Crazy In Idaho

Girls Night Out!

2010-10-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

One day when we were riding to Fred Meyer,and none of us kids wanted to go.So while we were driving mom got a phone call from dad and said"I'm almost to Fred Meyer I'll come take the kids home with me."(I have a crazy dad!)On the way home he asked me if I might be interested in running a race in Boise at the end of September.I said,"Maybe."So every saturday morning we'd run around the loop in our neighborhood.So the Friday before the race we drove from Twin to Boise. To start off our girls trip we got ice cream cones and listing to crazy music all the way there. When we got there we ate dinner at the cheesecake factory.(best mac & cheese ever!)The funniest thing that happened to me on our trip:When we drove past a Taco truck on the side of the road!I think I laughed for 3 minutes straight. So when we got to the hotel and ate our cheesecake, everybody had the urge to go swimming. I wasn't keeping my head above water very well,and when I went under I got water in my mouth and ,it tasted gross!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When we got in the pool there was a huge screen with the what movie playing do you think?Charlotte's Web!!!!!!!!!It was so funny because I'm in the play Charlotte's Web with my friend Sydney. when we went to bed and, got up and,got to the shuttle and it was FREEZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When the race ended my time was 35:00.And got goodie bags(snack bags.)And ate by the fountain.It was lots of fun!!!!!!!! Thanks mom for all you do!!!!!!I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep on Runnin'

2010-10-03T18:14:00.000-07:00

Sooo....Blake was a little frustrated that I did not get this post done soon enough after his last post to continue the retro running song theme (anyone recognize this one?). But here I am anyway to tell you about our next running adventure of the summer. Since Blake had put so much time and effort into training for the 50/20 event, I kept bugging him that if he could do that, surely he could do a 1/2 marathon easy. It just so happened that Blake's oldest brother Brad and his wife Ali had been trying to get us to do the Airforce 1/2 Marathon in Dayton, Ohio with them for the past year. So Blake caved and decided to train with me for it.

He found us a 10 week training program, and didn't let me sluff off the entire 10 weeks. We ran 8 and 5 miles in Island park at the Kern family reunion, we got babysitters to run saturday mornings, we ran in the snake river canyon. We were ready for this race, and then some! Then Blake's hip started to hurt, and hurt, and hurt (of course he didn't want to mess up the "training schedule so he kept running). And my head started to get a little stuffy, and then a lot stuffy!! We drove down to Utah and left the kids with my sister Sara. I couldn't sleep that night I was so stuffed up, which meant poor Blake didn't sleep either. We flew out that morning, and Brad and Ali picked us up in Louisville, and we all drove to Dayton. We made it just in time to pick up our race packets. The plan was to eat at The Cheesecake Factory, but found out there was an hour wait we decided on Noodle's instead, and got cheesecake to-go for dessert (yum!).

We woke up bright and early to get to the race on time. Brad and Ali had to run to the starting line the year before, and we weren't interested in adding an extra mile or two before the race even started. This was by far the most organized race I had ever participated in, and you could not beat the venue! It was fun to see all the airplanes lining the start and finish line, and the B52 fly over right before the race was awesome! They had "pacers" with signs with the time you wanted to finish with and you lined up beside them. We lined up by the 2:00 pacer. I was feeling a little better than the day before, and was hoping for the best. Blake took off on his own right away, and I was good for the first 9 miles, but crashed on the last 4. I didn't quite make my goal, but did get 2:17, my second best time ever. So I felt ok about it, but am still wondering what "could have been" if I wasn't sick. Blake got within 5 minutes of his goal, but was hurting quite a bit at the end with his hip injury. We were quite the pair. It was a little disappointing, but still a great experience. And of course, great to spend time with Brad and Ali and their kids.

Funny story was that Blake wanted Brad to take him to a specialized running story in Kentucky to see if there was a better running shoe he should be wearing. After about 45 minutes of shoes, advice, and more shoes, he ended up with a brand new pair of the exact same shoe he walked in the store with. It was quite disappointing to him to say the least.

Thank you Brad and Ali for a great time! I am already plotting my next race, so I can see if I can get any closer to my 2 hour goal!!! St. George anyone???

Take It on the Run

2010-09-28T19:07:00.001-07:00

If you have looked at the calendar lately, like me you are wondering where the summer has gone. Ours has sped by at a runners pace. We have taken on a few challenges these last few months.

It all started this spring at a Stake Court of Honor when our stake president challenged all the young men 14 and older to participate in this thing called a 50/20. I made the mistake of asking what is a 50/20. The challenge is to walk 50 miles in under 20 hours. So we set out with the young men of our ward to start our training regement to prepare for this great event. We spent lots of Saturdays hiking 5 miles then 10 miles up to 25 miles. As the final details of the race trickled in we discoverd that plan was to start at 4:00 PM on a Friday night from the Oakley Stake Center. Then, walk all night and end up at our new stake center in Twin Falls. The first 25 miles was pretty easy and everyone was hanging in there. Then we started to lose some of the boys and leaders. The learning experience came early Saturday morning. We had scheduled a couple of support crews through out the night to come and supply us with food and water and such. The last 10 miles became very dificult with bistered and bleeding feet. The last leg of the race two friends from the ward Jonathan Wheelwright and Spencer Cutler were on shift. The amazing thing to me was how even in the state of utter exaustion and pain that I was in just having them walking in front of me seemed to help so much. There seemed to be an invisible rope between us that continued to pull me along. I releate this back to the scripture of how we can truly bear one others burdens and support each other. All that finished we were able to complete the 50 miles in about 16 hour.

You Know You Are a Manwaring Update!

2010-06-11T15:14:00.000-07:00

Added June 10, 2010
11) If you have had a holy shirt or pants ripped off your body.
12) If your family hugs included the use of duct tape.
13) If in every Family photo instead of hearing "say cheese" you hear "duck, duck, goose". Contributed by BM. You guess which one.

Third Time Is The Charm at Fairy Falls

2010-06-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

A Life Lesson in over coming Life's Obstacles.

When we were up at the cabin last week we decided to go into Yellowstone Park and seek out a water fall that for a while we thought only existed in our imagination. Fairy Falls.

Attempt # 1 5/29/10 at 2:30 PM
After consulting the Yellowstone Hiking Book and maps we set off into the park. After getting through buffaloes having caves on the road and holding up traffic. We made it to what we thought was the trail head. At least that is what the sign laying on the ground claimed. We were about a mile and a half in when we encountered our first obstacle.
Bear Tracks, given that early in the day the kids have made fruit loop necklaces and now had them hanging around their necks. I thought my odd to get away would be pretty good so we pressed on. Until mother nature came a calling too two of our family members. One was able to take care of it in the wood the other demanded a return to the parking lot. So we abandoned our efforts. Remember men one saying "Happy Wife Happy Life"

Attempt # 2 5/29/10 5:30 PM.
After I had a happy wife again. We drove a little farther in the park to discovered the real trail head. In my enthusiasm I ran to the sign and misread the sign. I thought it stated that the falls were only 1 mile in. I thought piece of cake 2 miles round trip. At this point it was blowing and snowing a little bit. I pump up the kids promised them a blizzard from DQ. Little did they know the were going to end up with both types of blizzards. We set off only to find out after 1 mile of hiking we only made it to the trail head of Fairy Falls and still had 2.6 miles to go. Once again I reluctantly let the dream slip from my fingers.

Attempt # 3 5/31/10 10:00 AM
The following Monday Ralph and I conspired to reach both our goals. He wanted to take a Model A for a drive in the park and I need to see Fairy Falls. So we sweet talked Josie and the kids and made our third and final attempt. Which ended in great success. We found the NOT imaginary 200 FT Fairy Falls. It was worth it and the kids did wonderful. Never Give UP.

How Many Manwarings Does it take to Change a Light Bulb?

2010-06-10T07:11:00.000-07:00

Answer:
5 Manwarings and 2 Kerns.

Jack to hold the chair that I am standing on.
Sam to remove and replace the light bulbs.
Emily to take the picture.
Josie to be the official worrier.
Blake to be walked all over as usual.
Ralph to hold the light fixture.
Connie to supervise.

What do you do when it snows in March?

2010-04-21T15:27:00.000-07:00

You dress up in your best pioneer dress, put on your dress coat, and Pretend like you are Laura Ingalls in "The Long Winter" of course!

I have been meaning to blog about this for awhile now. It was just too cute to forget. It was late March that we got a bonus snow fall. Everyone was sick of being cooped up in the house, so when Emily came to me all dressed up, and asked for a basket I didn't know quite what she was up to. She has been reading all of the Laura Ingalls books lately and decided to take advantage of the newly fallen snow and pretend she was Laura, trying to survive the long winter. It was fun to watch her scurry around the yard pretending to gather this and that and the other. I just watched out the window, not wanting to disrupt this rare opportunity to watch her lost in her imagination, but she was so animated that it wasn't hard to follow along. Emily is entering into the wonderful "inbetween" stages and is trying to figure out if she is a kid or a "preteen", and it is nice when you get to watch them be that kid you know they still are. Even if it also reminds me of the grown up girl she is becoming at the same time.

You Are A Manwaring If...

2010-04-18T15:22:00.000-07:00

The other day I overheard a conversation between Josie and Sam. Sam takes after his father and is often confused about many things including what day of the week it is. So he looks for clues around him to fill in the blanks. Sam asked Josie if it was "Work Day" more commonly know as Saturday to the rest of the world. Which got me remembering my growing up years. So I have come up with the following list to see if you qualify as a true Manwaring:

1) If you walk in to a building and accidentally leave the door open and someone asks if you were raise in a barn. You can reply, why yes I was.
2) For the first 10 years of your life you thought your middle name was "pot licker"
3) Your best fashion statement in high school was your new tennis shoes stained with green from the grass.
4) You had to go through a trap door to get to your bedroom.
5) At the age of 17 you could brag that you had worked at a oil refinery for 4 years.
6) You only could sing the first lines of any folk song and are really worried about being able to wash your neck.
7) The only nose jewelry you were allowed was a grind stone.
8) Your friends could recognize your back pockets and elbows before your face. (because you were bent over working)
9) You know what the phrase " Had the bun" means.
10) Your choices of energy drinks were Barley Green or Molasses mixed with Milk.
Added June 10, 2010
11) If you have had a holy shirt or pants ripped off your body.
12) If your family hugs included the use of duct tape.
13) If in every Family photo instead of hearing "say cheese" you hear "duck, duck, goose". Contributed by BM. You guess which one.

How did you rate? Can you think of any other qualifications?

What I meant to Blog Was....

2010-04-01T15:45:00.000-07:00

It's been a while, lets just leave it at that, ok! That way I don't have to give excuses about...

Anyway, here are all the things I have been meaning to post about for a while now an haven't. So here it is: I finally got new curtains in the living room. It took me forever to decide what I wanted, but once I got them up I was so happy with them that I can't believe I left the other ones up as long as I did. (You can't really tell but they are very narrow blue and white stripes)

In an attempt to at least get something close to the cool "Ipod" valentines we did last year we made these fortune cookie valentines. Still not as cool as the ipods, but I thought they were cute.

Emily signed up for the school talent show. She had high hopes of singing a Taylor Swift song, but after the 4th out of tune version of "You Belong to Me" I think she was glad I made her play the piano instead. I think... She did a great job!

Jack had started taking Tae Kwon Do in Michigan, so we signed him up when we got back. He loves it and it is so fun to what him work so hard, and be so focused on something. He gets to test for his low Yellow Belt next Friday. Here are Sam and Jack "sparring" at class. I am thinking of getting these padded helmets for when they go at it at home (which seriously doesn't happen very often).
Of course brothers are required to hug at the end.

So that is what I meant to blog..... More blogs to come!!!!!

Mr. Mom Fails Again

2010-03-06T18:36:00.000-08:00

Since returning to our lives in Idaho we have had an interesting jux-a- position in that last few weeks in our family. My evil plan to be released as Elder's Quorum President by leaving the state for a few months was a flying success.

But, upon our return the Bishop was waiting with baited breath, not for me but for Josie. As many of you all ready know Josie was called as the Young Women's President in our Ward. Being the supportive husband that I am I told the Bishop no problem I would love to support her. I was hoping that push Josie out front like a lamb to the wolves in the hope this would buy me some time to lay low and avoid any responsibility. I was sadly mistaken. I found out what goes on Sunday Morning while I was at all those early morning meetings. Here is my track record so far:

Week 1:

I was up stairs ironing everyones clothes when Jack comes up stairs and asks" Daddy is it opposite day or something?" Why are you ironing clothes? That is not the way mommy does it.

Week 2:

I was committed. The kids were going to be dressed. Breakfast dishes taken care of and in our seats 5 minutes early. All was going well, we walked into the chapel at 8:54 one minute to spare. I was just about to pat my self on the back when Joise leans over and kindly asks " Is there a reason why Sam's pants are on backwards? I grabbed him and ran for the bathroom. I though I still have 4 minutes we can make it. In the mad dash he lost his shoe and shed a few tears.

Week 3:

I am a man that tries to learn from his mistakes. After I had ironed the boy's clothes and send them down to get dressed and started back on some other clothes it hit me " backwards pants" I came racing down the stairs to make sure the old backwards pants issues was not my down fall again. I went in to make sure Sam had his pants on correctly. As I was doing this Jack started to tease Sam. Jack saying I can not believe you put your pants on back wards don't you know that the zipper goes in the front like this. As Jack proudly looked down to show him his zipper he only found two back pockets.

Week 4:

Your guess is as good as mine.

Sincerely,

Humble Pie

Josie, We know you will do a great job.

Fall Colors

2009-11-21T09:24:00.000-08:00

Some Pictures from the local park that we blogged about before. Showing some of the wonderful fall Michigan Color and some pretty cute kids if I don't say so myself.

Halloween Was When

2009-11-21T08:14:00.000-08:00

Sleeping Beauty

Sock Hop Girl

Yoda and the epic battle against the Side. (They are holding imaginary light sabers.)

The crew with their pumpkins. I am always so impressed with Josie and the costumes she is able to come up with and hand make. I am sure that someday when her children look back. They will be very grateful to her as I am.

A Star Is Born

2009-11-21T07:50:00.000-08:00

"Emily Michigan" (Instead of Hannah Montana) Has made her Acting Daybue as the "Mother of the final Family". In a small theater just off Broadway by about 400 miles. At the Walker Elementary School. It was an amazing performance. She spoke loud and clear and taught everyone that presents were not the most important part about Christmas, but being together with your family is the true blessing. Then in the final scene. Showing the true act of charity invites everyone in to her home for cookies and hot chocholate. It was an amazing performace and her fans look forward to future work of this talent young star.

Back Up Plans and Doubling Down

2009-10-17T13:11:00.000-07:00

So with the project not taking off as quickly as I would like, the state of the economy, and given who is in charge of the country right now Josie and I have been getting a little nervous. The past couple Sunday nights in companionship inventory we have been doing some brain storming to hedge our income. Then it came to us on a trip to visit my brother in Kentucky. We have sent all three children to jockey school they have only 6 more weeks until there first race. Jack is already impressing his teacher and has been promised to ride in a race with a horse called "Snowball." We have not told him the horse full name "chance in Hell". We figure with their incomes as jockeys and then the advantage of the inside information on the races Josie will really be able to excel in her new chosen profession. We figured with her math and statistical skills she would be a natural. Josie has been spending her days learning about odds, spreads, ect. We also have a in with the local vet. So I think it is a Sure thing. I know you are all concerned with my role in the master plan. I was going to sit back and be the Hollywood Husband of Kentucky. But that went over like a lead balloon with "Lucky Losie-POO" So she handed me a pitch fork and sent me to the stables to do what I do best shovel stuff.
If any family or friend would like to invest in our sure thing please send your money orders to Lucky Loise at the Keenland Race Track in George Town Kentucky.

Oh The Places You Will Go For Boise State

2009-10-07T18:08:00.001-07:00

So when we first were getting ready to move out here Josie noticed in one of the BSU Alumni letters that BSU was going to be playing out here at Bowling Green this year. We thought it would be a fun adventure to go show our support for our school.

So we had to make a day out of it. So we started by visiting Whole Foods to participate in the "BUY COT" Down with the liberal tree hugging, Nanny State, commy liberals. We had a wonderful lunch and I visited the cheese gallery with Emily and tasted different cheeses and selected two to take home.

Next Josie had to make up for teasing me the whole way our here. She would say oh we can stop at Cabelas so after passing about three stores and not stopping at one. I forced the issue and stopped at one in Ohio. So the kids really liked the animals.

We pulled into Bowling Green and had a little time before the big game so we went to a local car museum at saw some pretty neat cars. Including a Model T painted Washington Blue and Straw Wheels. Finally we went to the massacre. My favorite part was when we pulled into the parking lot and the people look at our Idaho plates on the van and they were blow away say "wow you guys drove a long way." "How long did it take you to drive here" " You must be major football fans." I was willing play along and tell stories but "Honest Abe Josie" had to set everyone straight that we had only come from Michigan. The game was a good one. BSU Kicked butt 49 to 14. We made it half time and the kids were done and we had a long drive home so we left. But as alway Josie is alway surprised where she ends up when she is with me.

2009-10-07T17:58:00.000-07:00

The Annual Silly Hat Party

2009-10-07T16:41:00.000-07:00

The Annual Silly Hat Party has been on hold for the last couple of weeks because of all the rain. I have been feeling like I am back in Washington. There was a break in the rain Tuesday night so Josie baked up some wonderful Toll House ultimate peanut butter cookies and we made a run for it. We found a fun park near the house to host the event. The Blandford Nature Center where I am told you can go in the spring to tap the Sugar Maple Trees for syrup. Another thing to look forward too but I am sure that it will not compare to the famous birch pop/wine of yester years. (Notice how I took a picture of the sign so I could spell it later. Alway thinking ) We were a bit short on silly hats so we had to make do with what we had. Josie has already decided that this is the spot for the annual fall family pictures in a few weeks when the leaves turn a bit more. We probably should have thought through Sam's hat and jacket a bit more we kept losing him in the trees. (lol). Emily was enjoying herself also until she start seeing the signs for the turtle and snake crossing. She was a bit jumpy until we convinced her that the it was too cold for them to be out. So stay tuned for the beautiful fall colors.

A Birthday and a "Big Lake"

2009-10-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

So, Sam decided that he wanted a Thomas the Train Birthday cake for his 5th birthday, and had very specific ideas as to what it should look like. I tried my best, and he was happy so I guess it turned out ok. He was also sure that he wanted to go to Chuckie Cheese for his party. Which was perfect since it was just "immediate" family in attendance this year. All the kids had lots of fun, and Blake and I even managed to squeeze in a basketball throwing competition (which I won, of course).

There was very little dilemma in Sam's mind when it came to choosing a gift. He knew exactly what he wanted, and he has literally not stopped playing with it yet! It is a really cool ship that has all kinds of bells and whistles. I love the new Imaginex line of toys. They are very creative and sturdy toys. A hard thing to come by in my humble opinion.

The weekend after Sam's birthday we finally took the kids to the "BIG LAKE" as we had been calling it. Better known as Lake Michigan. I was surprised at how clear the water was! It was so clean. I guess I just expected mass pollution because it is a lake near large metro areas. I was pleasantly surprised. The kids were in the water immediately. I don't know why we are not smart enough to put suits on before we actually introduce them to the water, but it has been a trend this summer. But I can tell you that we are not taking them anywhere wet with out a suit on from the start again. Anyway, we got everyone changed into appropriate swim attire, and all they wanted to do was get wet, and then roll in the sand until they had sand in every crease of their body. It sooo did not look like fun, but they were having a ball.

Since they were so excited about getting sandy, Blake and I decided to bury them in the sand. They enjoyed every second of it. After that we walked to a lighthouse at the end of a pier and got the yummiest milkshake called a "Lavender Lady". I have been craving another ever since.

Chaos continued....

2009-09-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

The day after arriving in Michigan we had to register the kids in school. We also signed a lease on a duplex, but we couldn't move in for another 9 days!!! So we decided to get in the car, YET AGAIN, and drive to Kentucky to visit with Blake's oldest brother Brad and his family for a few days(yes, we are insane, thanks for asking). The kids did good, all things considered, and the visit was nice. That is until I got this crazy sinus infection, cold something that knocked me flat. Up until that point I was holding it together pretty good if I do say so myself. But once that cold set in I was so miserable, and add being at someone elses house, not having a home to speak of ourselves, and being sick, it took the last ounce of glue holding me together and through it out the window. We headed back to hang out in the hotel for a few more days before the house was ready, I hit Craig's List pretty hard looking for furniture, and got some great deals (picture me patting myself on the back here). But that is another post, with pictures! Anyway, we finally got into the house. Added a little furniture, and got the kids into school the day after Labor Day. They were surprisingly not very nervous. Below is a picture of them before they went to school the first day. Sam and Emily were more nervous to ride the bus than anything else. None of our kids have ever ridden the bus because the bus ride was an hour ride each way where we were before.

But they survived the bus ride and all came home with smiles on their faces. Well, everyone except Emily, who had skinned her knee getting on the bus home. It didn't endear her to the bus that day, but she has since learned to like riding the bus. Especially since it is literally a 5 minute trip from the school to our house.

More to come!

Chaos, the beginning...

2009-09-23T17:29:00.000-07:00

I promised I would post about the "chaos" and so I have had it on my to-do list all week. So I am not letting myself go to bed tonight without getting, at least part of it written tonight. The end of July was when the chaos really started to get momentum. I was scheduled quite a bit more than usual at work to cover other Nurse's vacations. But I had also been called up for jury duty for the month of July. So far, I had been called off every week, but I was not so lucky the last week of July. Not only did I have to go in, but I actually got called to be on a jury for a criminal trial. That in an of it self is a long story, but it gave me an entirely new perspective of bringing 12 diverse members of a community together to try and come to a decision about other members of the communities lives. Let's just say, I am not anxious to be called up again anytime soon. Anyway, that ended up taking two days to get through, and it just happened to be two days that I was working at the Cancer center. They were very understanding about it though.

After that I had the opportunity to got the Girls Camp. I had not been to Girl's Camp since I was a "girl", so I felt like the first year beehive trying to figure everything out. I was asked to be the "Camp Nurse" and a YCL advisor. I was also the 1st counselor in our wards YW at the time, so I was also trying to keep track of the 14 girls we had up there from our ward. Needless to say, they kept me busy all week, and I came home thankful for the experience, and better for it, but VERRRRRY TIRRRED!!!! ( the above picture is of the cute welcome gifts we gave to each girl in our ward the first night we were at camp. Blake was appalled at the amount of "fluff and stuff" that goes on at camp. He found out that girls camp is definitely not scout camp)

So I mentioned how exhausted coming home from camp, but I knew that I didn't have more that a moment to rest because of the impending news we were waiting for from Blake's Company regarding a possible move too..........Michigan. I knew he would most likely get the "yeah or nay" while I was at camp. And I was unable to contact him until I was all the way down off the mountain at the end of the week of Girls Camp. So you can bet I was on the phone as soon as I had service on the way home. He confirmed that we had the green light to go to Michigan, and that we had exactly 2 weeks to get packed up and go, so that we could get the kids registered for school. To say that I was overwhelmed is a gross understatement. But when it was all said and done, we had so many people helping us that we were more than ready to go at the end of 2 weeks. It helped a lot that we kept our home in Twin Falls mostly intact. We only took the essentials. No large furniture (we would get what we needed when we got there) and were prepared to be "minimalists" for the next little while. The above picture is of the truck and the van all loaded up. Leave it to Blake to make our chaos look so neat and tidy. What a guy!

Here are the kids in front of our house in Twin Falls, the morning we left for Grand Rapids, Michigan. It took us three days of driving to get there. The kids were trooper through it all. It help a little that they got to eat out for every meal, and go swimming in the hotel every night. Blake kept asking them what it was like to live like "Zach and Cody" on the Disney Channel show. (don't pretend like you don't know who they are... and if you don't, I wouldn't loose any sleep about it.) So by Aug. 27th we were in Michigan, where the real "fun" was yet to come....

2009-09-15T18:43:00.000-07:00

Soooo, it's been a while since my last post. It was a little intimidating to follow up after Blake's creative post. (He was quite proud of that by the way)Anyway, life has been quite eventful as of late, but I wanted to catch up on a trip we took in July before I move on to the chaos. Blake was able to take a few days off so we headed to Hebgen Lake for some camping, fishing, and bike riding trough Yellowstone with Grandpa Kern. Of course, it wouldn't be a post by me if I didn't upload the pictures backwards. So, we will begin with the end of the trip. We were able to do some really fun bike rides through Yellowstone Park with my dad. It was fun to do as a family. It is nice that the kids are getting old enough that we can do things like this as a family.

The one thing that made it all do-able was this contraption. Sam still has a hard time keeping up with everyone else on a bike, so we rented this great trailer that made it possible for him to keep up. He loved it, and loved whizzing by everybody else and saying "See yah, slow poke". He did get a little tired by the end of the day as you can see.

The day before (remember, we started at the end) We had gone to Virginia City. It was a fun old mining town in Montana. There were so many old "authentic" artifacts and antiques to look at. Jack and Sam both got a bow and arrow as a souvenir and had lots of fun practicing their aim.
And that brings us to the start of our journey, Hebgen Lake (I have got to remember how to post my pictures correctly!). We got a campsite right on the water. Which was great for water access, not so great for misquitoes. When we got there the kids couldn't wait to get their feet wet in the lake. It started out with just getting feet wet and quickly turned into full on swimming. Clothes and all. After we got back from this trip Jack had an unusual lump in his lower abdomen we were concerned about so we got it checked out. The next day he had hernia surgery. The doctor's originally thought that it was strangulating his bowel, but that did not end up being the case. Jack was a champ through it all, and so Brave! I couldn't believe how fast his body healed. The biggest downer was that he had to miss swimming lessons because of it. But he is back to his old self, and has a great story to tell anyone who will listen.

Freedom

2009-07-13T15:24:00.000-07:00

So lately I have being failing in the fun date category and the Josie's love tank was running on low as I was informed. Especially after Sara told Josie about all the fun dates her and Jay have been going on. Thanks a lot Jay I am still waiting to hear the end of that one.

So I kept hearing what a romantic place the Independence Lakes were up South of Burley. I know too couples that actually propose marriage at this wonderful location. So I thought there had to be something magical in the water up there and to make the hike on the 4th of July eve. This would get me out of the dog house for sure and Jay would be calling me for pointers. So I arranged for Becky my sister to watch the kid so Josie and I could make this romantic trek.

It was a wonderful hike and saw beautiful country. Please refer to the pictures. Josie was even able to shoot a tree. Josie got a good laugh as I was trying to set the timer on the camera and run to get in the picture also. She said it was like the good old days when her father would do the samething. The highligt for Josie I sure was we dropped down the other side of the mountain and went to the Albion Cafe and ordered our favorite scones with rasbery butter. They are out of this world.

I hope in the end Josie had and wonderful time and she knowes that I love her very much.

A funny story on the way up the mountain. (Josie's did not think so)

As we were walking up I saw a family coming down that are members of our ward that I have been trying to reactivate. (Now Josie says I have put back their progression until I leave). This is nothing new I think it is most of the ward that is counting down the day until I am releassed or leave.

Anyway as I reconized them I yelled out "I finally found you I have hiked all this way to come hometeach you now sit down and listen". I think I got a smile out of the husband. Pretty funny maybe I will sent the story into the Ensign. What a great Idea. I will call it "High on a Mountain Top"

The Mystery of Stinging Nettle at Phantom Falls

2009-07-13T06:43:00.000-07:00

Scooby Doo where are you??

Last week-end Josie went to youth conference up in the South Hills. We hatch this great plan to meet her up there Saturday afternoon and hike into a water fall that just out the side of a cliff from a underground spring. So the kids and I hopped into the Mystery Machine and headed up to meet up with Daphne AKA(Josie). The first mystery of the day was to find the trail head which was challenge in it self. We missed the sign the first time and end up almost all the way to Burly then we ran into "Clampits Family" which straighten us out and told us that the sign at the road was knocked down and you had to look back into the grass to see the sign. So we finally found the trail head strapped up and set out on the "Mystery of Stinging Nettle at Phantom Falls" The tail was a bit overgrow but after we handed out a few scooby snacks the team was good to go. As instructed by Daphne I took the lead to fend off any wild beast that might jump us. But don't you worry I had my loaded 9mm the only problem was I left it in the truck. As the adventure continued I started noticing a plant along the trail that has cause me some pain in the past so I thought being the leader and assuming that Josie knew what stinging nettle looked like (especially being the camp nurse for girls camp this year) I would yell to the rear watch out for the stinging nettle. Half way in on the hike there was a mutiny Daphne and Velma shutdown and decided that a calamine lotion bath was not going to be in their future any time soon. So after carrying a crying Velma up the hill. Being the diplomatic person I am no yelling of course. The mystery was solved. Along this same trail was another plant that kind of look like stinging nettle but was not. So both Daphne and Velma kept thinking they were surounded by stinging nettle. Once it was properly identified Velma was able to stop the goal of not to let a blade of grass touch her. Which was quite the challenge on the over grown trail in shorts as you can see from the pictures. In the end it was a wonderful hike and a fun family adventure. I have attached a picture of sting nettle so next time you to can solve the Mystery of the Stinging Nettle.

Sincerely,

Scooby Doo

Past the Scooby Snacks ( Bottle Caps)

2009-06-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

You know an update is way over due when your husband asks if you are ever going to update your blog. So I am catching up. Expect great things to come. But for now, here is a small taste of what we have been up to the last couple of months. How 'bout that first picture as an attention getter, heh?! I work very part time at the MSTI here in Twin Falls, and they were having a fundraiser auction to go along with the "Relay for Life". So they asked people to decorate a bra with a "Breast Cancer Awareness" theme, to be auctioned off at the dinner. So the is my contrabution. The "treasure chest" or "treasure your chest" if you will. It didn't come out perfect by any means, but I was kind of proud of the final out come. Blake and I had fun coming up with runners up ideas. If anyone has a great one for next year, I am open to suggestions!

I love this next picture! It was on one of the first nice days this spring and the boys were playing super hero's in the back yard. When they got the brilliant idea to jump on the trampoline like they were flying through the air. They got some good "flying" in, I thought it was a cute idea that they came up with all on their own. I love the simple joys of youth!!!!

Here are some very belated pictures of Easter. We went down to Sara's for the MS Walk in Salt Lake, then back to here house to dye eggs and the big hunt. It was a nice weekend, and nice weather too. More to come later, I PROMISE! (if you look close at the bottom picture you get a glimpse of Jack's "Hulk Hand". He didn't feel the need to use the "dipper" apparently.)

California: Part 2

2009-03-20T15:33:00.000-07:00

California: Part 1

2009-03-20T13:58:00.000-07:00

Our first stop on our California vacation was at my brother Ben's house in Turlock, CA. We love getting together with them whenever we can, because our kids enjoy each other so much and have very compatible personalities. I love to just listen around the corner to Reese and Jack 's conversations. And Anna and Emily are like sisters! Sam giggled every time we talked about going to visit Maya and Bella. They play so well together. Just cute little kiddo games. Like "working out" in Ben's living room. Sam had those girls doing push ups and kick boxing, and relays. And they loved every minute of it. It was quite inventive.Then there's Jessica, the oldest, TALLEST, most mature of the bunch. She really is so grown up! It wasn't until she drove the baby stroller like a nascar driver through the parking garage that I remembered she is 12. (That's a good thing Jess, be young as long as you can!!!) I tried to discreatly tuck baby Jeffrey under my arm as we left, hoping know one would notice. But Blake made me give him back! What a cutie!!!
Anyway, we felt lucky to attend Anna's baptism while we were there. The above picture was how well behaved our group of nine cousins were....during the baptism. The below picture is a better depiction of the cousin memories made throughout the weekend.

And through it all, my sis in law Emily put together a lovely baptism program, and a delicious luncheon without breaking a sweat. Impressive. Thanks for a wonderful visit!!!!

The slide show below is of our trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We had taken a trip there 9 years ago. When Emily was a baby and Blake was working in Modesto, CA. It was a fun trip then, but even better to take all our kids back, and watch them enjoy it. I have to say that all 9 of the kids were well behaved!!! A huge accomplishment in my book!

2009-03-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

Feeling younger instead of older!!!

2009-03-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

So, Blake asked me what I wanted for my birthday (which I thought was pretty brave considering the fact that I made him go to a Shakespeare play the last time he asked what I wanted to do), and I told him I would like to go skiing. And being the wonderful husband that he is, he found a way to make it happen. With a little help from Aunt Becky, who watched the kids for us, we spent the night in Albion, and went skiing at Pommerelle the next day. Neither one of us had been there before, but had always wanted to go. I was nervous the first run because it had been a while. So I told Blake we had to find a green or a blue run to start with. But it didn't take long to find out that even the trails marked black diamond were pretty mellow. It also helped that we had rented our equipment. I have to say that skis have come a long way since my "Rad Dog" days at Targhee. They made me look like a much better skier than I really am. It was a gorgeous day! And I ended up feeling alittle youthful, instead of older. We also found THE BEST place for scones in Albion. With the most delicous honey butter and raspberry butter to slather them with. YUM! It's just a really good thing that you have to go all the way to Albion to get them!!!!

The one Spring skiing tip we forgot was Sunscreen. We both went to church the next day with red faces and outlines were our sunglasses and headbands had been. LOL! (by the way that is the first time I have used LOL ever! What a dork I am!)

2009-02-11T19:20:00.000-08:00

I will start with the excuses first, and move on to the actual reason for the post. I know I have been absent from blogging for a while, and the last post wasn't even written by me. But the above picture and following explanation are an attempt at deriving understanding, if not pity (ok maybe not pity). Anyway, it was 5 weeks ago that I took my favorite pair of shoes to the repair shop to get some stitching repaired (did I mention these are my all time favorite shoes). As usual, I was in a rush and told the boys to sit tight while I dropped them off. But as I was rounding the corner I tripped over what I later found to be an uneven sidewalk, and was on the ground before I even knew what had happened. All I knew was that my fingers hurt like crazy. Then I looked at them....you guessed it....dislocated.....not a pretty site!! Now, I can handle alot of medical emergencies, and gross stuff, but orthopedics is the one thing I CANNOT HANDLE. For what ever reason I am not equiped to deal well with broken bones and dislocated joints! Especially when they are mine! Needless to say I was left with 2 options: 1. Drive myself to a hospital and let someone else fix it (knowing that I would have to look at it the whole way), or 2. Pop it back in myself. I quickly picked 2 and thankfully it was fixed in a split second. But it has been the sorest, and most swollen injury I have ever encountered. The above picture was taken 5 weeks after the "incident" and they are still sausages!! (middle and ring fingers on the right). Not a great excuse, but it's what I've got. It was 2 weeks before I had the courage to return to the "scene of the accident and retrieve my shoes (did I mention they are my favorite). The thing that really had me miffed was that I had just chopped my hair off short that same day, and I couldn't "do it up cute" until just recently. (sorry no photo, I am sick with a head cold today, and not feeling photogenic). At this point they still don't bend very well, and are pretty crooked, but I am still hopeful of a full recovery. If not I will definitely need to come up with a better story than "I tripped" to go along with my crooked fingers.

Now for the reall reason for my post. It is a rare thing that I have anything crafty to share, but I was just so darn proud of how Emily's school valentines turned out that I had to share. I got the idea from Family Fun website (so who knows, there may be a million of these passed out on Friday) and I thought they were both adorable and easy peasy to make. You just wrap a candy heart box (4 for a $1) in colored paper cut to size, and add the ipod cut out that you down load from the site. Genius!

Blake even had me take a picture in a docking station to show how "realistic" they look.

Elmer Fudd Hunting Journal

2009-01-11T20:59:00.000-08:00

Dear Diary,
I do not know where to start. Above is a blind used in goose hunting. Can you see me? Neither did the geese. So here is the basic plan. You lay down hidden in the blind and make goose calls. Once the geese fly over head someone yells take'em then you pop up like a Jack in the Box with a loaded 12 gage shotgun and let the sky have it.
Here is the aftermath.
Next was the Elk hunt. Last time I went elk hunting the thing I learned was that I could not out run an Elk. So this time I decided to use the truck to out run them and get in position for the ambush.
Things I learned this year elk hunting.
1) Go for the head shot.
2) When you are gutting the elk do not I say again do not puncture the stomach with your knife.
3) Bring lots of water and rags to wash up with.
4) Elk meat is pretty dang good. I even have Josie and the kids convinced.

Jack turns 6!

2008-12-27T13:57:00.001-08:00

This was the first year Jack got to have a "friend birthday party". They went to an indoor bounce house gym here in Twin Falls called "Hop2It" So of course we had to make "hopping" frog cupcakes to take to school.

These guys had so much fun running from one thing to the next. It was fun to sit back a watch, and be glad the chaos and maheim was going on here and not at my house! It wore them out quicker than I thought though.

I love this "David and Goliath" match up. Sam could hold his own though.

It's great to be 6!!!!

2008-12-27T12:59:00.000-08:00

So, here I am once again, catching up. The end of November thru Christmas were crazy busy! I have been enjoying the simple things yesterday and today; Such as mopping my floor and cleaning my fridge! And I am thoroughly enjoying it!!!! Think back, if you will, to Thanksgiving. We spent Thanksgiving weekend at my sister Sara's in Murray, Utah. Since Sara is a super duper party planner, our weekend was jam pack with fun things to do! First off we ran a 6k "turkey trot" in SLC. We started up by the Capital Bldg, and ran a beautiful course along a creek. The fall colors were still hanging on many of the bushes and trees, and we ended up in a beautiful park (immigration park???? I'm not sure if the name is right). It was a great run (forgetting by the end that the first half was all up hill).

After the race all the cousins were dying to see where HSM was filmed. So we went to the infamous East High in SL after the race. You would have thought everyone of those girls expected Troy or Gabrielle to poke their head out the door at any moment! Here is a picture out front that matched their excitement. Talk about cheap way to win brownie points with the kids!

After we took picture we went around back, and peaked thru the windows of the lunch room. Sooooo exciting! Here is Emily's best Shrapey pose!

Later that day, while the turkey was cooking, Sara set up horse rides on my Grandpa Kern's horses with my uncle Paul. The kids not getting a horse ride rode around in the tractor trailer while everyone got a turn. Again, lots of fun!

After a wonderful dinner, Sara brought out these great "animal tails" that clip around the waste, and everyone had fun playing tag while we cleaned up. I do have some really great video/pics of the late night Wii fit, Rockband marathon, but will file those under blackmail for now. Over all a very fun time. We also had family pictures taken this weekend which you can see on our side bar.

This one's for you, Jay and Sara!!!

2008-11-23T20:49:00.000-08:00

Our Bishop and his wife are die-hard BYU fans. So much so that they have a bronze Cougar in their front yard. So, I dared myself a couple of months ago to put a red Utah shirt on it the weekend of the BYU/Utah game in support of my sister Sara and her husband Jay who is an assistant coach for the Utes. So Friday night rolled around and I had the shirt, but we were incharge of a ward dinner that night and didn't get home until late. So I almost said "forget it" and went to bed. But Blake wouldn't let me chicken out. So this is the end result. What a rebel!!

The funny part was that our Bishop didn't even suspect us. They thought it was another couple in the ward that had actually traveled to Utah to watch the game. So they put a big sign in their yard that said "We love the Cougars". I had to confess on Sunday though. Go Utes!!! Congratulations on the Big win. Just glad I could do my part in insuring the victory.

2008-11-23T19:59:00.000-08:00

So, it's been alittle while since my last post. And even my last post was left with no explanation. If you are curious, The last post was of a very quick, and very last minute trip we took to go on a hike with my dad and sister Sara to Dananda Falls in the farthest Southwestern corner of Yellowstone Park. And it was worth every bit of effort to do so. One of those rare opportunities you just have to drop everything and do. Thank you to everyone who made it possible (Mainly cousin babysitters!). Anyway, as for the lack of blogging, it is mostly do to the fact that I went back to work in September. I am working in the Cancer Infusion Center at MSTI here in Twin Falls, and am loving every minute of it. I am just "flex", so after a very busy Fall getting oriented to the unit, I will now only be working 8 to 12 hours a week. It has been a crazy couple of months, but thanks to Blake's support, and N.C.'s willingness to watch the kids when I needed her, we made it through the orientation stage that is so time consuming. Anyway, now that we are back on a somewhat managable schedule I will try and keep up. As for the pictures...Emily celebrated her 9th birthday in October. She had a small birthday party with family, and then took friends to the HSM3 movie later in the month when it came out. She was very specific about what she wanted this year. She wanted a pink vest and an Easy Bake Oven. I think it is so interesting that with all her eating issues she had the first few years of her life she enjoys cooking and trying new food so much! Go figure! There was literally a time when I would be in tears trying to get that girl to eat ANYTHING, and thinking: " I am going to have to go to school with this child and feed her lunch everyday!!!! Thank goodness that is not the case. She is actually quite the chef!
We also had the big "apple pressing" party at our house in October. Blake's sister Becky and her family came to help in the fun. We estimated pressing about 500lbs of apples and got 47 gallons of juice! It was quite the production. But boy does it taste good!!!!Especially around February!
I got to go with Jack on his first Kindergarten field trip to the pumpkin patch (which was actually in the back parking lot of the Kimberly Nursery, but whatever). It was fun to see him interact with his friends at school.
Then there was Halloween. I ended up going out of town at the last minute for my Grandfather's funeral in Colorado. I got to send them to school in the morning, but Blake was brave enough and nice enough to take them to the ward party that night by himself. What a great dad! I thought Sam made the cutest clown, Emily had a ball as a BSU cheerleader (sorry Sara, it was a steal at DI), and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle was right up Jacks alley!

2008-09-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

Catching Up: September

2008-09-24T09:44:00.000-07:00

Backward pictures again!!! I can tell I haven't updated for a while, I almost forgot how! Anyway, I will get on with it. Sam turned 4 this month. He didn't ask for much, but he knew he wanted a pinata', Elmo cupcakes, and a Little Einstein's spaceship for sure.
This face says it all about how he felt the day of his party. Like I said, he didn't have crazy expectation, just excited to be 4! I love this kid!
I can't believe my baby is so old. But not too old for Elmo! These are the cupcakes he took to pre-school. I thought they turned out quite cute.
The Cake was not quite the success that the cupcakes were, but he didn't care. He thought it was great!

We also started school the Tuesday after Labor Day. Emily is in 3rd grade and loving it. Jack is so excited to be in kindergarten, and loves going to school everyday, instead of just MWF. Sam gets to join everyone else in the world of school, going to Pre-school with Ms. Kim. He is loving it, and does "homework" like the rest of the kids, after school.

Catching Up: August

2008-09-24T08:29:00.000-07:00

I did these pictures out of order. But I thought I would attempt to catch up on all the happenings since I have been away from the blog thing for a while. This first picture is of Jack. We were having a hard time getting him to even "try" taking his training wheels off. So, I decided a bribe was in order. I have learned that just the right bribe can work wonders. I just didn't know how well. The new "Star Wars: Clone Wars" movie was coming out in 10 days, So I told Jack if he learned to ride his bike without training wheels we would go see the movie. I thought 10 days was a big enough window to accomplish this task. Well, talk about just needing the right motivation. The kid learned to ride his bike without training wheels in 1 DAY!!! What can I say, the kid LOVES Star Wars!!! He spent the next 9 days asking if the movie was in theaters yet, and perfecting his new talent. He is now showing me all the tricks he knows. Things like "mom look no fingers". "Mom, watch me do this jump!" I wonder sometimes why I was pushing him to learn this dangerous skill in the first place, but it is also fun to see him so proud if his accomplishment.

I ran another 1/2 marathon with my sisters, Sara and Emily in Logan, Utah. It was a beautiful run through a canyon. It was downhill for the first 6 miles or so. I thought this might work in my favor, but I would be wrong! As soon as a hit the flat part of the race I began to feel all the muscles you use to run down hill, and it hit me hard! I didn't do as good as I wanted to, but it was still a beautiful race, and fun to do with my sisters. I just need to train harder for St. George!!!
Blake was so thoughtful and asked what I wanted to do for our 12th anniversary this year. He may have regretted that when I told him that I really wanted to go to the Idaho Shakespeare Festival in Boise. But he got tickets anyway, and we went and saw "MacBeth" in a really cool outdoor amphitheater along the Boise River. I made a picnic and we sat on the grass and ate it during the play. I thought it was really well done, but we were both wishing we had at least read the "cliff notes" before we came. The second half of the play was much better, partly because we finally knew what was going on in the story (sort of) and we rented the lawn chairs they had. It sounds so romantic to sit on the grass and watch a play, but not very comfy the second hour! We got to spend the night in Boise, and it was a quick, but fun getaway. I think next year we will need to go to a car show, or 4 wheeling in the mountains for Blake.

Manwaring Family Reunion

2008-07-28T16:50:00.000-07:00

Our most recent adventure has been the Manwaring family reunion. The one bonus was that everyone else traveled here, instead of us traveling somewhere. Our family was in charge of the first day, Monday. We kicked everything off with a real crowd favorite.....family pictures!!!!! I was very upfront with the photographer as to the size of group he would be dealing with, and he was still surprised with our crazy group! He had suggested that we all where a "neutral" color and suggested white shirts for everyone. If a photographer EVER suggests white for a picture with kids, outdoors, again, I will flat out refuse! I was a basket case the entire time trying to keep them clean, and grass-stain free. This is a picture of the kids after an hour and 1/2 of pictures. They faired pretty well. It was the photographer and me who were a frazzled mess! I get to go look at the proof tomorrow. This will be our first "non-Sears" family picture so I hope we got some good ones. After pictures we took everyone to the Twin Falls temple open house. It was a wonderful experience. And I say that with complete awe. Not because of the beauty, or feeling of the temple (there was that too, don't get me wrong). But even after we had subjected all 20 of those kids to hours of pictures, they were so well behaved at the temple, I can only site divine intervention. They showed a wonderful video before, and it was so sweet to watch my children so attentive and reverent. This is something they have been hearing about and looking forward to for so long! A very touching experience.

Day 2 was at Grandpa's in Buhl. We all met for a wonderful breakfast and swimming at Branbury hotsprings. I even did my first flip off a diving board!!!! I am still shocked myself. My neighbor told me about a great slip and slip they had made out of Ag-bags (the big white bags they put silage (sp?) in. So we tried it. Add a little Baby wash, and it was quite the ride!! The kids had fun on that for hours!!! It was a fun day for sure.

The last day we went to City of the Rocks, south of Burley. It was fun to climb on all the rocks. I packed my big first aid kit, and only needed it for one tiny little owie on Jack. I was amazed we didn't have more injuries. We did however have a few casualties in the way of seat bottoms. All the uncles told the kids to slide down on their bum, so as to be safe, and we lost atleast 3 pairs of shorts, maybe more in the prosess. ( Emily was one of them, but I didn't even notice until they went thru the wash.)

Here are all 20 of the Manwaring grandchildren. What a sight!

More of Smiley Creek

2008-07-28T16:12:00.000-07:00

After the work was done we went on a 4 wheeler ride up Smiley creek road to an abandoned town. There wasn't much left of the town, but it was the most beautiful ride! It may have finally convinced Blake that Idaho is more than just sage brush. I thought this was a cute picture of Sam and Blake at the end of the trail. Sam is still such a narcoleptic when it comes to 4 wheeling. He only lasts so long, and he is out like a light! Bumps, and jolts and all.

After the ride we took the crew into Stanley for the fireworks. On the way there we stopped off at Redfish lake. IT WAS A MESS! Let me back up. The night before, we had barely set up camp, had dinner, and cleaned up, when a huge thunder and lightening storm rolled down the mountain (literally, I have never seen, or heard anything like it). We thought our campsite, surrounded by trees, was so wonderful until the wind and lightening came and we realized that most of them were dead, and it wouldn't take much for that wind to take them down!!! So we loaded up the kids in the trucks, doused (sp?) the fire we had just gotten roaring for marshmallows, and drove to a clearing. It lasted about 15 minutes, and then we were fine. But it was very clear when we got to Redfish Lake, that they had recieved the brunt of the storm. There were trees on top of trailers, debris everywhere.
This is a picture of Blake's "bedhead" on the way to the fireworks.

It took them forever!!!! to start the fireworks, so the kids had lots of fun running around, having races, chasing, etc. It was fun to watch the pure joy they got from this simple pleasure. It is nice to know, despite the crazy world we live in, that they can still find such happiness in just being kids!

Lani bet me I couldn't get the kids to sit still long enough to get this snapshot. I barely got it, and then they were off again!!!!

Jack found a frog while we were there. He wanted to take him home to Vern (the turtle) for a friend. But we thought Vern might eat him, so he decided to let him go instead. The kids had fun "admiring" him, and he even survived to be set free and hop another day.

Smiley Creek for the 4th

2008-07-28T14:49:00.000-07:00

So the next weekend (4th of July weekend) we went with out friends, the Staples to "Smiley Creek" up in the sawtooth mountains. Blake was really excited about the chance to use the 4 wheeler for actual "work". He had to use the winch and everything! As seen here by his expression. He was in his element!

Some wood cutter must have gotten bored with the task of cutting wood and took a break to make this work of art for us to enjoy.

I was so proud of the kids! It was hot, and they hauled logs to the trailer like troopers. (another reason Blake is smiling in the above picture. It always makes him happy when his family is working) They came up with this homemade teeter-totter all on their own. Proving to me they really can entertain themselves if pushed to do it!

Even little Paylee was a hard worker!!(this has to be the happiest kid I have ever met!)

After all their hard work we told the kids they could go swimming in the creek. The only downfall, was that every time you got your feet wet, you got an brain freeze because the water was sooooo cold. Needless to say, it did not take long to "cool off".

Plant/Kern Family Reunion

2008-07-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

I know it has been awhile since I have actually updated the blog, so I will attempt to catch up. The end of June was the first "Plant Family Reunion". My mom and her sister's have talked about doing this for a while now, and it finally came about this year at mom and dad's cabin in Island Park. It was also a "Kern Family Reunion" because every one of my siblings and their families were there. That is getting harder and harder to do with everyone getting spread out, families getting bigger, and kids getting older. It was neat to see all the cousins together, playing and creating memories.

We took the 4 wheelers up with us and were able to go on a short family ride along the base of Sawtelle. The meadows were covered in white daisy's. I had Emily lie down in them and attempted a picture. But the picture doesn't really give you an accurate idea of the thousands of flowers surrounding her. Oh well.

Mom decided, since all the grandkids were there, and who knows when that will happen again, that she would host her annual "Grandma Party". She had put alot of thought and effort into it, and everyone had a wonderful time. I am so grateful this tradition has carried on. The theme of the party was "Rock Scientists". They had to start the party off by dancing to some "Rock Music". I believe it was Neil Diamond on the record player(memories). It was cute to watch the kids get so into it.

Then, each grandchild got their own pair of "scientist" glasses (again, so cute!) and a bag of goodies. (rock candy, a "geode" to break open, a magnifying glass, etc.

Sam was all business about making sure he got the best rocks to put in his bag.

I could not resist taking this picture. The bedhead says it all. They played hard, and slept hard!

2008-07-07T13:22:00.000-07:00

This is my first attempt ever at a link post. But my friend Nicke emailed me this and I have yet to stop laughing! Emily I am requesting video of Ben watching this! Enjoy! http://videos.komando.com/2008/06/04/mans-surprising-laugh/

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-17T13:13:00.000-07:00

Here is the most wonderful dad! Sam took this picture at Jack's game last night. Pretty good huh!? He was at Jack's game at 7pm even though he didn't get home until 6:40pm. He is so busy these day's, but still makes his family his priority! We are truely lucky to have him as dad!

The Sunbeams made "special" Father's Day ties in class the week before Father's Day. Sam was beyond excited to give it too him. Blake wore it to church on Sunday and everything. It was really cute to see the other dad's who were brave enough to wear theirs too. Even our bishop got one. Of course, I didn't get a picture when Blake actually wore it on Sunday, so Sam modeled it for me here. It is missing at least half of it's "embelishments" but you get the idea.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game....

2008-06-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

Another activity that has been taking up a big chunk of our evenings has been T-ball for Jack (and Pitching machine for Emily). He is still a little goofy in the outfield, but I have to remind myself how much progress we have made since last season (we were so excited by the end of last season that he learned to run to first base, and not after the ball he had just hit off the T). Here he is with the ball he actually caught in practice.

Jack's great swing!

Running to first base. He didn't even chase the ball first!!!

Sam's newest thing is running. Not to anywhere, or for anything, just running! I wish I had taken my camera on our Sunday walk around the neighborhood. He practically ran the entire way (a 1/2 mile loop). So while Jack's game was going, Sam ran back and forth to the trees.

Here's Emily, not wanting to miss out on this fun "game" Sam thought of. I wish it was this easy to entertain them at home.

Another Concrete Pour Survived, and a Snake!

2008-06-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

The big accomplishment for last week was the big pour! There are a few things in married life that I feel " if you can get through this , you can get through anything". One of those things is pouring concrete with your perfectionist crew-boss, I mean husband. Blake and I have actually already passed this test of marriage up in Anchorage when we poured the foundation for our home-edition (Sara was their to witness that one!). It was not without words of frustration, but our marriage survived. This time it was a slab for the new shed/playhouse. Blake's dad came to help this time. I have to say it went really well!!! I don't know if we are just that much more "insynch" with one another at this point in our marriage, or more organized with the pour. Either way, a huge marital triumph!!!. This is a nice project to finally get done. While it doesn't look like much, it took a big chunk of time. Now we can plug along on the shed with whatever time Blake has in his busy schedule.On Saturday Blake really wanted to go on a 4 Wheeler ride. I on the other hand just wanted to stay home and get caught up on things around the house and with my new calling ( I am now the Music Chorister in Primary. I am really excited about it, mostly because I get to use Sara, and Emily as resources since they have both already had/have this calling). So Blake took Emily and Jack up to the south hills, and I stayed home with Sam. They had a really nice ride. The wildflowers are everywhere right now. They found an old cabin that Jack was sure belonged to Smokey the Bear! Oh yeah, and they stumbled upon a snake, sunning himself in the middle of the road. A SNAKE!!! Now I know why I didn't go! That would have been it for me. It was a bull snake, not a poisonous snake, but still a snake, and a good size one at that!

YIKES!!!

Dog Days of Summer are Finally Here!!!!

2008-06-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I sat down and posted anything. So I thought I would try and catch up. Part of my problem is forgetting to bring the camera places. I am trying to be better. Anyway, about the pictures....this is Blake being so proud of himself for teaching Palo to "load" in the back of the 4 wheeler. We are finally getting used to having a dog again. including the "pooper-scoop" duty.
After "loading" Palo up, the kids helped "row" the canoe to the back of the yard. I thought this was so cute!!
A couple of weeks ago we took the kids (+ our nephew Garrett) to the Western Days parade here in town. We have only taken them to a handful of parades, so they thought this was the neatest thing ever!!! Of course I forgot the camera. The one thing I wished I could of gotten a picture of was Garrett "break dancing" every time any music went by. It was very entertaining, and he's actually pretty good. The other thing I am glad there is not a picture of is the Moss Greenhouse float. It's a local grower in the area that has Beautiful!! hanging baskets. Well, instead of candy, they were giving away HUGE hanging baskets of gorgeous flowers!!! So I get up, wave my hands, tell the kids to run out and say their mom needs flowers, etc... Over all, I made a huge fool of myself!!!! (I know...shocking!) They gave the flowers to another lady, and the parade moved on, and I turned to see my husband with this "Wow, You really wanted some flowers" look on his face, and I was so embarassed. Then the following week he went to Moss Greenhouse and actually purchased this Beautiful hanging basket for me. What a guy!!! His wife makes a fool of herself and he still buys her flowers! I love this man!!!!!!

2008-05-29T14:05:00.000-07:00

For memorial day weekend we went up to the cabin and put up the rock behind the woodstove. Last year at this time we were doing the tongue and groove ceiling. I can't believe how far we have come in the last year. I also couldn't believe the difference in the weather. Last year, all the snow was gone, except in the higher elevations. but this year there were still piles of sn0w everywhere, and lots of mud. It rained most of the time we were there. But it is making for a great wildflower season. I could only fit so many photos in the last post, so I had to do another post the show you this one of the finished project. The boys and I were able to stay acouple extra days in Rexburg with Grandma, while Grandpa Kern did some research in Boise. It was much nicer weather then. We were able to work in the yard and go on a walk to the park. Now it's back to real life, the close of the school year, and the start of summer, and all the chaos that it brings. But we are excited for upcoming adventures.

Memorial Day Weekend

2008-05-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

This is Jack as Indiana Jones. Grandpa Kern had just bought the Indiana Jones trilogy before we came up. Jack has been dying to see an Indiana Jones movie since he has seen the commercials and his face on every box of cereal, crackers, etc. So he watched 2 of the 3 while we were there, and from then on he was "Indiana Jone's" He even borrowed one of grandpa K's hats. He told me what he wanted for his birthday (which changes daily if not hourly), an Indiana Jones outfit. But not a real whip, just a pretend whip. I don't know about that one.

When Jack wasn't being "Indiana Jones" he loved being helper to his Dad, Grandpa Kern, and Grandpa Manwaring.Grandpa Manwaring came with us to help with the rock installation, but he was also a huge help taking kids on 4 wheeler rides, wildflower picking, and wagon rides!

Grandma Kern had a great idea to turn the empty boxes into cars. We used paper plates for wheels and steering wheels. the kids decorated them. We even made keys for them. Then we put them on Grandpa Kern's new wagon and had a parade past Grandma's window to show them off. Emily's car had glitter and a trunk.

Sam is the one that decided we needed keys for them if they were going to "work". He was fun to just watch. He would get so lost in the game of the cars.

Of course Jack had to make a "spaceship" instead of a car.

Accomplishments

2008-05-29T12:28:00.001-07:00

Jack had his Preschool graduation this last week. He has had the most wonderful teacher the past 2 years! As excited as it will be to see him start kindergarten, he (and I) will miss "Teacher Kim" so much. She has sparked an excitement for learning in Jack that I hope will remain with him through out his education. One example of this was when we were up at the cabin and driving on "Red Rock Rd." I asked why they thought it was called that and Jack piped up "because of the iron oxide"! Yeah, we know, what a smart kid. Sam is excited he gets to go next year.

Emily had her Piano Recital right before we left for the cabin this weekend. She did a wonderful job. She kept saying how nervous she was, but it didn't show. It helped that she had the song down pat for the last 3 weeks. I can't believe how far she has come in the last year. She has grown up so much this past year. I took about 12 pictures and this was the best one of the bunch. Oh well.
Just so that Sam doesn't feel left out of the event news I will share a funny story. The picture has nothing to do with the story, but the face fits the crime. A couple of Sundays ago Grandpa Manwaring brought a chocolate cake, with chocolate frosting over for dessert. We all enjoyed a piece, and I left the rest on the counter. Later, the boys were having their usual hard time settling down in bed. Blake and I were in the office going over calender, and the up coming week (aka: Companionship Inventory). Sam yells out that he needs a drink, so we call back to him to run and get a drink and get back in bed. A few minutes later Blake gets up to go check on the boys and I hear Blake laughing and saying "Go show your Mother". Blake had found Sam in the farthest corner of his bottom bunk with 4 fingers in his mouth. On closer inspection he realized that his entire face was COVERED in chocolate. Sam played dumb at first, but would not take his fingers out of his mouth. I think he thought if he kept them in his mouth he was hiding the only incriminating evidence. I tried really hard to keep a straight face and explain that it was wrong to take the cake without asking while I washed the chocolate off. You would think I would be smart enough to move the cake. But I didn't, and the next morning after breakfast, I noticed the cake had been completely demolished with little fingers. I questioned Sam, since everyone else was at school. He swore up and down it wasn't him. And he didn't have any evidence this time. It was only after I found the 10 dish clothes and towels stashed in every drawer, cupboard, and pantry in the kitchen COVERED in chocolate that the truth came out. Good thing he's so darn cute! Lesson learned: Don't leave tempting chocolate cake on the counter!!!!!! (the picture is from Emily's school carnival. Sam saw other kids with painted mustaches, and had to have his own.)

Fun Times in Utah

2008-05-03T09:27:00.000-07:00

Blake had some training for work in Utah, so I pulled the kids out of school and we tagged along. It was a great excuse to go hang out with my sisters Sara and Emily. We got to stay with Emily and Chad and see her new house. We all went to the Hogle Zoo in SLC on Monday. It was a beautiful day, and the kids had tons of fun. The next day we stayed in Ogden and went to the Dinosaur Park. Both Jack and Emily have been studying dinosaurs in school, so it eased the guilt of pulling them out of school to consider this outing "educational". Both Emily and Kennedy did not like the robotic dinosaurs at all, and weren't big fans of the dinosaur bones either. So we sped thru this part rather quickly, We did get to watch some real paleontologists (sp?) at work though. Then we went out side. Again, it was a really nice day. They had huge replicas of dinosaurs everywhere. The kids had lots of fun running around. I thought it was well done. Park like, but in a pre-historic kind of way. And there were lots of things for the kids to climb on, so I wasn't constantly saying "Don't touch that!" like most trips to the museum. On the way home, Emily introduced me to a new treat. "Zeppe's Custard and Italian Sodas". It was so yummy and refreshing. I don't think I will be able to pass thru Ogden with out stopping there now (after I stop and pick up Emily of course)!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-05-03T09:08:00.001-07:00

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-05-03T08:25:00.001-07:00

Did you notice....

2008-05-03T07:23:00.000-07:00

Did you notice the new layout? I would love to take credit, but it was my sister Sara who did it for me. No doubt you have seen her work on other blogs on my contact list. But I was being stubborn and not giving out my password for her to do mine. But she did one anyway, and showed me when we went to visit this last week. It was so cute, and fits out family perfectly! She is truely an amazing mother, wife, music leader, soccer player, blog designer......the list could go on and on. So, back in November I showed my sister, Sara, this great new thing called "Blogspot" that my sister in-law intorduced me to. Now 6 months later she is a blogging expert, and I am still figuring out all the bells and whistles. Typical. Oh well. Thanks Sara!

Yeah...that's right...a Def lepard concert!

2008-04-25T09:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, funny think happened Tuesday morning. I get home from taking Emily to school and there's a message from Blake. He's all excited about this Styx, Reo Speedwagon, and Def Lepard concert he heard about on the radio, and could I find out when and where. So I look it up on the internet, and the concert is that night in Nampa, at the Idaho Center. So I call Blake back to break the news that it's not going to happen. Then he tells me about how he mentioned that he really wanted to go to this concert, and his United Rental rep was standing there and said "let me see if I can get you tickets for that". To make a long story short (who am I kidding this is still a long story) we end up with 5 (free) tickets to this concert, in Nampa, on a school night (no hopes of a babysitter, especially for that long... right?). But it is amazing what you can accomplish when you really want to do something. So we conned Blake's dad into watching the kids, and found 3 other people to share the tickets with. My cousin Ashley and her husband Travis said they would go. I had called our friends the Moore's next door to see if they wanted to go, but her husband had early meetings in the morning and didn't want to be out so late (what a grown-up!). So I thought Stephanie wouldn't go either, but she was totally still willing to go. She is hilarious! 37, but just keeps getting younger instead of older. Gotta Love It! Anyway, it was pretty tight picking up Blake on are way, and getting to Nampa in time. We met up with Travis and Ashley at the Idaho Center. Styx, and Reo Speedwagon were good. Their sound was still the same, and Stephanie and Ashley and I picked out all the "stake dance songs" they played.
Then they started gearing up for Def Lepard and there was a completely different VIBE in the audience. The crowd started to roar even more in anticipation. The people watching alone was beyond entertaining, and there was a lot more "skin" walking around (if you get my drift) than earlier. They gave a good concert. I mean, how can you not love the one armed drummer! He was by far the most impressive. They said something about recovering from a cold, and you could tell their voices were pretty "weak", but still a blast. I have never seen so many accomplished "air guitar" players in one audience. Facinating! It was fun to let loose a little, and have some fun (on a Tuesday night no less). Due to the insane! alcohol consumption we observed many around us indulging in, we left alittle early to beat the crazys out of the parking lot. We had to leave right as they started "Pour Some Sugar on Me". Steph and I embarassed Blake, I am sure, by singing along all the way out into the parking lot. So there you have it. The "prude" of the family went to a Def Lepard concert!!! Go figure!

Mom, this walks for you!

2008-04-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

My mom has always loved a good walk. I remember her asking me to go on walks with her often. I am sure I would roll my eyes or something, but always go, and always enjoy it by the end. I remember trying to keep up with her long gait. The whole time the saying "lengthen your stride, lengthen your stride" going through my head. But it seemed that no matter how hard I tried to keep up, I always had to "trot" every so often to catch up. She would coax me to go just a little longer, saying, "lets just see whats around the next bend". While I was sure it was probably just a big dog waiting to chase me, she was always the "observer". She never failed to find something interesting on every walk that anyone else would have easily missed. Whether it was the "smiling barn", the "love tree" or naming every wildflower, and picking one to "press" when we got back to the cabin. So thank you mom for walking with me. And by doing so teaching me how to "lengthen my stride" just alittle longer, and take the time to notice the things that really matter! This walk was for you!

My cousin Ashley called me up and told me she was organizing a team to walk in the MS Walk in Boise. I was so touched that she would go to the trouble, and effort to support, and in a sense, honor my mom with this walk. It meant so much, and was such a wonderful opportunity for my little family to reunite with many of the Plant aunts, and cousins we have been some what out of touch with due to our "globe trotting in recent years. Here are the Plant sisters saying "this one's for you Connie!"
Here are the kids posing for Aunt Priscilla. It was really cold, but they all wanted to show off their shirts. Emily, Jack and Sam on the back row, then Brooklyn, Jareds oldest, and Addison, Ashley's oldest. In front of Emily and Jack is Kendall, Ashley's second daughter. Emily looks so "mature" next to everyone else, it's alittle reality check to me. She is growing up so fast!
The kids and I attempting a "photo finish" The walk was just that, a very low key walk, which was perfect for the kids. I only had to break out the "crazy legs" when I heard Ashley calling for Addison, who was on her new bike. I spotted her way up ahead, away from the group. So I ran after her, only to find that Bernie was right on her tail, and I probably just embarassed my self more than anything. Oh well, there is just something about a mother calling for her child that brings out the "mother bear" in me, and I have to find that child NOW!
I couldn't resist taking a picture of Heather, taking a picture. This was just one of many that she took. As always, she documented the event with an entire roll of film. Just like old times. We love you Heather! Don't ever change!
As you can see in above pictures, Ashley made sure everyone had team shirts. She was worried when I talked to her, that she hadn't gotten any for my kids because she didn't know they were walking. But I just got some white t-shirts and had them make their own the night before. They had alot of fun doing it, and I think they turned out great! We love you Grandma!

Can't Get Enough of That Idaho Hick Fun

2008-04-16T11:27:00.000-07:00

So, some friends of ours, the Staples, wanted to go looking for some "hot springs" this last weekend. Now, we are in kind of a "hot springs belt" here in the Twin Falls/Hagerman area. There are tons of Hot Springs around us. But Blake and Ben were looking for "hidden" hot springs they could find using the GPS Blake got for Chistmas. So we found a website with all the Idaho hot springs and the GPS coordinates for finding them (apparently we were not the first to have this brainstorm). After much deliberation they decided on the Bruneau River area. And we were off. We only past 6 other more "discovered" and "civilized" Hot Springs on our way (I'm just saying...). After getting lost a couple of times we did actually locate Indian Hot Tub, Hot Springs. It was definately "hidden" but not undiscovered. There were a few other people there when we drove up. We made the guys do a "nude bathing" check before we let the kids out of the trucks. But by the time we let our 3 kids, and the Staple's 5 girls out of the cars, and surrounded them with our "family atmosphere" everyone else cleared out rather quickly, and we had the place to ourselves. This is the Bruneau River. You can't really tell, but there is a 200 ft drop down into a canyon where the hot spring was.

Here's the trail down, and Blake and the kids "testing" the water. It was the perfect temp. Like a really hot bath. There was a cave back in the wall of the canyon, and a place to have a campfire. We roasted hot dog and smores. You couldn't ask for a better day. Where is that nice weather this week?

Jack hurrying to get in with everyone else.

The Staples

The kids had tons of fun. It was sandy on the bottom, with rocks to sit on. Big enough that the kids could play, and feel like they had a "swim". Then it was home for some baths, with lots of soap! I promise, the next post will have us doing something civilized. Some of you may be thinking we're alittle wacky with our "Hick Fun", but I love that my kids are gowing up in a somewhat rural atmosphere.

The Shelves Are Done

2008-04-08T12:51:00.000-07:00

Here's the boys just wanting to get in on the picture action.

Here are some pictures of the shelves Blake built. Aren't they beautiful. Excuse me while I gush. Anyway, I think they turned out wonderful. Better than anything I had imagined he would do. Now I am struggling to accesorize them. The details of decorating have never been my strong point. So, if anyone has ideas I am open. Now that the shelves are done, I thought we would have a little repreave from projects. No luck, we are already hard at work on a shed/playhouse in the back yard, and we expanded the garden. I won't complain too much though. How many wives can say there husband's get "too much" done. Blake was in charge of the lesson last night for FHE. It was on "everyone working together in a family". One of his activities was to make a family pyramid to show how important it is for everyone to help to accomplish something great. Anyway, the only downside was that Blake and I were the "base" and could not see the kids struggling to get to the top, or the end result. All I know is that they did it! So I took this picture afterward. Still wish I could have figured out how to get a snap of the real thing.

Spring Break????????

2008-03-25T13:46:00.001-07:00

So, unlike everyone else who ran to warmer climates for Spring Break, we decided to enjoy some of the great snow they have had this year up in Island Park. We started off in Rexburg where Blake helped dad take an engine out of an old Camero, to put in his other project car (sorry dad, the name of it escapes me). Mom and I went and got our hair done. Then, mom and dad watched the kids while Blake and I went to the Rexburg Temple. It was beautiful, and is very similar to the one they are building in Twin Falls, so it was kind of a "sneak peak". Then we went to the cabin and enjoyed great snow, and beautiful weather. We snowmobiled into West Yellowstone, had an easter egg hunt in the snow, and went sledding. While we were in Rexburg, Blake just HAPPENED to stop by the 4x4 dealer in town and found a great deal on a 4x4 for me (of course). It's smaller than the other one we have, which is fine by me, and we had fun testing it out on the snow. Island Park has had great snow, as you can see, this year. And just down the road alittle ways from my parent's cabin was this collapsed cabin someone didn't even get to finish before the snow load sent it sideways down the hill. You can kind of see the snowmobile trailer that is holding up the one side of the roof. What the picture doesn't show very well are the 4 snowmobiles, and suburban trapped in side. So Sad! (Emily is Chad crying yet?)

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-03-25T13:42:00.001-07:00

DI Treasures

2008-03-08T13:13:00.000-08:00

I just had to share our silly Saturday with you. My sister Emily had brought some boots up to me last week she thought I would like, but they didn't fit, so I put them in the pile to send to DI. They were a short black boot with a spiked heel, every 8 year olds dream. So Emily quickly deemed them hers, and wore them constantly for 3 days straight. She was so in love with them I was afraid she was going slip them in her backpack, and wear them at school. So, while she was at school, I finally took the bag of stuff to DI, including the boots. Today we had an appt. to take the van in for a detail so we could sell it. The car wash is right next door to Deseret Industries. Blake decides that we haven't been for a while and we need to go check out the "deals". Haven't finally gotten rid of my bag of stuff for DI, I was less than thrilled to go buy it back, but we hauled the whole family in anyway. The first deal we found was a pair of "Born" shoes for $5, they are identical to the pair Blake paid WAAAAAY more for, but a size smalled. But, because they were $5, we had to take them. Then Emily comes running up with a great gem she just had to have, and lo and behold it was the same pair of black, spike heel boot I had just given to DI earlier in the week!! Both Blake and I were doubled over laughing. After that Jack found this pair of "Incredible Hulk" fists he HAD to have. (Everyone took turns hitting each other with them for the remaining shopping trip.) We found a 25 cent book about a flying school bus for Sam, and traded the spiked boots for a cute Gymboree dress for Emily. Oh yeah, and I didn't get left out either. There was a great helmet, perfect for 4 Wheeling that we couldn't pass up. I know, what a bunch of hillbillies!!!

Happy Birthday to ME!

2008-03-04T08:04:00.000-08:00

I had quite the birthday "week". I feel like I should be turning some more monumental # other than 32. Usually it's an ice cream cake, a gift and call it good. But this year, for some reason, I got one birthday celebration after another. It started off with a visit from my fellow "kindred spirit" Holly. My friend, and old college roommate. She drove up from Boise to take me to lunch. It was so nice to visit. I am sure the waiter at the resturant asked us if we "needed anything else" atleast 5 times. We talked forever, and then got the hint, and went to my house and talked some more. Thanks Holly! It was so great to catch up. Then Blake came home from work with the "bad news" that the construction crews were working 24hr shifts 2 days this week, and he had to oversee the night shift. This was a huge bummer for him, but ended up being a bonus for me and the kids because we got him home during the day! He ended up watching the boys one afternoon so I could go on the "reward" swim trip with Emily's 2nd grade class. It was so nice to have some precious one on one time with her. The next afternoon Blake took me and the boys out to lunch at the Pita Pit. We had some friends over for ice cream cake and chocolate dipped fruit that night before Blake had to leave for the night shift. If you are sick of hearing about all my birthday celebrating I am sorry. You can stop reading, I wont be offended. But there's More!!!! The day after my birthday Blake slept in, and I went with Jacks preschool on a field trip to the dentist office. When we got home I woke up Blake because he had a business lunch he had to be at. While he was getting ready his phone rang, so I picked it up to hand it to him, and happened to notice that the caller was my sister, Sara Hill. I was like "what" ?So Sara said she was just checking all her numbers in her phone to see if they were current. I didn't think too much about it. After that Blake left, and I loaded up the boys to run some errands. Sara calls me back, and we talk the entire time I am running errands. Again, I am still not getting it. I don't think much about it, until we get home, and the kids come running into the kitchen to tell me there is a silver car in the driveway. So I start walking to the front door, and someone starts pounding on the back door. So I go back and it is my two sisters, Sara and Emily! They drove all the way up from Utah to take me out to lunch! We had lots of fun, and they made the cutest Candy-Gram I have ever seen. If you want another version of the story you can go to Sara's blog (click on ontopofthehills.blogspot.com below). What a fun "leap-day"!

There has been a request to see the new shelves Blake has been working on to go on either side of our newly rocked fireplace. Blake (always the perfectionist) was not thrilled with this picture (I took it at night and had to turn the overhead light off because of the glare) but I am posting it anyway. These are the bases to the shelves that will have doors. And then the "hutch" like shelves will go on top when we finish staining and varnishing them. I will post again when we get them up I am really excited to see it all done. This will complete our inside projects just in time to start all the outside ones that come with Spring!

Tagged!!!

2008-02-25T08:37:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I did this whole tag thing ( I've been putting it off because I knew it would take some time) and I pushed the wrong button and lost the whole thing!!!!!!!! Classic me I am afraid. Although, it's been a while since I have done something like this. I was starting to think I was not as computer challenged as I used to be. Guess somethings never change.
I will give you the abridged version of what I wrote earlier:

What was I doing 10 years ago:

Blake and I were going to BSU (this was before the Fiesta Bowl and it was still called "Bozo U". It kind of cracks me up, all these dedicated BSU fans now that would hardly admit they attended there 10 yrs ago.) We were living in a tiny apt. on Rose Hill Ave. Behind the Old Boise Depot. I was in my last semester of Nursing School, and working at Elk's Rehab as a CNA. Blake was working for Wright Bro. Const. and finishing his Const. Mgmt. Degree. We thought our lives were SOOO busy, and nievely thought that everything would slow down once we were done with school. It's now that I realize how great we had it. How simple our lives were then. I often think that if I could be as organized as I am now, after having 3 kids, and have that same "simple" life, I could conquer the world!!!!!!(those of you laughing at the thought that I am actually more organized now than then, didn't know me then!!!).

5 things on my todo list today:

1. write this tag (AGAIN!)
2. Fold laundry
3. Read a book to Sam (he is not feeling well today. He is asleep on the couch, exhausted at 11am)
4. Figure out what I am feeding the missionaries tonight. (any ideas???) I told Blake, that I have no problem with cooking dinner everynight, it's the figuring out what to cook that I have such a hard time with.
5. See if they still have strawberry and chocolate marshmallows at Target ( I can only find them certain times of the year, and only at Target) per mom's request. They are so good in rice krispie treats or for roasting. YUM!

Snacks I enjoy:

Great! Just what I am NOT trying to think about. To me my downfall is snacking. Any snack is a good snack! I usually do great until about 3pm, and then I just need a snack. Hostess Zinger's and Tiger Tails are my weakness, so I absolutely can not have them in the house. Lately, I have been craving pistachios, and tapioca pudding. Never together, but now that I think about it I will have to try that!

What would I do if I bacame a millionare:

Unlike Sara, and Emily, I never really dreamed of winning the Sweepstakes or the lottery. How Lame!!! I know. Like eveyone else, I have learned how fast we can burn through a million dollars these days. If I did become a millionare I think I would do the practicle things with it like pay off the house, invest, and buy my VOLVO (admitting this seals the deal on how lame I really am. Just remember... you asked). After that I would want to travel. But I would want to travel with a purpose. Take my kids to places with history, and meaning, and take them places that would show them how blessed they are. I recently read "Three Cups of Tea" and have a new appreciation for what we can accomplish when we commit to helping others. Our family started a "Pennies for Peace" jar with spare change. I think Blake was alittle taken back by how this book affected me, and my meger effort to help, and teach our children to help children in the middle East. But for Valentine's Day, he surprised me by putting the money he had set aside for a gift, into my little jar. (AHHHHH). What an amazing man! THanks for supporting me!

3 Bad Habits:

1. Chewing on my fingernails.
2. Procrastination
3. Having a great idea and not following through on it.

5 Places I have lived:

1. Twin Falls, Idaho (current)
2. Anchorage, Alaska
3. Portland, Oregon
4. Boise, Idaho
5. Nampa, Idaho

5 jobs I have had:

1. Nurse on PCU at Providence MC in Anchorage
2. Nurse at MVRMC in Twin Falls
3. Nurse on Telemetry Floor at St. Lukes Boise ( my favorite place to work ever!)
4. CNA at Elks Rehab Hospital
5. "Big Burrito" at Taco John's ( I still have dreams I am working there, weird I know)

5 things People don't know about me ( this one is Hard!)

1. I get "vertigo" in high places. I actually get dizzy and feel like the floor or ground is falling out from under me.
2. I would rather have a baby than go to the Dentist!
3. I have never been able to donate blood because I am always anemic. That it until last week. I was so proud of myself! Blake and I met to donate for an eagle project in our stake. We had a race to see who could finish first. I won! He finished in 6 min. 11 sec. and I smoked him with 5 min. 4 sec.

That's all the things I could come up with for this question. That was fun, but took way too long! maybe if I hadn't had to type it twice. Oh well. I guess I tag Ashley and Jessica as a thank you for saying HI. It was fun to peak in on you guys since I never get to see you! Cute Baby Ashley!
I think I better post this quick before I loose it again!

Who looks like who?

2008-02-21T10:34:00.000-08:00

I have to say, I am alittle disappointed at the outcome of this Look-alike-meter. I always knew the boys looked like Blake, but I always thought Emily looked alittle like me. According to this that isn't the case. Oh well, good thing I married someone as handsome as Blake.

Manwaring Look-alike Meter

2008-02-21T10:31:00.001-08:00

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celeb - Collage - Morph

Manwaring Look-alike Meter

2008-02-21T10:29:00.001-08:00

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Family tree design - Free family tree

Manwaring Look-alike Meter

2008-02-21T10:17:00.001-08:00

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebs - Collage - Morph

2008-01-28T15:42:00.000-08:00

I haven't added anything new lately, so I thought I would post some pictures of the 1/2 marathon I ran with my sisters, Sara and Emily, down in St. George, UT. They talked me into doing it while we were at the cabin for New Years. So, I had just under 3 weeks to train for it. My goal time was 2 hrs 15 mins. Thanks to Blake for being so supportive, and watching kids so I could get some "long runs" in. Grandpa Manwaring was nice enough to let Jack spend the afternoon with him, while I took Sam and Emily with me. Emily was excited because this meant that she could finally go to "Build A Bear" in SLC and use the gift card she got from Santa. We "carb'd up" at Olive Garden the night before, and Sara's sister-inlaw, who lives in St. George, was nice enough to watch all the kids while we ran. I was alittle worried about the cold when it was only 25 degrees on the way to the race. But it was sunny, and quickly warmed up to 42 degrees. It was a really nice course, and I was very happy with my time of 2hrs 12 mins.(3 whole minutes ahead of my goal). Even if it was 10 minutes behind Sara and Emily. I am already excited to do it again next year. With more that 3 week to train this time I have lofty goals of under 2hrs. Whew, this is a marathon blog entry for me. I think I better go drink some Gatorade!!!

Back in The Year of Odd 7 Part 1

2007-12-18T07:26:00.000-08:00

Back In The Year of Odd 7 Part 2

2007-12-18T07:10:00.000-08:00

Back In The Year of Odd 6

2007-12-06T21:57:00.000-08:00

Emily's Joins the Church

2007-11-26T21:32:00.000-08:00

Emily Manwaring's Baptism

November 3, 2007

All the cousins together after the baptism

Here are some pictures of Emily's baptism on Nov. 3rd, 2007. We had lots of family come up and an enjoyable weekend with all of them.