In Pursuit...

A couple of weeks ago we went up Grover Park in pursuit of the perfect Christmas tree. You all know how it goes...we could have looked forever.
We knew that the kids wouldn't last for too long out in the snow so we stopped and got out by a meadow and took a little hike through the trees. There were a few that caught our eye, but we decided to take this one. Dave cut it down in a snap and then we stood it up to examine our tree. It was much taller than we expected it to be...about 20 feet tall! It actually reaches the top of the railing in our loft. This was the first time we have had to drag the ladder out to put lights on the tree, and I lost track of how many strands of lights we put on it. I'm just glad we had enough. We let the kids go wild decorating the tree and they had a blast doing it "all by themselves". However, the top of the tree is a little sparse. But it's all good. Having the tree up definately makes it feel like Christmas in our home.

We've had fun watching the kids get all excited for the big day. It's fun listening to them chatter about Santa and seeing the wonder in their eyes. And of course, "Charly" the elf has been watching their every move. We are grateful for the "Christmas Magic" that the kids bring to us as adults. It reminds us of what's important and of the reason for the season. We are grateful for such great family members and friends who are always there for us. Most of all we are thankful for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the sacrifices that He made on our behalf. We love you all and hope you are enjoying this holiday season! Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday!

Dave and Wyatt both celebrated their birthdays this month. Happy Birthday to both of you! We love you bunches!

Of course Dave blew out the bonfire before I could catch him with chipmunk cheeks.

Wyatt is six now. Can you believe it?!

We love Pajama time...

Yesterday morning I caught Kiersten reading a book to Coy. It was the cutest thing!

The best time of the day at our house seems to be when you can put on your pajamas and just relax before bed. I had to capture the kids in their pajamas the other night. They kept piling on top of each other and rolling around on the floor. This is about the only time you'll see our kids clean.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween was a blast for us this year. It was the first year our kids were old enough to really trick-or-treat and have fun with it. It reminded me of when I was a kid and Halloween was so much fun. Thursday night we carved our pumpkins. It was quite the chore, but the kids were excited when it was all said and done. Wyatt got to take a pumpkin to school on Friday for their annual "Pumpkin Patch" where all the kids put their pumpkins on display for the day.

Friday we decided to head to Soda for the big night. The kids loved their costumes. I was really surprised that Coy kept his on for so long, but I think he liked the way he looked in it. He liked to see himself in the mirror in his lion costume.

The kids got far too much candy, but had a ball doing it. Kiersten kept saying "lets go to the next house." She always made sure that the people didn't forget to give Coy a treat too. And we couldn't have asked for a better night as far as the weather was concerned. It was great. By the time we got in the car to go home the kids were zonked out and they even let us sleep in alittle this morning. Yeah!!!

One time of the year where being on top of the table is okay.

Coy was quite fascinated with the candle inside the pumpkin.

This was how Wyatt looked for school Friday morning.

The lion, ladybug, and skeleton. Quite the little spooks!

Happy Birthday Kiersten!

Kiersten turned 3 on Saturday, Oct. 25. She's growing up so fast. She's really getting in to the girly stuff and being "pretty" now. I have to admit, it's kinda fun. She loves her baby dolls and berretts and just about anything pink. She had a great birthday. Thanks to everyone who helped make it so fun for her! We love you Kiersten!

Where's Coy???

There he is!!!

Mountain Extreme at it's best...

We got alot of comments about the picture of the table I posted last time so I thought I should share Dave's latest creations with you too. I get to see the furniture he makes all the time. I guess I take it for granted. But Dave is truly talented at woodworking and I wish more of you could see his work. So here are a couple of pictures of some fish tables that he just finished up last week.

Tagged...

We were tagged by Mandy and were supposed to put the fourth picture from the fourth folder on the post. Here is a photo of one of Dave's latest creations. He finished this table late sometime this summer. I am always amazed at the things he builds. He does such an awesome job. Someday I'll have a few of his pieces in our house. I just have to convince him to let me keep something and not sell it though. Anyhow...he sure is talented, don't you think?!!

Autumn in the Rockies!

Saturday the kids and I were able to attend my Grandma Wheatley's 90th birthday party. She looked great and is still has spry as ever. She has always been a go-getter and is a great example to me. I hope to be able to raise my family and instill good morals and values in my children the way she did. I am proud to be part of her legacy. Happy Birthday Grandma!

What a busy week we had this past week. It seemed we had every day packed full trying to get things done before the storm hit. Mainly we were concerned about getting our wood split and stacked before it got buried in the snow. So last Wednesday we rented a wood-splitter and got down to business. Thankfully Dave's good buddy Brandon came and helped us out and we were able to get our year's supply of wood put away. Wyatt and Kiersten were eager to help and put in just as much effort as the rest of us did. Coy took a good long nap while we worked, which was nice not to have to worry about him under-foot. We were sore at the end of the day, but felt good about what we accomplished. It's always fun to work together as a family.

Paecho and Charlie

Our neighbors have a couple of their horses in our pasture. It seems that Paecho and Charlie are getting well acquainted with the kids. A couple of days ago I mowed the lawn real short (hoping that it might be the last time this year)so there were tons of grass clippings. The kids spent over an hour gathering up the grass and feeding it to the horses by the handfulls. Now every time the kids go out by the fence, the horses come right over. Charlie tried to nibble at Coy's hair a couple of times. Coy just laughs - he thinks it's great fun.





I don't know if you can see it in this picture, but Coy had to taste the dirt and grass also. He likes to eat dirt almost every time he goes outside. What is it with boys?

Fall Roundup

I recently got to go on a Field Trip with Wyatt's class. We went on a "fall roundup" to Mrs. Kennington's house where the kids got to ride horses, pet ducks, and play with Mrs. Kennington's big St. Bernard dog named "Max." She also had a playground and a trampoline at her house so the kids were well entertained. We even had a real cowboy lunch - roasting hot dogs over an open fire. Then the kids got to make their own tie dye t-shirts to take home. What a day! We had a good time. I couldn't believe how much fun stuff kindergarten teachers can pack in to four hours. Mrs. Kennington does a great job. I think Wyatt really enjoys being in her class.

Mrs. Kennington with the duck.

Wyatt all duded up on the slide.

Some real Cowboys!

Wyatt and Max.

"Look Mom, no hands!"

In other news, thanks to our parents for coming over and listening to our Primary Program. We were really impressed with Wyatt memorizing his part and all. He did a good job inspite of being really nervous. We enjoyed our time spent with you over dinner and visiting. The kids can't wait to go to "grandma's house" now. Dave and I really appreciate all you do for us and realize how special and important our families are to us. We are truly blessed and look forward to seeing you all again.

Our Favorite Pics from Labor Day

Here are some of the moments we captured while camping on Labor Day weekend. That seems so long ago now. It takes me awhile to get things posted. Better late than never though, right?!

Cheese!

Congratulations, Jeff!

The three amigos.

Singing in the rain. "Beep bop, beep bop....."

Off to School

Well, we shipped Wyatt off to Kindergarten yesterday. Can you believe we have a child in school now?!! Overall though it was a good experience. We weren't sure when the bus was supposed to arrive at our house so we got up extra early to make sure Wyatt was ready on time. Then we kept going out to the road and back to the house to check and see if the bus was coming yet. It was quite chilly out yesterday morning. Finally we heard the bus coming and would you believe it zoomed right past our house! So I hurried and got Wyatt into the car and hauled him into school myself. Which turned out okay cuz then I knew he made it to class on his first day. When we walked into the school there were some aliens to greet the students and some other space creatures around the school. Wyatt didn't quite know what to think about that. Then I walked him down to his room and he waved and said "bye mom." Then at the last minute he turned back around and gave me a big hug. Yeah!!! He still needs me! And I didn't even cry (not yet anyway).

When Wyatt got home I asked him how his day was and he said "it was way fun mom." His favorite part of the day was recess of course and he got to have cake at lunch. What more could you ask for. I want to go back to Kindergarten! He loves his teacher Mrs. Kennington, and he has a couple of friends from preschool in his class. The theme for this year in his class is "cowboys" so he is right in his element. He had a great first day and I'm thinking he should have a pretty good year in school. At the end of the day Wyatt was more than ready for bed. He had a big day.


This morning we were able to catch the bus at home. Then out of nowhere the tears came tumbling down as I walked back to the house after putting Wyatt on the bus. I didn't expect that. But I guess I'm not the first one to cry as we send our kids off to school. I hear its quite normal so that makes me feel better.

Now we are preparing for Labor Day weekend. We can't wait to go camping and see everybody and I am so ready to get away from the daily grind! See you out there!

The best looking kid at Afton Elementary

Camping

This summer seems to be going by way too fast so we have been trying to cram in as many camping trips as we can before school starts up. We had a blast up Greys River with the family and this past weekend we went out to Lanes Creek for some more R&R. It was a good time, but the mosquitos and flies were terrible. We'll have to restock our repellent supply for next time.

Jeff and Ashley and their family went with us. Coy wouldn't leave their dog, Tucker, alone. He loves dogs for some reason. Must get that from his dad.
On Friday Coy fell out of the camp trailer and skinned his face up on the steps. It was one of those things I knew was going to happen sooner or later. But he still had a smile on his face. Not even a week later his scabs came off and you wouldn't know anything had happened.
Poor Tucker getting malled to death again. Good thing he's a pretty easy going dog now.
Sunday we tried to get the kids together for a picture, but they weren't having much of it. Oh well, we tried. Overall, it was a good weekend and Wyatt, Mckenzie, Dawson and Kiersten got the fort all whipped into shape. We can't wait to go camping again for Labor Day!