A cowboy's work is never done

Managing town affairs:
(Making bread and well,, apparently digging for Gold)

Keeping the riff raff in line

Of course a good cowboy is nothing without his trusty horse.

"Diego"

Pay for a hard days work.

Aaah.. summa time and Watermelon.

Our boy

I'm going to miss this stage of life.

Two Things:
1)So these aren't the best pictures. I wish I would have taken more time to take them... but they captured the memory.
2)Arkansas pictures are coming, we just haven 't been feeling up to par here. Our whole family has been on the outs. Even our cars!

Just some videos for the Grandma's. Well actually the first one is for Sam and Joey

These videos are long, and out of order. So only family will probably appreciate them.

I've been told on many occasions during Cache's short life:

"That kid is ALL boy if I've ever met one."

Then they usually shake there head as if to say:

"sheesh.."

Here is Cache proving all these people right:

**the second part of the movie, Cache is: "kicking ghostiz" (ghosts)

** forewarning, some of these are long long long and probably only entertaining to us and Grandmas that haven't seen grandkids in awhile.

This video is for Ben and Cindy who always call to see what
we are doing on the weekends, and even though they are in Arizona, ask:
"You guys wanna hang out tonight?"

Well guys, this movie will cure you of that... we are pretty lazy and boring.

3.19.09

Devin passed boards.
i made him a pie.
good job Devin.

Cache's boys and the zoo trip

This year Cache got to be on the same team as Cannon and Sky.
aka: "my boys."










little confession.. many of the picture i post on the blog, Devin actually takes.. Then I take credit for them. What's yours is mine, what's mine is ours right? :)
All these next pictures at the zoo, except the ones with Devin actually IN them are courtesy of Devin. I (of course ) was having an attitude that day, saying things such as:

"No, taking pictures of animals is only for dorks."

and

"Hurry up Devin no body cares to look at pictures of animals!"

I was wrong. I love looking at these pictures Devin.

Luckily Devin is use to my attitude and just laughed at my horribly rude comments and kept taking pictures.

Family zoo picture. The giraffe ducked. Guess he was camera shy darnit.

Sure is getting GORGEOUS here in Missouri... wanna come visit?
we'll feed you, house you, love you.
i'm not desperate for visitors or anything though... sigh.





I can't remember if Cache was being spider man or reenacting kung fu panda...
These days it's always one or the other...
Our shins have lots of bruises in the shape of a toddler shoe...

As I was editing these pictures, they just seemed so familar...
i figured it out:

SAME HAT! Or should i say "Sam's hat." har har har.

Back to Real Life

Mother's day was very nice.
I got to sleep in. (after Naomi's 6am feeding)

woke up to a beautiful breakfast with lots of fruit.

Also lunch with more great food.
I got to sit in church and
listen to how great mother's are and think about
my own mother's and grandmother's. Then
Devin and Kade, combined their efforts and made Summer and I
Mother's day dinner.
It was just great.

OH.
I also got a little somethin from my Devin.

Meet my new best friend:

i lovingly call her Poppy, because Cache insists it is a popcorn popper.

I love her.
We go everywhere together and she cleans up after my children,
sits nicely under the snack bar and never talks back. She even comes along on car trips.
devin surprised me with her and

we are very very happy together.

Today Devin is back in school.
We had a relaxing break with perfect warm breezy weather.
So we fed our park frenzy and visited a different park almost everyday that it
wasn't raining. Borrowed a jogging stroller, so we could have one for each child, and
went on some very lovely family jogs. Cache would even get out and run along side for
short bouts. He is a fast little man, and Easily kept up with my jogging pace.
Then he would yell: "Help my bones are dust gonna break!" And then jump back in the stroller.

Being home, Devin was also subject to my beckon call, and he (at least pretended) to gladdy oblige by doing many things around the house with me such as:
1. building much needed shelves in a closet.
2. Tons of yard work, including planting grass over our garden... it was just a clay mud pit where the shed use to be,, we might try tomatoes in pots or something.
3. Major spring cleaning: moving out fridge, oven, and washer and dryer .
4. Cleaned out our file box. Devin ran and grabbed the camera, because he says I never throw things away.

Pfff. whatev.
That 2 years worth of pottery barn magazines will totally benefit our house someday Devin.

5. He even was nice enough to do try out a "dancing with the Stars", workout movie, one day when it was raining too hard to run.

I almost rolled my ankle in those crazy heels. I took them off to try and continue, but then we both agreed,
it's just not the same without heels.

So we shut it off, and made cookies instead.

so that was our break. A much needed refresher, before we buckle down for another tri-mester.

an interview worth watching

I wanted to post this interview, many of you might find interesting.
She does an amazing job. If you haven't heard of her, check out this clip. Click here.
She is a Harvard student who was asked questions about her religion during Harvard's "day of faith". Awesome girl!! articulate, confident, humble, sweet.

if i only i could be as articulate and describe
my feelings so perfectly without apologizing... or fumbled words.

I admire her.

5.8.09

I love Spring.

Devin has been on break for and entire TWO weeks.

So we have been seeing the sights around town...

We took these pictures at the St. Louis
Botanical Gardens

<

It was our first time visiting



This place is indescribably beautiful



and HUGE.

It's our families new Favorite.



We really had a good time.

Only regrets about this day:

* we waited this long to visit it! We had no idea how awesome it was.

* Forgetting to charge the camera battery, so it died half way through the gardens. .

* Getting wrapped up in the scenery, and letting Cache run so far up ahead.. that by the time we saw his naked toosh, not even Devin's record 100 m dash speed was fast enough to keep Cache from peeing on the Tulips.

Also another great picture missed, because of dead battery.

AND.....

just one more, because this picture makes

Devin and I so so Happy every time see it:

happy. spring.

5.3.09

May 3rd has always been a special date. 17 years ago, my little brother Robert was born and also passed away the same day. Despite their great heart ache, my parents handled it beautifully with all of us older children, and we celebrate this day. My parents each bore a seperate testimony of some incredible experiences leading up to that day that let them know Robert had only needed to get a body, and that he did not need this earthly experience to prove himself. We felt it very much a privilige that Heavenly Father would send such a special spirit to be part of our very own family.

Every 3rd of May, as a family we would go clean off Roberts head stone, pull weeds, and take a family picture in the cemetary. Probably irrevrent, but we even have pictures of us making a family pyramid, right in the middle of the cemetary. Afterwards we always go out to Denny's. For this reason, cemetarys have become a sacred place and not scary earrie. They are a place to go visit those you love and not just remember them, but look forward to that great day when we get to see them again! My siblings and I have been blessed to bond as very close friends. We love one another so much, and I just am so excited to see how Robert will fit in. I did get to hold him and I can remember what it felt like to hold him in my arms. Robert has red hair, like my dad( no other child does) big bone structure and he looked amazingly like Ben does when he is sleeping. I can't wait to see him someday and hug him, get to know him and to just love him! It will be wonderful. Simply wonderful.

May 3rd has taken on also a new importance when I was married. It is also my mother in law, Janie's birthday! So we get to think about her all day also. I love my mother in law. I've come to appreciate her so much, for more than just raising an amazing boy to be my husband. She is simple, and dependable. Always on time and always on task, I strive for these qualites that don't come natural to me at all. She has this amazing capability, talent actually to show complete love to her grandkids but at the same time demand respect and obedience. I love the way the grandkids look at her. They absolutely love her. She is always up for being silly with them and can always get them to giggle, which is so cute. I should have started yesterday or last week to fit in all the reasons I'm thankful for this lady, but since I'm a procrastinator, I'll leave you with one for today. A word of wisdom from Janie:

***Every single morning when I unload the dishwasher, before loading it back up, I always fill up the soap dispenser and close it. Then the rest of the day, we always always know if the dishes in the dishwasher are clean or dirty, just check the soap! If its full, then the dishes are dirty, and load them up, if it's empty the dishes are clean!

Maybe frivilous but I think if you Janie every morning, and it makes life just that much easier.

Happy Birthday Janie and Robert. I love May 3rd.

Since posts really are no fun without pictures, here is a picture of my beloved home in Oregon. I love this house, and all the memories there. It is a haven from the world.

This picture was taken from the exact spot,, within in a few feet at least where Devin and I had our first kiss. Prom night. :)