Our Life.....so far.

He's Finally Here.

2009-05-07T20:08:00.000-06:00

We finally have Josh home... We are so happy he is safe, healthy, and part of our family.

More Josh and the Fam.

2009-05-07T20:06:00.000-06:00

The kids were dying to hold Josh. We had to be super careful because just a few days before Josh was born, a nasty case of pink eye was spread around with the kids, and we didn't want Josh to catch it. Anyway, the kids can't get enough of Josh right now. We are loving having Josh home.

Joshua Dillon Jones

2009-05-07T20:00:00.000-06:00

Here is the newest Jones boy. He is a good man. He had some issues during pregnancy and we were worried about him. But, he made it to our family safe and sound thanks to a lot of prayers and a good strong mommy.
When born, he was 6 pounds 14 ounces. He was 19.25 inches long. Because of the small issue with his umbilical cord, he is much smaller than all of our other babies. All the other kids were near 9 pounds.
Josh is doing great and we are happy to have him home and part of the family.

Hello, I am really sorry...again...again...

2009-01-20T22:42:00.002-07:00

Hey, sorry for the no show for the last...say...four months. It was Dana's fault. I was pretty much relieved of duty when the last hiatus happened. But, I have now resumed control and all will be well...for a short while.

We have a ton of pics from Thanksgiving and Christmas. I will post them shortly. We went down to Pinetop, AZ for Thanksgiving and stayed here in McCall for Christmas. Both were a blast and we were sad to leave family or have family leave us.

Life has been fair to us. We cannot complain. We now know that we are having anther boy. Just in case you don't know...that makes FOUR Jones boys. It also makes three in a row with our Lovely Cody as the ring leader. It just means more bruises, bloody noses, fat lips, Thomas the Tank Engine, Cars, wrestling... Poor Rachel and Dana. (well poor Dana, Rachel does pretty well handling her own business with the boys)

We couldn't feel more blessed with our family. I can say with a full heart that my little family means more to me than anything on this earth. I thank my Heavenly Father every night for each of them and how they bless my life. Chapters in our lives open and close, but our little ones have made the book pretty good so far.

Bretts First Hair Cut

2009-01-20T22:27:00.003-07:00

He obviously doesn't have the thickest hair, but he was getting a mullet. I also realize that most kids need hair cuts around a year or less, but this man and all of our kids get them at about 18-20 months.

Also, side note, I am not a bad father... The reason he has a booger infested nose is that he is cutting in his molars and his nose is a limitless fountain of snot. I kid you not, we would clean out his nose 30 times a day. His nose was so sensitive that we just started letting it go instead of the bloody-tear filled battles. We are now past that and his nose it nice and clean, but in these pics, his nose is nasty. I now realize that it would have been nice to clean it before the fancy pictures, but we didn't... So, sorry.

Hello Again World!

2008-11-04T13:46:00.002-07:00

It's been a while since I've blogged, but I have a good excuse...WE'RE EXPECTING BABY NUMBER 5!!! I didn't have the best first trimester, so blogging went bye-bye. But, in true Jones fashion, we again have waited a few months and now blogged with a gi-normous amount of pics. Hopefully we can keep up on it now.

P.S. We got our first snow today-a nice whiteout storm with some good inches on the ground. We actually made it through Halloween this year with no snow! Trick-or-treating was pleasant and now I'm actually excited for the goods!

Halloween

2008-11-04T13:34:00.009-07:00

The coolest Scooby-Doo...

The cutest Strawberry Shortcake you've ever seen...

The craziest Ninja Turtle...

And the saddest pumpkin...

Russ was Thomas the Train and wore that to every house we trick or treated. We went with a bunch of families in our ward, and Russ kept attacking the kids and sticking it over their heads...Always good times with Russ...

I sported the pumpkin this year with Brett so he'd have a little moral support...

Carving pumpkins...the kids were not fans of taking out the seeds this year-notice Brock's face...He couldn't even muster up a smile for the camera...

Russ' first season coaching football

2008-11-04T13:22:00.005-07:00

This was Russ' first year coaching football at MD high school instead of basketball. The Vandals had a rough season, but Russ was happy to coach. It's like he was giddy all season. The kids loved going to practice with Dad and seeing him at games...

The Fall in McCall

2008-11-04T13:03:00.010-07:00

Some of our favorite family activities is the cutting, splitting, and stacking of the firewood for the winter. We went with cousins and friends and played all day getting wood in October...

The beginning and end to our happy day...

The Dads going to take care of business...

My little lumberjack doing his part

Russ working on some of our spoils in our backyard. There's something about my husband with a chainsaw...sigh...niiiiiiiice...

Brett stacking some wood in the garage. When we have family wood stacking days, we all work hard, then we go to Maverik for Icee's. It's amazing how the promise of an Icee can keep these kids working for hours!!

I Am Officially the Big 3-0!!

2008-11-04T13:00:00.003-07:00

I don't really feel different breaking the 30 barrier...I still feel like I'm 19 until I talk to the teens in our ward and find out what year they were born-yikes! Russ & I went to dinner and my Mom made me a cake. Had a yucky pregnant day and didn't feel like doing much so it was perfect...

The Bus

2008-11-04T12:54:00.003-07:00

Cody & Brett at their favorite time of day...running to meet the kids off the bus...

Cody and Brett

2008-09-04T14:43:00.006-06:00

Another thing I love about school starting is that I get to play more with my two youngest. These boys have loved playing together and always just make life more fun! Here's a few pics of these boys I love!

First Day of School

2008-09-04T14:34:00.003-06:00

I officially have 2 kids in school! Brock is in 2nd grade and Rachel started kindergarten. They are both loving it. For some reason it seemed harder sending my second child to kindergarten than it was my first. I hope that pattern doesn't continue...Maybe it's because it's my little girl. I love my boys, but there's something different about a girl. Mommy was definitely ready for school to start! Happy to be back to a routine and schedule, homework, piano, helping in their classes, and all the crazy running and going that happens. I do love being a Mom!

First Day of School Pancakes

2008-09-04T14:28:00.004-06:00

We started this tradition last year. On the first day of school the kids get a stack of pancakes with the number of pancakes for the grade they are in. So, Brock has 2 for 2nd grade, Rachel has one for kindergarten, and Cody has one with a C on it because he's cool...Brock loves it and can't wait to be a senior so he can have 12 pancakes!

The end of the cottage sacrament meetings...

2008-09-04T14:10:00.002-06:00

During this summer, our church building in town was being added onto, so our ward had what is called "cottage sacrament meetings." Since the closest building in our stake is an hour away, (unlike where we grew up in AZ) we had four homes in our ward where sacrament meeting was held every week, and the bishopric members would rotate presiding in each home. That was the only meeting we would have each week. There were some amazing things I learned this summer, like the importance of the sacrament. That was our complete focus every week, not the craziness of getting lessons prepared and rushing off to our other block meetings. It was set in such an intimate and personal setting that it was just a beautiful thing to feel the spirit in someone's home. The first week we didn't have a white cloth to cover the sacrament where Russ was presiding so we used our baby blessing blanket. Just unique experiences that we have gotten living here this summer.

Yet, I think the most important thing that has happened in my life is the testimony I have gained of the church auxiliaries. Without having sunday school, relief society, priesthood, young women, & primary, we, as a ward, all felt sort of...lost. Without our other meetings, it's like I didn't feel needed, didn't have friendships strengthened, didn't see a lot of people in the ward for long periods of time, I didn't feel the spirit as much, etc. I've always known our auxiliaries have come from the Lord and that the Prophet and apostles and general boards have things set up for the programs that we need. That being said, I still had never been without them in my life, and I felt such a void without it. This Sunday we are finally able to go back to our church building and have all of our block meetings. Our whole ward is looking forward to coming together again as a ward family and are excited about having a normal 3 hour block again. How grateful I am that this is the Lord's church and every detail of it is exactly what we need in our lives to keep our testimonies growing and to become who we need to be.

The End of Summer

2008-09-04T14:01:00.003-06:00

Labor Day was the last day before school started, so we decided to have a fun family day. We went to breakfast at our beloved Pancake House and went to the hot springs in town. Yes, the HOT springs, not just swimming, because it was a pleasant 50 degrees that day...The week after school got out this year, we had a freak June snowfall, and this past weekend before school started, we had freezing weather and a little snow. Nice summer, eh? Where do I live? Thank goodness we LOVE it here!

Slumber Party!!

2008-09-04T13:55:00.002-06:00

Last week my parents moved into their new home that Russ has been building with my Dad this last year. So, we had a huge family slumber party with our family and the Napiers. The kids were in heaven with sleeping bags everywhere in the basement, and adults stayed up late playing games. It was like we were on vacation in town. So fun!

Happy Quotes

2008-09-04T13:46:00.002-06:00

"Walk by faith. The Lord will open a way. Even when there is no way, He will open a way. I am satisfied of that." Gordon B. Hinckley

"Be prayerful. Call on the Lord in faith and He will hear your prayers. He loves you. He wishes to bless you. He will do so if you live worthy of His blessing." Gordon B. Hinckley

Movie Quote:
This week we were at the hot springs and Cody saw this parrot which was looking off to the side and Cody yelled "His head fell off!!!" It looked like that from his point of view. So, in honor of my son we'll throw out a few from this classic...

"Our pets heads are falling off!!"
"I just thought he was quiet..."

Why do I do what I do when I know what I know?

2008-08-15T20:46:00.003-06:00

So, a story of my sweet daughter. Well, first a little background. For those of you that don't know, Russ is coaching football at the high school this year. This week they started some late practices so Russ doesn't get home until the kids are in bed. For all you moms out there, maybe some can relate to me that bedtime isn't the most pleasant when your husband isn't home to help. It makes for some bad mommy moments for me for sure. Well, we've really been struggling with our family scripture study when bedtimes are just crazy. So, last night I was at my end and hurrying my kids along to have family prayer and happy thoughts so I could rush them off to bed. Well, my sweet girl said "Mom, we forgot to read scriptures." In the chaos of the moment and the boys wrestling and the baby crying I just said "No. No scriptures tonight. Just get to bed." Then she said, "But PLEASE Mom, we need to read scriptures!" What could I say to that? So, we read scriptures for a few minutes and they went to bed. The kids were happier and more obedient last night and I was more patient with them and all was well.

So, it got me thinking about the simple things in the gospel that make us happy and that we know will bring happiness. Prayer, scripture, temple, family home evening, etc. Why does it seem hard sometimes to do those simple things when we KNOW that our lives will be better and we'll receive blessings and happiness? I couldn't believe I was telling my daughter we weren't going to have scripture study because I was tired and grumpy, when I knew that we would all be happier if we did. The gospel is so simple. It was a good moment to remember that obedience to the little things brings the spirit and blessings into my life. How grateful I am that I have good kids to help remind me and keep me focused. And, when we put these simple things first, everything else in our lives balances out so we feel like we have time to do all that we need to do and we're happier in the meantime.

"When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities. We should put God ahead of everyone else in our lives." Ezra Taft Benson

Quotes of the Week

2008-08-15T20:35:00.002-06:00

So, I thought since I'm such a quote freak, I'd leave some happy quotes every week...some uplifting, and some happy pointless movie quotes...So...enjoy.

"Patient endurance permits us to cling to our faith in the Lord and in His timing when we are being tossed about by the surf of circumstance. Even when a seeming undertow grasps us, somehow in the tumbling we are being carried forward, though battered and bruised." Neal A. Maxwell

MOVIE QUOTE:
"I want my two dollars."
"Sorry man, I don't have a dime."
"I didn't ask for a dime."

If you know the movie, you can leave it in the comments...if not...answer to come next week...

The Twin Falls Temple Open House

2008-08-12T23:22:00.008-06:00

Last fall our Stake President asked all of the families in our stake to make this summer the "summer of the family." He wanted us to plan something that would bring our family closer together and strengthen us spiritually. After praying about it, Russ and I decided to focus on the temple. We centered family home evenings for the last months on different aspects of the temple. We truly felt the Spirit prompt us with ideas to be able to teach our children in ways they could understand and learn to love the temple and start gaining their own testimonies of it. Our desire was to help prepare our children to attend the Twin Falls Temple Open House as the highlight of our summer. We took our children last week and had an amazingly beautiful experience. They were so excited to be able to go inside before it was dedicated. It was wonderful to see them remember things and understand things we had talked about. What a beautiful experience to be able to be with our children for the first time in the temple and to reflect on the things of eternity. I have a testimony of the temple. I am grateful I have had the opportunity to make personal covenants with the Lord. I am grateful to know that I can be with my family forever if we keep the covenants we have made. Without my family, there would be no true happiness. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me, and I know that my Savior, Jesus Christ, died for me that I might live with Him again someday. I am grateful for the gospel-for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and for the plan of happiness that it holds. My life is truly blessed.

Our Happy Annual Lagoon Trip!

2008-08-12T23:03:00.009-06:00

Every year we take our family trip to Lagoon. We camp next to the park and stay for two days. As soon as we get home our kids are asking how long until we get to go again. This year we had a Belnap family reunion there as well, so we got to play with cousins and even Grandma Great came to Lagoon. We had two wonderfully tiring days of fun, rides, food, and play...Always good times...

Playing on the Lake

2008-08-12T22:49:00.007-06:00

This is the gi-normous great Payette Lake in downtown McCall just a few minutes from our house. The kids got to go out and tube with their cousins. Sometimes we forget to stop and play when we live in this beautiful place, so it's happy when we can enjoy the goods around us!

Brock is 7!

2008-08-12T22:39:00.003-06:00

He wanted a Scooby-Doo party this year. He had a friend party and it was so fun! The "birthday phantom" stole the presents and left clues. They had to play different games and follow the clues to the presents. At the end, they had to find the presents and the phantom (nicely played by Russ in his "disguise") in the van. Good times.

2008-08-12T22:17:00.006-06:00

Brock and Rach played tee-ball this summer together. Brock loves baseball and did awesome this year. It was about 3 weeks after Rachel got her cast off. She has had a particularly hard time since the surgery with new things and being involved. She would play in the outfield if Russ stood with her, and she wouldn't even try batting the first few games. So, the third game she decided to bat and smashed it off the tee. She ran her little heart out, sort of limping and lumbering around the bases. Every time she got to a base she'd jump on it with both feet and give me a big thumbs up. The first time I saw her cross home plate I just sheered and cried at how well she did when it was hard for her. My brave little girl making baby steps...it made me appreciate the simple things we take for granted like seeing a kid run the bases...

Brett watching Daddy base coach. Cody was always somewhere off with friends on the playground.

This was all Brock's idea. He told me we had to have "last day of tee-ball pancakes" and he told me how to make them. I love this kid!

Computer Games

2008-07-18T20:23:00.003-06:00

So this is the view I see every day after Russ gets home from work. The kids beg him to play computer games with them. Right now the excitement is for Need For Speed 3. These boys are definitely like their Dad...

Here's Russ playing X-Box with his Dad and brother...On vacations Russ and Dan usually play this or Wii until the wee hours of the morning. This is a view of the future of Russ and his boys. Good times had by all...

Sunrise, Sunset

2008-07-18T15:31:00.006-06:00

I can't believe how old our kids are getting. Time goes so fast. We're pretty grateful for our good kids.

The Moon

2008-07-18T15:21:00.002-06:00

Russ wanted me to explain why we changed our background on our blog. I have always been fascinated with astronomy and the moon and it's always been at the top of my "happy list." Lately I've been excited to talk to my kids about the phases of the moon throughout the month. Well, Brock is pretty smart and loves studying space. A few weeks ago I went in to his bedroom one night and said "Brock, the moon is so bright tonight, have you seen it?" He was reading a book in bed and said "yeah Mom, I saw it." I, trying to show a little knowledge and impress my kid said "But do you know what phase it's in?" He seemed a little annoyed because I was interrupting the reading of his Magic Tree House book, glanced over at me with a sigh and said "of course Mom, it's a first quarter." Huh. I like my kid.

The Kid Magnet

2008-07-18T15:08:00.004-06:00

I have probably 30 pictures just like this from the years I have been married to Russ. This was at Blake's b-day party this week. No matter where we are, if there are kids there, this is what's going on. Everyone loves Russ!

This is just some cuteness of our Brett.

"We got Cows!"

2008-07-18T10:43:00.008-06:00

Actually, we got sheep!(That movie quote is from "Twister" in case you're wondering). It's that time of year again. We have our windows open all night, and in the early morning when we're sleeping we awake to the sounds of hundreds of bleating sheep! Not the most pleasant sound. As they move the sheep in the summer, they take them through our big meadow where we live. This goes on for a few weeks in the summer. Our kids think it's awesome, but I'd personally like to sleep in a bit more...

Russ' New Passion...

2008-07-18T10:27:00.007-06:00

Logs!!! He's been working on my Dad's house for the last year and has developed a new talent with logs. They've milled all of their own logs for the house. They get to cut and mill and treat the wood. They've done all the logs you see here on the inside of the house and the half logs for the siding outside. He loves it!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

2008-07-18T09:50:00.013-06:00

We had a fun 4th of July in McCall. We went out to this gorgeous lake that is on the land of some friend's of ours. Happy and quiet and private from the throngs of people that come to McCall for the 4th. We played on the lake-canoes and rafts and kayaks, and played on the beach and enjoyed the beautiful place where we live.

Our sweet Grandma Great Belnap and Grandpa Great Dillon enjoying the day.

Girls just being cute girls...

And...boys just being boys...all you need is swords and dirt...

Notice how much the kids are enjoying this by covering their ears!

Some injuries...Rachel fell off her bike and Cody tripped and slammed his head on the pavement. Also, Cody had a scary choking episode with a gummy worm and Brett fell all the way down Grandma's stairs. Yikes. We kept a close eye on Brock for the rest of the day because we figured he was next!

Russ and Joe's serious handstand contest

Watching the fireworks from Amy & Joe's boat on the lake. Downtown McCall is built next to the massive & beautiful Payette Lake. For the fireworks, they pull a huge barge to the center of the lake and let them off there. Good times...

This one's for you momma Jones. I was going to be mean to get even for your post,,, but I decided not to...

2008-07-15T20:55:00.003-06:00

SOME FUN PICTURES

2008-07-02T20:19:00.012-06:00

Downtown McCall-Notice Rachel's pink purse. She can't go anywhere without that thing!

Dana was one of the girl's camp directors and I got to go up for Bishop's night. This place is about 15 minutes from our house and is just awesome.

NO MORE CAST FOR RACHEL

2008-07-02T19:55:00.009-06:00

The day after Rachel's cast came off we got to head to the beach in town. She was a happy girl. And after our horribly long winter, we were reminded once again why we live here--it's so beautiful!!!

BRETT IS 1

2008-07-02T19:48:00.004-06:00

I can't believe my boy is already 1!

2008-06-12T15:35:00.000-06:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

BROCK

2008-06-02T14:10:00.004-06:00

Just wanted to put up a post for our stud Brock. This is in front of the Spokane Temple. This kid never ceases to amaze us with what a good heart he has. He is constantly helping out. The other day during a crazy morning getting ready for school, he, without being asked, went and got Rachel's wheelchair, her pillows for her wheelchair, helped get her out of bed into her wheelchair, and brought her to breakfast. He has many moments like this every day. He has been unbelievable since Rachel's surgery and we just love this kid so much! Yesterday he wrote his talk for Primary on the temple and took some things out of a family home evening we had. This was his talk:

"I love to see the temple. This is how I'm preparing to go to the temple. Saying my prayers and serving others. Before you go to the temple you get a recommend. This means you get to go inside the temple. The Bishop and Stake President ask you questions like are you honest, do you go to your church meetings, and do you believe the Prophet has all the Priesthood keys on the earth. I'm doing all those things right now because I want to follow the Prophet to go to the temple. I'm preparing to go to the Twin Falls temple open house in July. I love to go to church and I love the Prophet. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

We sure love our 6 year old and we're so grateful he's our son.

THE COUNTERTOP GRILL

2008-05-29T11:27:00.002-06:00

This post is for my good husband Russ. This countertop grill is dear to our hearts and is the source of an ongoing joke in our marriage. Last summer (yes, almost a year ago) we had a BBQ on our back porch. We had people over, our big grill was full of delectable meat, and Russ decided to use this small grill as well for some chicken. Well, as we were doing dishes that night, I asked Russ if he could help clean the grills. He did the big one outside and said he would clean this small one before bed. It was a "No, no, I got it Gracie" moment ("Return to Me") in it's finest. So, every so often, he'd say he'd clean it, and it was left at that. Now, because he said he would, I decided to let it go and just let him get to it when he could:). Well, about December, Russ decided he wanted to use our little countertop grill and asked where it was. I kindly took him to the back porch and showed him the bump in our 1 1/2 feet of snow. He dug it out, cleaned it, used it that night, soaked it in the sink, and promised, again, that he would clean it tomorrow:). So, today is May 29th and here it sits on Russ' desk in his office. It has become an icon and a permanent fixture in his office. For any "Everybody Loves Raymond" fans, this is our "suitcase on the stairs." Occasionally when the office gets cleaned it will make it to the counter or sink, and after a few days, it finds it's way home to Russ' office again. Isn't it nice to have a steady comfort item like this that you know will always be a constant in your life? So, here she sits, awaiting the day when she might get cleaned and put away. But honestly, I don't even remember where in the cupboard it belongs.

SPRING?

2008-05-16T09:48:00.008-06:00

We think Spring has finally arrived. We finally were able to get out in our backyard (note the bits of snow still out there) and we're going to be able to put our trampoline back up! We were able to get Rachel out in our backyard to the stream and she was so happy to be out. We can't say enough thanks to my Mom for helping us out this week while Dana's parents are in Hawaii (enjoying a well deserved vacation for the released Bishop). Thanks for coming up from AZ Ma!

Here's a typical day in our family...Enjoying ourselves and trying to keep Cody out of danger.

Here's Rachel getting around the house. She's walking everywhere now and feeling free.

No man left behind.

2008-05-16T07:52:00.002-06:00

This is a good story that shows the loyalty and sacrifice it takes to be a member of our family.

Yesterday evening, we were having dinner and all of the sudden Rachel freaks out and frantically jumps out of her wheel chair, almost lands of her face yelling "my silky." (Let me remind you, we are about a week and a half out of a major hip surgery) She is hopping on her good leg freaking out and screaming "my silky." Her silky is a little pink blanket my mom made her when she was a baby. She swoops down and picks it us and was frantically trying to get back to her wheelchair. Come to find out, Rachel saw a tiny spider on the floor in the kitchen. Her silky was also on the floor. She made a slit second decision to save her loyal friend. Thanks to Rachel, the threat was removed and we suffered no casualties.

FYI.....Rachel is doing GREAT!!!

2008-05-15T17:33:00.005-06:00

Thanks SOOO much to everyone who has helped, sent presents, love, ect. We have received a "plethora" (Three Amigos) of things to help us, the boys, and Rachel through this time. Rachel had a few really hard days getting used to her cast. She itched a lot, but now she seems to be getting used to her cast. Her fun personality is back and she is back to entertaining us.

Again, thank you so much. The love and support we received from Family, Friends, Ward Members (who are friends) has been so awesome.

The Day After...yesterday.

2008-05-07T18:51:00.002-06:00

Well, Day two is almost gone. We have made some progress. She is off the Morphine and is taking pain medicine orally. This is good progress. The morphine made her groggy, sad, and irritable. Now, they are giving her a mix of Tylenol and Codeine. She has to deal with a bit more pain, but her personality is back and she can communicate with us a bit better. We are very excited to have our little Rachel back.
She has been very scared to move and has fought the idea of getting out of bed. We have had to change her cloths, sheets, and other messy things throughout our stay, and it has been very painful for her to move. So, the idea of getting up was not very high on her list. At about 3 pm we finally talked her into letting me put her in a wagon and go for a walk. We think it did her a lot of good even though she was ready to get back to her room. Also, she finally had a good meal for dinner and seemed a bit happier. And, again, Crystal, thanks so much for all the great movies for her. They have been a life saver.
Speaking of life savers, Grandma and Grandpa Dillon have kept all our boys since Monday night. Those of you who know, this is quite a task. Marty has babysat our boys so much for us in the last few days, and we are so so grateful. Being able to focus and concentrate on just Rachel right now is such a huge help. We are so grateful. We seem to be going through so much, but behind all this, she make things much easier.

Here is a shot of her PINK cast. When the nurses gave her her Codeine, she would get a really hot fever and then sweat it out a few minutes later. That is why she has the cloth on her head to try to keep her cool. I told her to say "cheese" and smile. This is the best she could get out. Pretty impressive I think.

This is shortly right after I got her into the wagon. This really stressed Rachel out. Once we got her in and settled, she seemed to kind of enjoy the ride.

Right here, a neat ol' guy was in the lobby right by our room and he was singing songs for the little ones. We were the only ones in the lobby for a while, so he was singing just for Rachel. He sang a lot of songs and changed the words and put her name in a lot of the songs. She finally cracked a little smile for us. It was neat.

Dave, Diane, CharRee, Taylor and, Cooper came in and visited Rachel. We were in the play room when they got there. They came with presents, candy, a giant Cinderella balloon, and fun party hats. Rachel would not eat much, but all the sudden, she had all kinds of candy and she was ready eat. Go figure? Anyway, thanks so much. She loved it. Even though she didn't seem too excited at the time, (due to the drugs) she was very happy to get all the fun stuff.

Here is one of the pics of her presents. She was trying to smile, but she just couldn't get one out yet. In a day or so she'll be super happy again.

I am so proud of Rachel. The trauma that her little body has been through is something that I don't like to think about. She is so great. To see her go through this breaks my heart, but it also shows me how strong her little spirit is. The few days leading to her operation she asked me several times for a blessing. I gave her a blessing Monday night. I have seen the "tender mercies" of our Savior as I watch Rachel through this experience. I know He has been close to her through the influence of the Spirit. He has comforted her and us and I am so grateful. We are very grateful for all the prayers on her part and for us. We have literally felt the effects.

Rachel's Operation was a sucess, but still really hard.

2008-05-07T08:11:00.002-06:00

Rachel was born with DDH, which basically means her hips have not developed the way they should. Her hip sockets do not have the cup shape like the rest of ours, but they are flat or "shallow" and do not provide the stability necessary for the ball on the femur bone to securely stay in the socket. She was diagnosed with DDH when she was almost two years old, which is a very late diagnosis. Her case was a bit difficult and made it nearly impossible to detect till she started walking. She didn't walk till nearly 18 months...and now we know why. Shortly after she was diagnosed, she was operated on to place the ball in the socket and to tighten all muscles, ligaments. tendons, ect... to ensure the secure placement of the ball in the socket. Also, with the ball in the socket, the hope was that the ball would grind and reshape her socket over time to a normal shape. Then she was cast from her abdomen to her ankles for 12 weeks to allow things to heal and ensure that they stay where they need to stay. That procedure is called "open reduction."

Well, now, three years later, our doctors have realized that even though her legs have not moved out of the sockets and things appear to be stable, her hips sockets have not reformed and are still "shallow" or flat. Our doctors have decided that her little body has fixed all it can fix on its own and it is now time to help it along with surgery. This operation was mainly to reshape the sockets. The procedure is called the "pemberton osteotomy" for those who are interested. You can google it and get some good info. And that is what she just had done. The surgery is quite a bit more difficult and painful for little Rachel. But, she is a trooper and continues to amaze her parents.

Here are some pictures from the night before and the morning of the operation.

Here we have Rachel showing off her strong bones and muscles. We (Dana, Rachel. and I) went to Boise Monday night, (the night before her operation) to get ready and to have a little fun before the cast went on. And, we had the best night. We went out to eat and she got all kinds of fun stuff. We stayed and Dave and Diane Gidley's home here in Boise (Thanks again!) which was really close to the hospital. She jumped on the trampoline, had fun on the swings, she rode bikes, played air hockey (and schooled Dana), and all kinds of fun things. She was running, jumping, and dancing. She kept saying she had to do all these fun things because she said it was her last day and she needed to do everything. We had so much fun with just her.

This is Rachel right outside the front doors at St. Luke's Medical Center. She liked the flowers.

Here we are in the PRE-OP room. We were in here for about an hour. We played a ton of games and watched "Sleeping Beauty." As you can see, Rachel is destroying Dana's paper with her scissors.

Right here Rachel has just taken the calming medicine to prep her for her operation. This medicine basically makes her very groggy. This is one of the hardest parts for us a her parents. We have to hand her off to the doctors and they roll her away from us. She got scared and cried. This is probably the hardest thing for me. I get a bit scared for her, but the one good thing is that the medicine they give her, makes her forget the last 30 minutes so she wouldn't remember them taking her away from us. And, when she wakes up, the first faces she will see will be our faces. But that doesn't really help me feel a ton better, but that really doesn't matter. Dana has been a lot tougher than I have this time. She is a stud.

This is about 30 minutes after the operation. We are up in our room. She had a hard time for a while. She was hurting pretty bad. The nurses had her on a constant drip line of morphine. The medicine makes her sad and agitated. We did all we could to make her happy and comfortable. She is doing great. She has slept a ton and when she is awake, we watch a lot of her movies to try to keep her mind occupied. (thanks Crystal) I'll give an update of day two a little later.

This is awesome....!!!

2008-04-26T08:47:00.002-06:00

You Cannot tell me this is not one of the best pictures you have ever seen. Cody gets dressed in the morning and does his own hair. For some reason, it usually resembles a mow hawk. Anyway, he was digging in the pantry when he was told not to, and I got this picture right as he turned around. This is one of my favorites.

HERE WE GO AGAIN

2008-04-25T16:57:00.007-06:00

For those that don't know, our sweet daughter Rachel was born with hip dysplasia, where her hip sockets don't form correctly. She had a surgery and was cast for 3 months when she was almost 2 years old, and now, 3 years later, we just found out we're having another surgery in a week. Luckily, only being cast for 6 weeks this time...Our happy little girl is such a trooper...Last time she used to army crawl around the house, pull herself up and swivel her legs and walk along the couch...More will be done with this surgery and it will be more painful for her, but she is so excited and can't wait to go to Boise for her surgery and get her pink cast! Thank you to everyone who is already keeping her in your prayers.

AN END AND A BEGINNING

2008-04-25T16:43:00.004-06:00

So, Dana's doing this post, so I can talk about a few important men in my life. This last weekend the Bishopric was changed in our ward. After 2 1/2 years living up here in Idaho with my Dad as my Bishop, he was released and my good husband was put in as a counselor in our new Bishopric. My kids have loved having Grandpa as their Bishop-it's been a good experience for all of us. And, they're excited to see Dad up on the stand now (we'll see how I feel about it in weeks to come:).
We had an amazing sacrament meeting and the spirit was so strong. But, I had such an amazing experience. As I looked up on the stand on one side of the pulpit and saw my dad emotional, and heard him bear his testimony, I felt sad and happy and excited for him, and I got emotional thinking of my love for him as a daughter...Then, as I looked to the other side of the pulpit and saw my husband very emotional and heard him bear his testimony, I felt happy and excited and nervous for him, and got emotional thinking of my love for him as a wife. I don't think I'll get to have an opportunity like that again with two men that I love so much both sitting on the stand.
How grateful I am for the Gospel and the blessings it brings. I am so grateful for the example of my husband and father in love and service...My life is blessed...

I've been tagged..?

2008-04-08T08:13:00.003-06:00

So... interestingly enough, my sister has tagged me with this little questionnaire thing. I have never done one of these before, but Jen thought I wouldn't do it, so Bring it on...

If you ever cared to know...

Bring it Jen (my sister)… I’ve never done one of these before…

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Well, Payne came from my Grandpa Jones.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? What…?

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I pretty much just type… I’m not sure if I can even write anymore.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Ham.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yep.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Sure…I'm a good guy.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Define “a lot.”

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Probably not…too many lives depending on mine.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Cinnamon LIFE.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Yea.. I like my shoes tight when they are on, so they don’t come off otherwise. Plus, it is winter so I usually have some sort of boot on.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE MENTALLY STRONG? huh?…I’d say kind of.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Cookies and Cream, Rocky Road, well anything that doesn’t have mint.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Are they nice…?.

15. RED OR PINK? Brown

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? Huh…my gut.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST. My family…in AZ and IN.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Sure!

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Blue…no shoes…thermal socks?

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Navajo tacos..

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Whatever is on Jen’s blog because I am responding to her.

22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Brown.

23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Kids after bath, dinner, camp fire. Football Grass...

24.Who is the last person you talked to on the phone? Jen, actually…Happy anniversary…

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? On occasion, just kidding… Sure love you Jen.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Whatever is in season… But College Football is by far the best.

27. HAIR COLOR? Brown…and receding. .

28. EYE COLOR? Hazel

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yep…wishing for Lasik.

30. FAVORITE FOOD? Anything with red meat and seafood.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Neither…

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Ferngully…with the kids…not that good.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? grey

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? I am dying for summer…

35. HUGS OR KISSES? yep

36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Dana’s brownies with vanilla ice cream

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Who knows

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Not sure….

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? D Day by Stephen Ambrose.

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? no mouse pad

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T. V. LAST NIGHT? Band of Brothers on YouTube...?

42. FAVORITE SOUND? Well, My kids yelling “Daddy” When I get home. I love the sound of a tree falling and hitting the ground after we cut them down. Football...

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Pink Floyd?

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? England/ Scotland. My brother left me for dead in Scotland...

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I can split an apple in two with one hand using my thumb, but that really isn't a talent.

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Pinetop, AZ (technically Show Low, but we don't focus on that!) Dirty Show Low people

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING? I am not sure if I want to send this to anyone.

Penguins....?

2008-03-09T22:39:00.002-06:00

I thought this was pretty funny. One day I was asking the kids what their names are. Their full names. When I asked Cody, we needed to remind him what his middle name is. It is William and He says Wilum. Anyway, I asked Cody if he knew my name. He said Daddy Russ Jones, and I said no, it is Russell Payne Jones. So, a few days later I randomly asked Cody what his name is because I like to hear try to say William. Then I asked him what my name is and he said Russ Penguin Jones. I thought he was joking, but some how he heard penguin instead of Payne and still thinks it is penguin. I think I'll wait a few years to tell him the truth.

The Joys of Going to School in McCall

2008-02-28T10:41:00.003-07:00

Here's some things that I never got to enjoy going to school in the good old Phoenix Valley...

1. This is how Brock looks going to school every day from about November to March.
2. They plow a monstrous snow hill on the playground for recess. They have tons of school sleds for recess equipment.
3. Brock wears his snowpants and boots all day (except for P.E.) because you have to have them on to play on the snowhill at recess.
4. He keeps his only pair of tennis shoes at school because he only wears them for P.E. (he wears his snow boots everywhere else).
5. For P.E., they go snow-shoeing.
6. They have buses from the school to the ski hills after school. Hopefully Brock can take lessons next year. He gets to go sometimes with Russ and has his own pair of skis and LOVES it! The high school has ski days occasionally where they actually take roll, load the buses and ski for the day. How come we never got "lake days" in AZ!?
7. If it's 10 degrees or less, they have to have indoor recess. Lots of indoor recess a few months of the winter. Last year taking Brock to school he looked at the degrees in our car-25 degrees. He said, knowing he could play outside for recess, "25 degrees! That's totally warm!" What?!

ARE WE CURSED?

2008-02-28T10:36:00.003-07:00

Here's a list of some things that have recently broken in our household (Most are still broken)

Video camera
Camera
Dryer
Stereo
Dee's cell phone
Dee's watch
Vacuum
DVD player

Not life threatening...just annoying.
"And the hits just keep on comin..."

BRETT-UMS & MOM

2008-02-28T10:27:00.004-07:00

2008-02-18T13:25:00.002-07:00

The First Presidency and Thomas Trains...

So...Russ told me I needed to blog the cuteness of our little Cody. Before President Faust passed away, we were teaching our kids the names of the First Presidency with the pictures in a Family Home Evening. As we were talking about the names, Cody got giddy and excited that "they were named after trains!" I never thought about it before, but since Cody's life right now is based around the Thomas trains, we finally understood what he meant. As we talked about Gordon B. Hinckley, Thomas S. Monson, and James E. Faust, he got so excited they were named after his toy trains Gordon, Thomas, and James! Well, after Pres. Faust passed away and Henry B. Eyring was put in...Yes, once again total excitement to have one of them named after his train Henry! Pretty funny, but good that he totally remembers who they are. He used to just look at the picture and call them Gordon, Thomas, James, and Henry, but now he is actually putting last names with them, too. He had a little confusion when Elder Uchtdorf was put in, because there are no trains named Dieter! But, hopefully somehow he'll make it through...

2008-02-17T23:33:00.000-07:00

Well, a lot has happened since I have last posted. I will refrain for saying that I will do better about posting because I obviously dont... I just post in large amounts all at once. So, sorry.

Anyway, we have more snow than we know what to do with. The snow was pretty and fun till about two weeks ago when it just wouldn't stop. We love it, but would love to see mother earth again and not six feet of white stuff.

The window below is about 8.5 feet off the ground... lots of snow....

You cant tell me that this is not one of the coolest things you've seen. Snow blows down my deck and into my doorway... That is cool, but not cool to shovel.

2008-02-17T23:23:00.001-07:00

My oldest sister turned and undisclosed age (per her request) and my parents and siblings flew to her house in Seymour Indana (of which I would love to see more). Anyway, it was a blast. I have not had that much fun in a long time. This was the first time we all got togther without our families, well, since we have all had families.
We all flew in togther and rented a minivan (see below post) and drove to her house. We called her on the phone and started to sing to her. As we started to sing, we rang her doorbell and she came while we were singing. She had no idea and it was awesome. She screamed, cried, we cried....We had so much fun. Great memories.

2008-02-17T23:05:00.001-07:00

This is the progress of my brother's sanity while we were in Indiana. He went against all which he believed and rented a minivan for us. The first pic is his excitement to ride in it as I drove, but he soon had to drive and things went down hill quickly thereafter.

To bring him back, we put on some Pink Floyd and dressed him in his coaching attire and things were almost normal...which is basically normal.

2008-02-17T22:47:00.000-07:00

Here is a funny pic of our oldest. He is a computer junkie. He has basically taken over one of our old laptops. He is loading some racecar game. He would be on it all day if we let him. Thanks goodness Dana is around to make him a well rounded young man. (notice the well organized desk. My office has become the junk drawer of the house.)

2008-02-17T22:39:00.000-07:00

This is one of the winning ice sculptures for winter carnival here in McCall. I thing there were about 11 total sculptures throughout town. This one is the favorite of out little two year old. He loves trains, so we had to stop and get a picture.

2008-02-17T22:34:00.000-07:00

These are the festivities of winter carnival. Seriously, this is so much fun. The City of McCall puts together a huge party. It is like Mardi Gras, but less the nudity and in freezing tempitures. They put on a parade, have fireworks, ice sculpture contest, live bands, ect. It is a lot of fun. The city goes from about 7000 people to about 50,000 in one night. You cant even really drive through town during the weekend.

Just so you know, we would get a ton of candy, but the kids would have to dig it out of the snow and it gets all wet. So, when we get home we have a whole bag full of soggy, nasty candy. Any ideas for next year? They work so hard to get the candy, but dont get to enjoy the fruits of their labors.

Poor Brett, he was exhausted from the whole "flashing for beads" thing. But, as you can see, he did quite well.

2008-02-17T22:21:00.000-07:00

This is the night before the actual parade. The community puts together a parade for the kids. It is the light parade, and they have the kids get all dressed up and put glow stick on and any other lights they can bring and we all walk through town. Well, I ended dragging all the kids on a sled which was fun till I I had to drag them back up hill. We put Brett in a little carrier and zipped him up in my coat. He seemed to like it.

2008-02-17T22:09:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics of the snow here. This first one is from the snow burm looking back at the house. The amount of snow we received this year is absolutuly insane. People who have lived here their whole lives were blown away by the amount of snow. You have to realise that all this snow fell in about three weeks.

This picture is our little sledding hill in our driveway.

2008-01-23T21:29:00.000-07:00

How is it going? I am sorry again... But, we had a bit of an excuse. Our cheap piece of hud camera died on us and we just got a new one, so we will be a titch more dilligent in keeping up with this thing.

And, cool pic of Brett huh...

2007-12-08T22:54:00.000-07:00

A FUNNY RUSS MOMENT
I hope I can explain this moment as it happened last night at our ward adult Christmas party. We had a white elephant gift exchange, so one by one, people were coming to the front of the room and choosing a present. There were probably 60 people there, and our table was close to the front. A woman in her 80's went up and picked a present and as she was walking back to her seat she stepped in a circle of Christmas ribbon that fell off her present and was pulling it behind her. Someone at our table said "oh, ribbons " And, Russ immediately jumped up to help. Unfortunately, it was a "caught around her ankle" kind of thing, and Russ thought it was a "toilet paper stuck to the bottom of her shoe" thing. So, he went behind her, following her, and stepped on the ribbon as she took a step. My sister and I yelled "Russ! Russ, no!", but she took a step and tripped. Luckily, she caught herself on her table and didn't completely fall over or break anything. And, with her sweet demeanor said to Russ "Are you out to get me?!" He sat down thoroughly embarrassed, and our table couldn't keep any manner of quietness or reverence for the rest of the evening! See, as she was walking by, I'm the kind of person that just says "Oh, sad. Embarrassing." But, Russ is, of course, one who says "I'll fix it." That's why I love him! But, maybe next time he'll have to assess the situation a little more before jumping in for the save!

2007-12-08T20:55:00.000-07:00

WHY I LOVE MY HUSBAND:

Since Russ always does the posts, I thought I'd take a minute to show exactly why I think he is the best thing around.
Here's some prize winning pictures of my dear husband. I love that he is always the life of the party, and is always willing to play my games (or anyone else's for that matter) in order to bring a smile to someone's face. Enjoy, because these pics might be gone when he sees them:). On a serious note, Russ is my best friend, and the greatest eternal companion I could have. I always feel good going anywhere standing next to him knowing how other people are just drawn to him and he has a gift of making people feel better when they are around him. So, here's to you Russ:). And Russ, if you don't like this, I apologize, but that's what you get when you leave me on a Saturday to go to your basketball game and won't be home until 2:00am. What else am I suppose to do:).
(P.S.-Russ is helping our brother in law Joe coach JV b-ball again at the high school-undefeated so far:)

The Halloween picture Russ said he wouldn't post:)
*For your viewing pleasure*

Russ read a story to all the kids at our ward Christmas party that took place in Book of Mormon times. They said he was like Samuel the Lamanite, and our good brother in law Joe loudly said "Where's my bow and arrow?" They truly have a unique friendship:)

Halloween 2006. He didn't want Cody to feel odd being the only pumpkin in the family:). This one's for you-Autrey family!

We got invited to a murder mystery dinner party. Our characters (that we had to dress up as) were Tiara Diamond-Miss Kansas City 1959, and Ivan Spudnik-a Russian rocket scientist. Note Russ' disheveled hair:) P.S.-You would've loved Russ' Russian accent!

Russ is always GOOD TIMES...GOOD TIMES

2007-12-03T23:14:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the results of today's snow storm. Well, this is at about 9 in the morning and it continued to snow most of the day, so we actually have a quite a bit more than what you see. That is the second time it had cleared my driveway within the last 12 hours.

This is basically what we woke up to this morning. And, when I woke up I was sure I had plenty of time to clear the driveway again because school was surely going to be cancelled right...? Wrong! and not only was it not cancelled, it was at the regular time. So I had to get myself dug out and ready to have Brock at school by 8:00...? We were on time, but nobody was there. Only two of the who knows how many school buses had arrived. We heard that SIX buses got stuck this morning trying to gather kids...?!? I don't know who is in charge of making the decision to cancel school or not, but whomever it is must live in Arizona or something and not have a clue how much snow was actually on the ground. Anyway, during basketball practice today one of the kids told me that one of his teachers was so angry that school was not canceled that he had him run to the movie store and rent a movie to watch in class as a protest. That is pretty funny...

Anyway, check out that picture of my front porch. I have never seen this before. The wind was blowing so hard from the other side of my house and some how the snow whipped around my porch and made this wave lookin thing. So, yea, you can see that the wind is blowing left to right and somehow the snow whipped around and did that... cool huh...

Holy Snow...!!!

2007-12-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

So today was the first real snow storm. We have had a few in the last month or so, but today was the first real one. And, it was a real one.

As some of you know, we are driving down to AZ for Christmas. And, for the winter we use studded snow tires for our minivan so Dana doesn't run into any trees or stuff like that. Well, I really wanted to wait until we got back from Arizona to put on the snow tires because I would feel pretty stupid running around the valley down there with the clacking of the studs on the nice warm pavement. But, Dana, inspired as she is, demanded that we put on the snow tires and so we did. And I am sure glad we did.

The snow started at about 9 am this morning. Our church is at 1 but I had a meeting at noon so we left at about 11:45. In the nearly three hours of snow and drifts (because the wind was really blowing), at lease 9 0r 10 inches had accumulated. The snow plow had not been to our little road and when we left for church there was so much snow that our poor, pansy little minivan was plowing the snow with our front bumper. I am glad we put on the snow tires.

2007-12-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

Hey, look at me... two post in a row. I have turned over a new leaf (although it is now under two feet of snow).

We did have a major event which I failed to mention. Cody in now officially toilet trained. We had several pair of Thomas the Tank Engine underwear with which we have been taunting him. He was ready quite a while back to wear the underwear, but not ready to use the toilet. So, we finally bought some pull up diapers and within a few days he was toilet trained.

2007-12-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

Cody and Rachel got a hold of my cell phone. When you turn the camera on, you can see your self in the front screen. Cody is looking at himself in these pics. Anyway, I thought this was pretty funny.

Sorry

2007-12-01T22:28:00.001-07:00

I realize I have dropped the ball here. Around two months have passed since my last post and I apologize. If I had a great excuse I would surely use it, but I don't. Strait up neglect on my part. Dana would remind me every day since she checks all your blogs several times a week. So, I am turning over a new leaf and I will be more diligent with our posts. Hopefully. Maybe.

Thanks for your support.
Staff

2007-12-01T22:28:00.000-07:00

This is just a cute one of Rachel....

This is for all the Dads. I had just got home from working outside and hadn't done much with my kids, and I needed to get some emails and stuff sent out. I started working in my office but they wanted to wrestle me. I figured I could kill two birds with one stone and let them wrestle me as I tried to work. It really didn't work out and I had to do my stuff later.

2007-12-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

I drove about a half hour to get this load of wood. My poor little truck was dragging it's bottom when we got back. The good ol' Toyota did a good job.

And, Brett wanted to come out and help but it was a bit cold for him so we just took a picture of him so he could feel like part of the fam.

2007-12-01T22:10:00.000-07:00

Here we are preparing for winter. We have a wood burning fireplace and we burn about 4 to 5 cords of wood during the winter. So, in September and October and sometimes November, most weekends are dedicated to cutting fire wood. I only have a hand full of things that I really enjoy, and one of them is getting fire wood. Brock is finally old enough that he enjoys going with me and we have a great time (as long as he has some junk foot and gloves). Anyway, we bring the wood back in rounds and a buddy of mine lets me use his splitter. I am too much of a panzy to split that much wood by hand, plus we make a big fancy activity out of splitting and stacking the wood. Oh, and, Brock is pretty good at running the splitter. He has the timing down pretty well and we fly through the wood pretty quickly.

2007-12-01T21:58:00.000-07:00

This is just a really pretty picture. Dana took this picture off our back porch right as the sun was coming up. That is fog in the background and not smoke. A few months ago and it would have been smoke. This past summer was the worst fire season ever in this part of the state.

2007-12-01T21:54:00.000-07:00

Dana did something pretty fun for the fam a few weeks back. She decided to dedicate the dinners for one week to each of our favorite things. S0, she would ask each of the kids what they wanted for dinner and she would make it and also decorate the table with their favorite things. Dana did her own table first but forgot to take a picture. She decorated with stuff from our wedding, and daisies. Brock wanted home made pizza and a "Ben 10" table. Rachel wanted a "Cinderella/Princess" table, Cody wanted "Thomas and Friends," and Dana surprised me with a football table. It was a fun week. The little ones really liked it.

2007-12-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

Here are the litte ones for Halloween. We have Rachel as "Cinderella", Big Brock as "Ben 10," Cody as "Thomas The Tank Engine," and Brett as "Powder in a Batman Suit." Dana and I dressed up, but I have chosen not to post those pictures for various reasons.

2007-11-15T10:12:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is Dana...I got tagged like a month ago, and Russ always does the blog, so...I thought I'd finally try to do something...here goes :)

Five things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Started my 2nd year of college at EAC.
2. Was the student body secretary at EA.
3. Was in all the choirs at EA-(large group choir, show choir, girl's quartet)
4. Was living in a freaking fun filled college trailer park-Trailer #4-"The Lodge" with Steph, Nicki, Tia, and Kia, and others that would come and go. Yes, I was trailer trash, and it was COOL:). True story-you gotta love it.
5. Was going on about 2 hrs of sleep every night, eating at Jerry's and The Roost, teaching Relief Society, driving Whitey, laughing with my roommies all hours of the day and night, and enjoying life...good times!

5 Things on my "To Do List" today:
1. Clean out my garage. (I'm obssessed lately with de-junking and organizing!)
2. Preschool with Rachel.
3. Practice my songs for the community choir I'm singing in.
4. Go through all the family's snow gear-yes, we already have snow...(for all my AZ friends enjoying their good weather).
5. Get Russ to update the blog:).

5 Things I would do if I were a millionaire: (This is what I would do if I had all this money today...)
1. Send anonymous checks to people who are struggling.
2. Go to the dentist and say "Keep me here until you do everything I've been putting off" :)
3. I'd always eat out with Russ at good, expensive restaurants. I love good food!
4. I'd go out and buy our complete year supply all in one shot.
5. Buy a new mattress-my back's been hurting lately.
(Huge things, huh:)...I can't think too much right now.

5 Things I will never wear again
1. Tapered/pegged pants. I know some are in style now, but seriously, some people have hips and i don't like to look like a pear :)
2. Spandex (yikes!)-especially the ones with the neon colors down the side.
3. Ji-normous bangs with gobs of hairspray.
4. Units belts-especially turquoise and pink and peach colored accessories!
5. Huge puffy sleeves on dresses. (usually major flower printed dresses)

My Favorite Toys
(have no idea, so I'm changing it to 5 things I like to do the most right now)
1. Read my Jane Austen books.
2. De-junk and take stuff to the thrift store.
3. Scrapbook.
4. Laugh at Russ (he's seriously the funniest dude I know!)
5. Play "Go Fish" and "Memory" with my kids-they have to play at least 50 times a day!

5 People to Tag (sorry if you've already done this...)
1. Jen & Dave
2. Dan & Machelle
3. Amy & Joe
4. Katie & Donovan (Just saw your cute blog)
5. Debbie & Jake

2007-10-02T23:07:00.000-06:00

He is cute huh?

2007-10-02T22:41:00.000-06:00

Having fun at the local hot springs... This is Brett's first swim. Excuse the chubbyness.

This is a sweet picture. They are getting ready to support Rachel in her watching "Barbie and the Magic Pegasus."

He is just cool...

Brock, Rachel, and McKenna (cousin) are making bread. It was pretty good actually.

2007-10-02T22:34:00.000-06:00

Dana has a new tradition she wants to start. Every year on the first day of school she will make pancakes with the number of their grade and that many pancakes in a stack. So when they are seniors they will have the number 12 and a stack of 12 pancakes. Pretty cool huh...?
P is for Preschool... and pink, pretty, princess...ect...
C is for Cody... and cool.

2007-10-02T22:25:00.000-06:00

Dana is doing a preschool at home with Rachel twice a week when the other two boys are napping. Here's just a few pictures of our cute girl with a few of the projects she's done. For the letter "A", she did an ark and put all her animals in.

For the letter "C" she canned peach jam.
She also made cookies with her cool book...
For the letter "E" she made chocolate peanut butter ball "E's". And also for E, we have the Egyptian pyramids out of sand stone and graham crackers.

2007-10-02T22:14:00.000-06:00

Here is the big man (Brock) on his first day at school (first grade).... Just so you know, (if you care) the school facilities are pretty darn old. The school district is currently building a new elementary school in another part of town and it looks quite state-of-the-art. if you will.

He is a good looking young man all excited for school.

Here we have Cody and Rachel. They are awaiting the arrival of Brock from school. The bus drops him off at the end of our little lane where we live. Cody and Rachel sit in front of our house till the bus comes.

And here is the bus...

And they're off to meet him

2007-10-02T21:58:00.000-06:00

We finally set up the Ping Pong table...again. I lost the directions and it took me a bit to figure out what goes where... I'm not sure if any of you know the history of Ping Pong in our family, but this whole family started with a bitter loss (on my part) at Ping Pong. Right as Dana and I met, she challenged me to a Ping Pong game at the institute. Well, I'm usually pretty good at stuff so I agreed and upped the anty with the winner winning a dinner. To my lament, she beat me...barely...by like 15 points. So, naturally I paid up and next thing I know, I've got four kids, a mortgage, a minivan, and so on. So she bought me a table on which to practice, and I would like you to know that the running tally on who is winning is clearly in my favor.

And... those are cute kids...

2007-10-02T21:48:00.000-06:00

This is our annual trip to the Lagoon in Utah that we took in August. This is the fourth year we've gone and our kids look forward to it all year. The day after we got home they started asking again when we're going to go back. We usually go with Dana's sister and family (Amy and Joe). Last year my parents and sister Erin came but this year they couldn't. This year Dana's parents came and we stayed with them in their sweet 5th Wheel at the camp ground (that was nice..better than tenting it like we usually do). This year Cody got to ride the "bigger" little kid rides with Brock and Rachel (and loved it), and Brock was tall enough to ride the adult White Roller Coaster with Mom and Dad (and had the bejeezers scared out of him). The music machine was the ride of choice this year for the kids... For Dana and me, it was the new sweet roller coaster called "Wicked," it was freaking awesome. The kids were so excited it was Brett's first year to go. We love family vacations!

2007-10-02T21:31:00.000-06:00

Here are some random pics of the "the goon" rides. (that is what Rachel and Cody call it)

2007-10-02T21:27:00.000-06:00

This was our reprieve from the heat... We are now mountain folk and cant handle the 100 degree weather.

This is a scary look into the future...

This is the dragonfly... it is freaking intense!

2007-10-02T21:12:00.000-06:00

Joe (my bro-in-law) and I tried out our hands at the ol' "spill the milk" challenge at Lagoon... Well, we all know what the outcome was. Let's just say that mucho leche was all over the place. The milk was spilled....

Here are the little ones enjoying the spoils of victory.

Has anyone seen Cody?

2007-08-29T09:12:00.000-06:00

Brock finally ditched the training wheels... We live on a bumpy dirt road, so it was hard for him to practice, but now he is ready to pass on his little bike and get a new bigger one.

Rachel is showing off her moves... Maybe she'll follow in her mother's footsteps and join the jump rope club.

Procession of Brett's moods after his blessing.

2007-08-26T23:05:00.000-06:00

He is looking pretty concerned with things right about now...

Now he is down right angry and giving nasty hand gestures...

I am not sure what just happened, but he is now a bit smelly but a bit happier...

...and now he is ready to pose for the pictures. What a handsome young man.

The fam came up for Brett's blessing... it was a party all the way.

2007-08-26T22:48:00.000-06:00

This is a picture of the whole Clan... We are just missing our little Cody (cranky and napping) and my oldest sister Sherri's husband Wade. He had to get back home where they live.

Brett with his two Grandpas

2007-08-26T22:36:00.000-06:00

More pictures of the lake from John's plane

2007-08-26T21:53:00.000-06:00

This is the pretties lake... We just love it. Most of the time people get used to the scenery where they live, but every time we drive through town along the lake we are still blown away that we live here.

Aerial Views of our fun town

2007-08-26T21:41:00.000-06:00

Dana's brother John flew here for July 4th. He took Dana and I up for a little ride. This was the first time I had been in such a small plane. It was a pretty neat feeling to float around...until we had to land. I like not seeing the runway when we land.

John let me have the controls for a little bit. It was pretty sweet.

This is a picture of the lake in town. The city is built around this lake. I am not biased or anything, but this is the prettiest lake in the United States.

2007-08-26T21:27:00.000-06:00

We were woken up by a strange sound one morning. Sheepherders would dirve thier flocks by our house every morning for about a month. Cody would run around yelling, "mommy mommy, I see a seep." It was quite a sight to see so many sheep. The herders have huge dogs to walk in front of the flocks and in back to fight of wolf attacks.

2007-06-10T18:53:00.000-06:00

We are Finally Home!!!!

2007-06-10T18:49:00.000-06:00

Brock is ready to be the big brother.
He is so excited to have Brett in our Fam...

Rachel is already mom's big helper.

Cody thinks Brett is his new toy... Yikes...!
We'll need to keep a close eye on this one...

We are now officially a family of Six... All I wanted to do was play Dana a simple game of Ping Pong, and not look what happeden.

2007-06-10T18:39:00.000-06:00

Here is Dana and Brett right before we loaded up to
go home... They both look great...

2007-06-10T18:34:00.000-06:00

2007-06-10T18:33:00.000-06:00

2007-06-10T18:30:00.000-06:00

2007-06-10T18:24:00.000-06:00

This is just moments after Brett was born. He wasn't
even washed off yet...