quite a bit, too. Hunter has been doing this for years, so he was really good at it. Going back and forth across the wake and splashing Tristan every chance he got. You could tell that it was irritating Tristan that he couldn't figure out how to splash him back. Finally he got the hang of it though, then it was all bets off. See him leaning to spray Hunter?
Ty has always wanted to try slalom and he decided this was the time. Duff warned him that it's the hardest form of water skiing to learn, especially for a 200 lb man, but Ty was undeterred. Look at that cheesy grin!
He attempted several times, but this was as close as he got. He just couldn't get his position right. He had to push through so much water, it was constantly in his face. I love how his cheek looks like it got punched in this shot. That's how hard the water was hitting him! On his 4th or 5th attempt, he felt something pop in his rib cage. Then, on his next try, that spot hurt like a mother bear, so he had to call it quits. I was concerned that he might have separated a rib or broke one or something. We watched really close, but no bruising ever appeared. It's a month later though, and he still has twinges of pain. I guess he won't be slaloming any time soon!
This is my niece, Lily. She is quite the little sportswoman! She will try anything and is usually great at whatever she does. I love her "game face" in this picture. She's so into it!
Zachary liked to use the inner-tube as a relaxing spot. He could chill out as long as he wanted and then, jump right back into the water.
Just had to show off my niece, Bella. Unlike my kids, she'd flash a brilliant smile every time I pointed the camera at her!
Everybody but our family was going home on the last day. (They only had a 4 hour drive, as opposed to our 9 hour one!) Nobody wanted to sit in the car that long covered in lake water, sunscreen, sand, and sweat, so the lake became the bathtub. Everybody lathered up and cleaned off. Of course, there had to be a water fight. What fun would it be without one? Here are Samantha, Carter, Lucy, and Emma covered in suds. They were having the time of their lives.
Thursday was our day to come home. But we had to stop for the obligatory pictures at Grand Coulee Dam. We were gonna go on the dam tour (the kids loved saying that!) but Ty's ribs were really bothering him, so we decided to forgo that little excursion until a later trip.
We had so much fun for those 4 days. I hope we behaved well enough to be invited back again in the future!

My Baby Girl

Okay, so yesterday, I poured through old photo albums finding the perfect pictures, only to find that my scanner isn't working. So, I gave up on that and tried to go online just to tell you all about my baby and the Internet was down due to a fire up on the hill! So, I gave up. Now I have Internet, but this tribute is a day late. Sorry Baby Girl!
Eleven years ago, my baby girl was born. She was 6 weeks early, so she was very tiny, only 5 pounds, 6 ounces. She was so weak that she couldn't suck, so she quickly lost weight until she was a mere 4 pounds 15 ounces. But still, she was huge compared to the other babies in the NICU. That's why the nurses all called her, "The Queen of the NICU." We named her "Samantha Elizabeth Jones" and the joke was that her name was bigger than she was! Samantha was breathing on her own, but needed an oxygen tent for the first couple days and then a cannula for days after that. (I have a picture to show this, but like I said, the scanner is ganked up.) Even connected to a million tubes and wires, she was a beautiful baby. Everybody told me how beautiful she was. Of course, I hadn't seen or held her yet. She couldn't come out of the NICU and nobody thought to take me to her. Finally, when she was over 24 hours old, a nurse found me sobbing in my room and asked what was wrong. I blubbered that I hadn't even held my baby yet and she immediately got me scrubbed and gowned so I could meet my Samantha. When the nurse placed my sweet baby in my arms, it was like an electric shot went through me. There was an instant connection. She turned her head, opened her eyes, and I swear she knew exactly who I was. I couldn't get enough!The next days were bittersweet, as I could spend my days with my new angel, but then I had to leave her there when I went home. I had a great ward family, though, and they stepped in to help. Two young women would come over and play with Tristan (who was only 2 1/2) so I could go spend time with my baby. Other sisters brought in meals since I was always at the hospital until dinner time. My mom would bring Tristan in for short visits. He loved his baby sister, but want' impressed with all the scrubbing that had to go on before he could see her. He wasn't too sure about the cap and gown either. But he loved to hold her and give her kisses. I will always remember the first time he saw her. She was still in the little warmer bed, so she had no clothes on, just a diaper. I said, "There's your baby sister. Isn't she pretty?" He looked at her in awe and solemnly nodded. Then he pointed at her umbilical stump, crinkled his nose, and said, "Ew, gwoss!" I laughed out loud and promised that it wouldn't be there forever.We were warned that Samantha would probably have to stay in the hospital until her due date, but she was strong enough to go home after only 9 days. It was scary to bring her home. So many rules. I had to set the alarm so I could wake her every 2 hours to eat because she was still too little to wake herself. I kept a bottle of Germ-X antibac sanitizer right by the door and everybody who came through the door was required to use it. But it was so worth it to have her home with us. Samantha has been a true blessing in my life. She is thoughtful, kind, smart, and I could go on and on. Repeatedly, I have been told by her teachers that she is the most thoughtful child in her class. If she sees a child being left alone or who is sad, she is the first to go to them and draw them into her circle. She loves making new friends. She has always loved music. When she was a baby, she used to hum herself to sleep. When she grew older, she'd demand song after song as lullabies. "Sing Bird" (Hush Little Baby) "Sing Jesus" (I am a Child of God) until we'd finally say no more. She's always singing something. She is my biggest helper, always ready to lend a hand around the house. And she (almost) never complains. I love her so much and I am so thankful that she was sent to our family. I don't know what I'd do without her. She is my angel!
Happy Birthday Baby!!!

Our New Neighbor

About a week ago, when Ty was mowing the yard, he noticed a nest in the bush outside our back door.A couple of days later, there were four little eggs inside. We think this may be a first attempt for the mama bird. Do you see the way the nest is lying? It's attached to the tree quite well, but it looks like it's about to fall out of the tree. Quite precarious! Mama Bird has been very faithful about keeping her nest warm. She ignores Mayzee completely, but if one of us steps onto the back porch, she flies to the tree across the yard to flap her wings and scold us for being too close.Here is another shot of the precious cargo.This afternoon, when I peeked out to check how things were going, I saw a new neighbor. And I mean BRAND new. He/she still has bits of egg shell stuck to his body! (See that little white speck on his back? That's shell.) I think I may be as excited as the mother bird is! I can't wait to see if the others will soon follow suit and join us in our back yard!

Around the Campfire

Because my brother is preparing to go on a 1 year remote tour to Korea, his wife has decided to move to my parents' home with her two darling little boys. Memorial Day weekend, they brought the final load of "stuff" up to my folks'. Their little boy requested a campfire, and my little boy requested s'mores. My dad was happy to oblige.Samantha adores her little cousins and they think she's pretty cool, too. This is Declan getting some lap time.Jeremy brought his friend, Matt. Matt brought his friend, Crockett. While my family fell in love with Matt, my kids fell in love with Crockett. He's the cutest little (huge) chocolate lab puppy. At 10 months old, he had acquired most of his size and lost none of his puppy playfulness. The kids loved running around the yard with him and he loved tripping them up. I tried to get some pictures of Crockett and Zachary wrestling, but they all came out blurry.My sister in law is so pretty. Isn't that rude?Here's the future inhabitant of Korea. We will miss him while he's gone. But, we're also glad that we are going to get to spend so much time with Sandi and the boys.My cutie-patootie nephew, Declan. He is 2 years old now. I was playing around with the special settings on my camera. That's why this picture is a tad blurry. But it still shows that sweet little smile!This is Andrew. He's 4. He is the sweetest little boy and will give you a hug at the least provocation.
This is me enjoying a yummylicious s'more. It was worth the wait. Some of the boys decided they wanted hot dogs, too, so we had marshmallows and hot dogs cooking at the same time. Nobody was complaining.
All in all it was a great night. We sat around the fire talking, laughing, and telling stories on each other. I wish we could have more evenings like this one!

Take a Hike!

This year, for the annual Achievement Days Daddy/Daughter date, we decided to do something else. In the past they've always done one of two activities: a dressy dinner and dance, or go bowling. IMHO, that's old and tired and we wanted to mix it up a bit. We took a Saturday in May and went on a hike. There is a beautiful little trail up near Heise that is easy to get to and pretty easy to hike. I've been praying for nice weather ever since we scheduled the hike back in January. We were blessed with a beautiful, mild day. It was about 70 degrees with a light breeze and light, fluffy clouds in the sky.

The trail follows Cress Creek which is a thermal water source. It's not warm like a hot spring is, but the water is not glacial either. It's warm enough to run year round and not freeze.

It was wonderful to see the girls and their daddies spending (somewhat) quiet time together. I loved watching Samantha and her daddy bond as they hiked up the trail.

Ty stopped to gather some wild water cress for his sandwich. He picked enough that all the girls could try it out. Some liked it, but most spit it out and declared it "yucky".

Here is Samantha enjoying her lunch. She wasn't sure she wanted her picture taken. Too bad!

A couple dads had to Google Earth our location so they could see where the water from the river was being pumped. (There's a farm somewhere on top of the mountain.)


The girls had a really great time and so did the dads. I was thanked for doing something different and it was suggested that we do it again.

Judging by the looks on the girls' faces, we might just have to do that!

"Twinkle Toes"

Thanks to a good friend (nod to Jenny), Samantha and I had a great time doing our toenails today. I think it's actually called "sparkle toes", but Samantha and I like "twinkle toes" better. First, you paint your toenails a fun color.


Then you sprinkle glitter of the same color on your still-wet toes. (We did it over sheets of paper so we could roll them up and pour the excess glitter back into the bottles.)

Allow to dry.

Add a clear top coat to seal the sparkles in.

And, voila! You have fun, sparkly, twinkly nails. Perfect for a summer pedicure! We'll have to do it again sometime, when Samantha has some friends over.