Kind of a Sad Day

We buried one of Oakley's birthday kittens this morning. She has cried alot. It has been kind of a sad day around here. :( If you remember we got 2 kittens from the neighbor for Oakley for her bday. Last week the very cutest one was acting kind of sickly one day so I ran it to the vet. They ended up keeping it over night at the kitty hospital. (Ryan was not happy about this....you know how men are, right?!) After an IV and an antibiotic shot the kitty came home no big deal. When we went and picked him up we took the other kitty in for shots so we wouldn't have to worry about him getting sick. So, yesterday afternoon I noticed that this 2nd kitty wasn't acting like he felt real well, but yesterday was a CRAZY DAY and I didn't have one second to run the kitty to the vet so I thought I would run it this morning. When I got home at 10:30 last night I couldn't find the kitty anywhere. I worried about it all night and went searching again this morning still not finding it. AH!! I broke the news to Oakley and then the other kids a little later. She cried. It broke my heart. Then this afternoon she came in crying again....she had found the kitten. We had a little funeral where Rhett and Laiklie said their goodbye's while Oakley and Dallin cried. We did have a little yelling at the kitty funeral because Laiklie was mad that Oakley wouldn't say goodbye to the kitty! :) Anyway - I have convinced them all that the kitty is in kitty heaven. RIP Tiggy!! You were dearly loved!

Another Round

I am not gonna lie to you,..........there are so many days that I complain about being a farmer/ranchers wife. Like, the days when I feel the pressure of owing the bank more money than I know is possible to make in one year, or the days that we are all loading in the car and Ryan is FINALLY going somewhere with us and we get a phone call that the cows are out at the ranch and once again me and 4 children load up and go alone, or the days when I get a phone call that I need to go change his water because he is stuck working on a broke-down tractor.....my list could go on and on! But......there are also days like today when I drive over to pick-up one of my babies from "going to work with their daddy" (which they LOVE) and see this:

I know why it is that Ryan doesn't want a desk job. How could anyone want a desk job when they could spend the day in a tractor right here under these beautiful mountains with the option of taking one of their kids to work??

(Look close and you can see Lu waving!)

Ryan amazes me as to how hard he works. There are more nights than I like to count that I go to bed only to wake-up to him finally coming home around 3 am and then wake again to his alarm going off at 5 am for him to head back out. I have old men in the ward comment all the time on the crops Ryan raises and how they would give their left and right arms to raise a crop like his. He is REALLY GOOD AT WHAT HE DOES! This year has been a little different than most because all the workers are stretched out to the max because we are missing Senovio more than ever. I never knew one guy could make such a difference. It makes it hard for Ryan going to work every day without him and my kids miss seeing him pull in and out of here too.

We are so blessed to be able to do what Ryan loves to do. What a blessing it is for our kids to grow-up in a place where they learn to work hard and enjoy the outdoors. Like I said, I complain alot, but at the same time I am counting my blessings as Ryan once again jumps in the tractor for another round!

Our Birthdays!!

On Sunday Oakley celebrated her 10th birthday. So.....for any of you moms out there that are, or ever have been the mother of a 10 year old you know that it makes you feel OLD!!! It doesn't help that just 2 days after Oakley's birthday is my birthday - I was already feeling old, and then to actually have a new number....31, to be exact - makes it a little harder.

So, birthday news went something like this:

Saturday while Oakley was at a Primary Class Party the other 3 kids and I went and picked-up these two CUTEST KITTENS EVER and brought home as a surprise for Oakley. You can tell by the smile - she was NOT disappointed! Sunday we had our family party with grandparents and cousins coming for cake and ice cream. We did have some issues with the cake this year. I made a cake before church and as I was turning the pan upside down to put it on the cookie sheet the cake broke in 1/2. So, after church I made a new cake and it flipped out of the pan PERFECTLY! I was super excited and decided while it was cooling to run get some hay for the sheep and lock them in their pen before company arrived......well, while I was outside Laiklie decided to do a little taste-testing!

You can see where her dirty little hands got a handful of each corner. I was SO MAD! I had already made 2 cakes and didn't have time to start a 3rd. She kept trying to blame it on Dallin who had been outside with me......and, we could tell by the chocolate on her face and hands that she was definitely the culprit! I made her apologize to her sister and we decorated what was left of the cake.:)
Monday we had the friend party. I took her and her 3 best friends to Bear World to see the bears, visit the petting zoo and ride the amusement rides. It was fun. We then had them come back that night for a slumber party. I went to bed at 12:30 am and they were just starting a movie, so I was glad when I came out at 2 am that they were all asleep. They had a great time!

And then....here is a picture of me and my candle to blow out. My friend Hollie brought this cinnamon roll over with a candle in it and some Hershey kisses surrounding it and BIG BOSS LAIKLIE wouldn't let anyone have one of the kisses until we had FIRE (as she calls it) and a song. So, my sweet little kids sang me happy birthday and you can see from the kiss in Rhett's hand they didn't even let me get a picture taken after the song before they started in on the kisses!

I had a good birthday this year. A couple weeks ago when the YW pres. said she wanted to take the YW to the temple to do baptisms and to the visitors center to see the Hubble Spacecraft photos I was a little bummed it was on my birthday, but what a neat way to spend your birthday!

Thomas and Adria Brower Reunion

This past week we had the opportunity to take our kids to Harriman State Park for a Brower Family Reunion. Ryan's grandmother is a Brower and her father (Ry's great-grandpa) actually worked on the Harriman Ranch back in the early 1900's. It was neat to be a part of the reunion. This is a MODERN pedigree chart they made for the reunion with all the descendants of Tom and Adria Brower on it. Everyone is pointing at their names on the chart. This is also a 4 generation picture!!

This is Ryans grandmother Ramona (in red) and her sister Neta. They are the only children living. Neta is in her 90's and actually lived on the ranch with her parents as a little girl. It was SO NEAT hearing the stories that she remembers of where we were staying. The kids LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Neta. They took her several goodbye cards that said things like: "We hope you make it to heaven!" The kids told us she was really old and going to die soon!:) We were SO GLAD Neta had a good sense of humor!
This is the cabin we stayed in. It is called THE BUNKHOUSE and was very nice. The kids loved not only the cabin, but I swear their favorite part of the entire reunion were the bikes that their Uncle Jason brought up for them to ride. He even remembered one with training wheels for Laiklie! Thank you Jason!!
There was a talent show. What reunion would be complete without a talent show?? Oakley did one of her short clog solos and then Great Grandma Ramona taught the kids a Frog Kissing song that they performed. They were super cute!

On Sunday we had the whole afternoon free so we went on a drive to Big Springs to let the kids see the huge fish. I remember going here when I was little so it was fun to bring the kids too.

Soaking our feet! You can tell from the shirts we were the RED GROUP at the reunion!

I took this picture because I LOVED it and because I figure it won't be very many more years before Dallin realizes that holding his girl cousins hand is not cool anymore!

Same here. Oakley and Macady are both growing-up WAY TOO FAST!

We also took the kids to Mesa Falls. I had never been to the falls and it was so pretty! The kids loved it!

All 8 grandkids plus Ryan's cousin Vanessa. Banessa as Laiklie called her - and sorry Banessa - Laiklie was pretty much stuck to her side the entire 3 days!

Of course, Family photo opp!

We got the chance at the reunion to repair a section of the fence on the ranch Great-Grandpa Brower worked on. We had each of the kids take a turn hammering in a nail so that everytime they drive by Harriman they can say that they helped build "that fence."

Dallin couldn't get enough of swinging the hammer. I think he got a little annoyed with his cousin because he would only let Dallin swing it a couple times and then tell him to move over so he could finish the nail off. Oh well....atleast he got a little taste of a different type of fence fixing.

I had to beg and plead with Rhett to get him to even swing the hammer once for a picture. Apparently he is not a happy fence fixer!

Laiklie's turn to hammer the nail. I wish you could have seen her face....she was screaming bloody murder! What a little stinker!

We had a GREAT TIME at the reunion and learned so much about the Brower family. What a great opportunity!

Thanks Ramona and Linn!!

Fort Hollow

On Memorial Day we went to my aunts for a family get-together and while I was there I noticed she had in the corner of her yard a little fort for her grandkids to make mud pies in and I remembered just how much I LOVED making mud pies with my cousins on my grandma's dairy when I was little. So I decided that it was time to introduce my kids to mud pie making and to do that you definitely need a fort! So we ventured out into our pasture the other day and found the perfect "FORT" area. Why the name Fort Hollow you ask?? Well, as we were cleaning the area to make the fort the kids say, "Hey mom, when we use to have kittens we would slide them down this old hollow tree trunk!!" Ummm.....where was your mother??:)

It is hard to tell from the pictures how COOL the fort really is. We have 1/2 of a wood wall on one side and then the sheet/curtain...mostly used for wiping muddy hands on....and then a secret passage way to the back door and an oven to let the mud pies bake in the sunshine, and this evening when I went to take the pictures I was informed that they have also added a bathroom!! WELCOME TO LIFE IN THE COUNTRY! Warning to all neighbors...as you drive by if you see a little moon in the trees near my house please don't honk. You might scare them which could lead to pee on their pants!:)

When I asked Laiklie what she was making she said, "Mud pies wis salt and evysing!" We made a stop at the Goodwill yesterday to pick-up a few dishes for the fort and happened on these salt and pepper shakers. What kid doesn't love a good S&P shaker to add to the mud pie making?

So far Fort Hollow and the mud pies have been a HUGE HIT!

Swim Lessons 2010

My Swimming Crew
On the last day of lessons they let the kids try the slide and the diving board. Oakley loves the slide and goes down over and over again.

This is Dallin's one and only try down the slide. He isn't a big fan of the slide and I really had to talk to get him to even try it once, so I was proud of him for trying!

Rhett chose to skip the slide all together and just played in the water for awhile. He gets the award for "3 YEARS OF SWIMMING LESSONS AND STILL HASN'T GOT THE TOP OF HIS HEAD WET!" He is funny about swimming....he loves to do it as long as his head is above the water. One of these days maybe he will out grow that.

This is Laiklie and her teacher just coming out of the slide. She liked it pretty good, but when her teacher asked if she wanted to go again she answered with a definite "NOPE!" This was her first year of lessons and she LOVED them!

Rhett talked all week about jumping off the diving board. So, first thing when we got there he got his life jacket on and headed straight for it. He walked out on the edge and he stood there.....and stood there.....and stood there...for about 5 minutes before he walked back off. I guess it looks less scary when you are off it than when you are on it! Funny boy!

This is Dallin's 1st jump. He is getting to be a great little swimmer and really liked the diving board.

This is Oakley's dive/bellyflop. She learned how to dive the last 2 days of class, but still struggles with getting her head lower than her feet. Some of her dives really looked like they hurt. She will get it with time I am sure. She really is a good swimmer too. She can swim all over both the pools and I don't hardly worry about her.

I am so proud of all my kids and the hard work they put into their lessons this year! Way to go kiddo's!

What a Week!

Last week was definitely WORLDS CRAZIEST WEEK!! Monday I packed a bag for my kids to go to Grandma Jacobson's, a bag for at Grandma Hawkins, a very large bag for me to take to girls camp, and a bag (with church clothes....which are always fun to pack) to go to my brothers. My mom came Monday afternoon and picked-up my kids for the week (I am not gonna lie to you....I did cry a little after they left) and I was so glad she did, because when I went downstairs to get my sleeping bag just after the kids left I found - WET CARPET.....let me remind you.....my basement has only been remodeled for not quite even a month now and I found WET CARPET!! When Ryan flooded on Saturday he "thinks" he told me to watch that side of the house and I am "pretty sure" he didn't and anyway....we spent a good hour pulling up my BRAND NEW CARPET to dry out for the week while I was at girls camp! AH!!

Tuesday morning bright and early at 6 am I left for girls camp. I really did have a great week. I was nervous about going this time for a few different reasons. 1) I am a little "wild and crazy" - you could ask any of my family, my BFF from High School Sherri, my college roomies or my friend Shellee that has gone to girls camp with me 3 times as a leader and EVERYONE of them will tell you that I really am a little "wild and crazy" and I didn't know if once the girls learned my little secret if they WOULD LIKE ME! I know that sounds extremely Jr. High, but I really was scared. 2) I get so nervous about leaving my kids, especially Oakley and her diabetes. She has had some very interesting blood numbers this summer - anywhere from 36 - 500 and that alone makes me nervous. 3) I haven't ever been to camp with this ward or these ladies and truthfully I really didn't know just what to expect. BUT OF COURSE, I HAD A GREAT TIME! We did have a few issues that are not blog worthy (or I guess appropriate) but all-in-all it was a great week. (Sorry....I was too busy playing to take pictures.)

I got home from girls camp Friday about 4 pm and did a couple loads of laundry to be ready to leave Saturday at 7:30 am for my brothers. We had a little "mini" Jacobson family vacation where we picniced and visited a Dairy my brother AI's for. The kids LOVED watching them milk the cows and loved seeing the little AI babies! We also got to be there for Sunday when my brother blessed his sweet little baby Taelyn.

This is a picture of most of the kids and the dads while the moms took the picture. My sister Jenny's family was missing this time and we are small in numbers without them!:) Because I forgot my camera on the "mini" vacation I had to use the pictures off of Oakley's and as you can see this is what I got to choose from!:) I guess while we were gone Ryan, who has had my nephew Jacob here working for him this past week, took Jacob fishing. Ryan is the proud owner of the fish on your left weighing in at a whoopin 7 pounds after it was cleaned and Jacob is the owner....I am not sure if he is really proud or not.....of the itty tiny fish in his right hand. They had a good time and I was glad because I hated them having to stay home to farm while we were having fun vacationing!

We hurried back Sunday night to start swimming lessons bright and early Monday morning (pictures soon to come). Because we missed all the 4th of July stuff on Saturday we were able to find a little town near us doing Fireworks Monday night and got to be a part of that. It was fun for the kids and I think this is the 1st year that I didn't have a kid cry about the noise....although, Rhett was on the verge of tears a few times. He has ALWAYS hated the booms!

We have had a crazy couple weeks and continue to be SUPER BUSY! I PROMISE, (and I am putting it on the blog for all to see so that MAYBE it will get done) to get caught-up on my scrapbooking from Christmas to the present before Oakley's birthday the 1st of August!! That is the next project on my list of things to do!! Post pictures when I am done!