The Jack Pack

Bed Time Ritual

2012-01-31T10:54:00.000-08:00

There are some nights when the thought of starting our "Bed Time Ritual" just makes me tired! It starts with family scriptures, prayer, our "Jack Pack Cheer" GO JACK PACK! :) Story time, lights out and ONE song. It is quite the process, and although it can drag out a bit, I realize how important it is to keep at it. There will come a day when I will miss being able to tuck the girls in like this.

Raspberry Almond Muffins

2012-01-31T10:46:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite breakfast right here. You can be so creative with this recipe. Change up the filling and toppings. Apple with a brown sugar crumble, Apricot Jam with Chopped walnuts...whatever! Options are endless with this one. The secret to a great muffin is to not over-mix the batter. Just stir until the flour is mixed in.

Filled Muffins

2 C. Flour
2/3 C. Sugar
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 C. Milk
1 Egg Slightly beaten
1/2 C. Melted butter
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 tsp. Almond extract (If you want)

Mix all dry ingred. together. Mix in Wet ingred. Stir until moist. Cover bottom of lined muffin tin with batter, than add spoonful of filling (jam, cream, etc...) cover filling with more batter. Top with nuts, crumble, sugar, or whatever and bake at 400 until toothpick comes out clean (about 15 min.)

Balloon Festival

2012-01-17T11:42:00.000-08:00

We went to bluff for the Balloon Festival this year. We went at night when they light all of the balloons up. The Girls were cold, but loved it. Tyler has had this crazy idea to buy a balloon and become a pilot. We do live in an ideal place for it, but I'm a little hesitant...something about flying around at heights I would rather not think about...in a balloon...over canyons...I don't want to talk about it any more. Let's hope he realizes it's not a good idea and moves on.

Danish Delish

2012-01-17T11:35:00.000-08:00

I found an awesome recipe for wonderful, flaky pastry dough that will turn out better than any bakery treat you can buy! I filled these Danishs' with Sweet cream cheese. Check out the web site for the original recipe.

Winter Hike

2012-01-03T21:06:00.000-08:00

We went on a winter hike to natural Bridges. It was SOOO beautiful...and I kept taking pictures of the girls *sigh* Of all God's creations...I think I like the three he gave me the best:)

Merry Christmas

2012-01-03T20:57:00.000-08:00

Feliz Navidad!

2012-01-03T20:53:00.000-08:00

All of the partying through December sure is fun, but I love a simple Christmas spent at home. The girl's are so fun, because they don't get greedy, they just ask for simple things and are so grateful when they get them. Allie wanted a "Doodle Bear", Bria wanted a "Strawberry Shortcake House", and Cloe wanted "candy canes". Jake mentioned a few things he "wouldn't mind" getting, but they were things he already needed. Tyler made him this bat rack to display the personalized Louisville Sluggers my Dad had given him for Christmas. It turned out amazing!! Jake was so surprised. It even has pegs for his mitts/hats and spots on top for baseballs. We had a great dinner with great friends to top off our Christmas day. We went to Idaho Falls after Christmas to spend a week with the folks...unfortunately I didn't get any pictures while we were there...I was having too much fun. It has been an awesome year despite some of the challenges and changes we have encountered. Christmas is a good time to take a step back and recognize how blessed we are. I'm so grateful for my Savior and for his sacrifice. His life was spent in humble perfection. I'm so grateful for his example of love, and pray that I can live a life in accordance with that example. Merry Christmas!

The Girl's Room After!

2011-12-20T15:09:00.000-08:00

Sorry this post took so long...busy month! So these are the After pictures in my girl's room. I let them pick all of the colors...can you tell? Their favorite color is fuschia (I'm not kidding). We are girly girls to the max around here. There are a few things that aren't finished as far as decorating goes, but that will come a piece at a time. We put in new windows and I used the old windows to decorate. Tyler made these stick unicorns for them last year for Christmas. It was such a fun project to do together. They are all officially sleeping in here and it gets a little crazy at times, but I hope they will grow up to be friends. Much to my dismay and delight, bed time seems to be one of the few times they get along...which means some late nights...they are in some kind of conspiracy against me:) Our life is full of girl clothes, hair bows, and barbies, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

The girl's room BEFORE

2011-11-17T10:59:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to post this for quite some time...like, last year! The girl's room was the most unfinished room in the house when we bought it, but it was also the biggest! So we decided to make it into "girl land"-a place to keep all of their girly STUFF. I really wanted the beds to be built into the wall, but we had to get creative with the lay-out. We came up with this corner construction and I love it! Tyler is a genius. I dream it, and he achieves it:) We built walls, moved walls, built "cubbys" and textured, textured, sanded, and textured. 6 long months later....we finished. Wow...not what I had originally planned, but worth it.

Who says I'm not Romantic?

2011-11-04T08:21:00.000-07:00

Chicken Pot Pie for dinner...dang I'm getting good at making pie crust:) I need to learn how to shape my edges better though.

Halloween

2011-11-04T08:18:00.000-07:00

We had a fun Halloween! I have to say it is one of my very favorite Holidays, even though I'm not into the scary part of it, I love fall and I love the festivities. The scariest decoration I own; are some wooden spiders...yea. I know I'm lame. We had a few friends over to kick off the Holiday and played some way cheesy games, but the food was great and the company was even better. We did all of our family traditional stuff; carved the pumpkins, roasted the seeds, drank the cider, ate the candy...and then ate more candy...
The girls REALLY wanted to be princesses this year, despite my pleadings to do something "original". Oh well, they make cute princesses. Plus I didn't have to buy costumes because we are well supplied with "princess stuff".

Kitchen Help

2011-11-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

Who needs slaves when you have family? HAHA!

Oh momma

2011-10-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

“Motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling. You do not collect children because you find them cuter than stamps. It is not something to do if you can squeeze the time in. It is what God gave you time for.”⁷
^{Neil L. Anderson quoting a blog}
^{I loved it! It means a lot to me because I have had to shift priorities as I have come to realize what my purpose is here. Family is everything, and the more we can center our attention on that...the happier we will be.}

Family Pics 2011

2011-10-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

I sure love my crazy, busy, sweet, funny Family!!

My beautiful Babes

2011-10-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

I couldn't get a picture of Cloe smiling...she was being so grumpy! I might have to snap a few of her on a good day:)

I'm eating my words...

2011-10-14T19:26:00.000-07:00

So...I have never been an animal person---I like animals, I have just never wanted to own one. One rainy night, a small kitten cried on our door step and of course we ignored it, but it wouldn't go away. The weather was so bad that I finally gave in and gave the poor wet kitten some milk...well the rest is history. Now we have a cat and her name is Doce (Docee). The girls love her and well...I kind of like her to. She is an "outside" cat, but as you can see from the picture-she does whatever she wants:)

Happiness

2011-10-04T15:07:00.000-07:00

To my little girls: who can drive me mad and make me smile all at the same time:)

Women's Conference

2011-10-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

This year for our little Mother/Daughter weekend; we went to the General Relief Society Meeting. It was so awesome! President Uchtdorf's message was everything I needed to hear. I had never been surrounded by so many women. I was having a hard time keeping my emotions together just as we waited in line to get in the conference center. Litterally thousands of women gathered together, striving to become better wives, mothers, friends, daughters...I loved it! After the conference, the spirit of charity was so strong, I can honestly say I wanted to throw my arms around every sister there and tell them how much I loved them...I didn't though, because I didn't want to be arrested:)

Homecoming Week

2011-10-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

I love how the elementary school participates in homecoming week with the highschool. Allie had a lot of fun with the dress up days. Jake escorted a darling girl for the homecoming queen pageant...it was a crazy busy week, but we had our fun moments.

Football Season

2011-10-03T09:27:00.000-07:00

Our life has significantly changed since Jake moved in-I actually understand football...and like watching:) It is more fun when you actually know somebody who is playing and want them to win...really bad! Jake has been doing so good on the team and we are SO proud! The girls love to watch Jakers and now all of their boy barbies "walk" around without their shirts on, and say "I'm going to football practice". So far Buckaroos have only lost one game! They are doing great!

All my kids

2011-08-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

Jaker's Senior Pics

2011-08-08T21:10:00.000-07:00

My brother's are a little too attractive for their own good, but it sure is fun taking pictures of them...These were some of my favorites.

Jake

2011-08-08T21:05:00.000-07:00

Family time

2011-08-08T21:03:00.000-07:00

So good to spend time with family...we've come a long way people and yet....

Quality time with the bros...

2011-08-08T21:00:00.000-07:00

Yes...those brother's of mine are painting our toes-and then they got crazy with the cotton balls-I think it was getting a little late and we were coming down from our chocolate fountain high:)

Idaho Falls ends our summer

2011-08-08T20:56:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Tammy wanted to spend some time with us, so we drove to Idaho Falls for the week. We had to pull out the chocolate fountain...couldn't resist.

We are troopers!

2011-08-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

Here we are at newspaper rock...a place with alot of ancient graffiti. Tyler had to go to a week long scouting trip, and we kept ourselves busy seeing the sights of San Juan County, man I love this place!

July

2011-08-08T20:45:00.000-07:00

For the month of July we got to have my youngest brother Matt stay with us. It was so great to spend that time with him. We went camping, fishing, fireworking, parading...you name it! What a great a month it was!

Happy Birthday Cloe!

2011-08-08T07:32:00.000-07:00

Cloe is our big 2 year old! We love her for all of her sweet, funny moments....and we take deep breaths through the tantrums:)

My LV Girlz

2011-06-23T11:59:00.000-07:00

I went on a trip by myself! Seriously, it's the first time in 8+ years that I've been anywhere alone. I drove to Las Vegas to visit my friends the Smith's. My "little sister" was graduating...she's not really my sister, but close enough. I had so much fun! It was a little strange not having my little girls with me, but I think it was healthy:) Tyler was a pro daddy/mommy. He had never been left alone over night with them-seriously it was about time!

1st camping trip of the summer

2011-06-23T11:51:00.000-07:00

We love camping! This was an up & go trip. It was so fun to just go and relax...until it was time to go to bed...it got so cold that none of us could sleep! Oh well, camping wasn't meant for good sleeping:)

Easter

2011-05-13T13:05:00.000-07:00

Some good, old-fashion egg hunting. The girls could seriously do this all day long... They loved having their cousin Hailey stay with us for the holiday.

Allie's Birthday

2011-03-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

My big girl just turned 5! I seriously can't get over how much she has grown...almost over night! She is such a bright spot in our family. She's always so happy and helpful. She is reading and writing so good. She was cuddled up next to me while I was reading Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South, and she was sounding out the words to herself and getting them right! She's amazing...but every mom thinks that about their kids:) We love our sweet Alllie! As a side note, there were girl's at her party, but they were too shy to get in the picture...gotta' love those secure boys:)

A Day out of our sick house

2011-03-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

The thing about us, is that we can't stay cooped up for long...we are NOT a lay-around-watch-TV-all-day-kind-of-family. After we started feeling a little better after our flu episode, we went to Bluff which is our favorite place to go in the spring. The weather was perfect, and we went on a little hike...well, a Jack-version of a "little hike":) Our girls are such troopers. Allie can hike better than Tyler's scouts! We had a great time, we seriously live in an awesome place.

Happy Birthday to me

2011-03-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

I just celebrated my 27th Birthday last week! We all had the flu, so it wasn't much fun, but my dear Tyler took the role of house-wife since he had spring break off from work. He made this delicious citrus pound cake...holy cow it was good! The month of March always brings sickness to our house, so it's kind of a blessing and a curse that Spring Break falls in March. Oh well, make the best of it- cause that's life!

Citrus Pound Cake
1 C. Butter softened
2 1/4 C. sugar
zest of 2 lemons
zest of 1 orange
6 eggs
3 C. self-rising flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 C. sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp orange extract
juice of 1 lemon
powdered sugar (in a shaker)

Gradually add sugar and zests to butter until fluffy. Add eggs gradually, beating thoroughly after each. Sift dry ingredients. Add to batter alternately with sour cream, beat until smooth. Add extracts and lemon juice. Prepare bundt cake pan with cooking spray and coat with sugar. Bake @ 325 for 1 hour. Dust with powdered sugar and drizzle with Citrus dessert syrup. Top with Whipped Cream! YUM!

Citrus Dessert Syrup
Juice and zest of 1 orange
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 C. sugar
1/2 C. water

In medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Heat until sugar dissolves. (This would be good over icecream too)

Happy Birthday Bria!

2011-02-18T07:42:00.000-08:00

Bria turned 3 on Valentine's Day and we had quite the party. Celia, Bria's nursery leader helped me throw a bash for her. She was feeling pretty loved. Bria is the most shy of all the girls, and only warms up to people who love her A LOT! Thank goodness there is a lot of love for her around. She is a special girl and we love her.

The food!

2011-02-18T07:31:00.000-08:00

My beautiful, braziliam friend Celia helped me make food for Bria's birthday! We had Brigaderos (really yummy chocolate candy thingys made from sweetened condensed milk) and Braziliam pot pie, Pinkalicious cupcakes, little chicken stuffed fried things called coxinos (I don't know how to spell that:) and a fabulously decorated cream cake encased in jello! Holy cow it was amazing! It was a three day process, and then she threw in these cute balloons made into flowers! What a party...

Family Christmas

2011-01-04T10:38:00.000-08:00

Christmas

2011-01-04T10:29:00.000-08:00

My sisters
My Dad
My Brothers

Allie's Frosty

2010-12-20T10:49:00.000-08:00

We havn't had very much snow this year, in fact it's raining right now, but we made the most of it when it did come. It was kind of muddy snow, and Bria looked at it and said "Frosty went poopy" :) Had to laugh at that one...

Daddy!

2010-12-20T10:35:00.000-08:00

Tyler was trying to get a few things done around the house...with a little help. I couldn't stop laughing at this...it is so nice for him to get a taste of what my day is like.

Hoggard Kiddos pics

2010-12-20T10:29:00.000-08:00

Love the lollis...Nice idea Staci! I love shooting these fun scenes, I'm not so good with the traditional stuff.

Hoggard's Family Pics

2010-12-20T10:23:00.000-08:00

Thanks Hoggards for giving me the opportunity to do these. You were great!

Washington

2010-12-20T10:15:00.000-08:00

I had such a great time in Washington with my Aunt and Uncle, two of my favorite people in the whole world! Tyler had some meetings in Seattle, so I took the opportunity to fly out and see my family. Thanks to my sis-in-law, I only took Cloe. She was kind of beastly on the flight in and out, but it was worth the trip. My grandpa and I got to hang out, and it was a cherished memory for me. Thanks Tammy and Jimmy for the wonderful visit! I love you guys!

Cloe in Washington

2010-12-20T10:03:00.000-08:00

Sweet potato fries, cuddles, and grandparents made for a happy girl even though she was missing her sisters...I think.:)

Halloween!

2010-12-20T09:59:00.000-08:00

I seriously forgot to post this, I'm sorry family...I know you asked for it. My little witches, I taught them everything they know!

The kill...

2010-12-20T09:56:00.000-08:00

Not my favorite thing...yucky carcasses in my yard, but it makes him happy...

Our last fishing trip

2010-12-20T09:52:00.000-08:00

I forgot to do this post, this day was absolutely perfect! I love these little family fishing trips.

Little kids...

2010-12-13T08:05:00.000-08:00

I have a post on my visit to Washington coming, but first I wanted to reminisce a bit. Last night I had a little performance, which I always feel insecure about, but when I got home Tyler had left a sweet note on the door and had put several notes around the house to tell me all the reasons he loved me...Simple things. This is our engagment picture and I remember how "little" we were. We have done a lot of growing in the last almost 8 years of marriage. Thank goodness for the gospel that helps us remember what is REALLY important in this life. Looking outside of ourselves to see the beauty in our marriage, in our families, in our every day encounters with people. Life really is good.

I'm such a girl...

2010-10-28T15:01:00.000-07:00

I came across this picture of me from 5 years ago. I took it minutes before I had this mole removed Yea...that tiny dot on my cheek. You would not believe the stress that little dot caused me through my adolesence and teen years-even into my adulthood. I thought it made me so ugly and rarely pulled my hair up because of it. Here is the funny thing...after I had it removed...nobody noticed! Not even members of my family! Something that was SOOOO obvious to me, was not even noticable to anyone else. Tyler tried to tell me...It's funny how we let little insecurities get the best of us. It was a good reminder for me to get over myself...believe me, I've come along way-but the journey isn't over till it's over!

2010-10-14T07:59:00.000-07:00

A little fall picnic

2010-10-14T07:57:00.000-07:00

Such a beautiful day! We couldn't resist the good weather and packed a lunch for a little trip to the lake up the street from us. All of the trees are dripping with color, I just had to bring the camera along. My girls are pretty patient with the constant clicking I seem to do habitually.

Halloween Party

2010-10-09T13:30:00.000-07:00

Such a good time! I love Halloween, the good, wholesome, not so scary kind:)

Why do I even try...

2010-10-03T18:50:00.000-07:00

Gotta' love dinners like this:)

Victim of photography

2010-09-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

I got a chance to do some senior pictures, I haven't done the final edits on them, but here are a few (of the MANY) that I took. I was so nervous to get them right...but there's a first for everything. I would say as of now, my specialty is doing them for free...:) This guy was a good sport, and because he is like 6' 5" I had to stand on a ladder most of the time. Fun stuff.

More Pics

2010-09-29T10:31:00.000-07:00

More Retreat pics

2010-09-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

I got these posts out of order, but here are little bits from the trip. I look like a psycho getting my make-up done, and looked even more psycho after it was finished...purple is not my color. I was so grateful my sister brought her wet-wipes because it came off about as quickly as it went on. I have vowed to never use powder foundation, it's not flattering on ANYONE! Everyone that walked away with it on looked like an old lady. For anyone who wears it...sorry, but maybe re-think it.

Pamper Me!

2010-09-27T09:55:00.001-07:00

I just got back fromspending the weekend in SLC with my mom and sisters. We went to a "Night of pampering" at some rich guys estate. Complete with castle and mote...seriously. We got our hair, nails and make-up done. They offered laser hair removal (free) but the line was so long, we got tired of waiting...and we might have chickened out because we were told it was PAINFUL! The massage line was also huge, so we ate chocolate, had a great dinner and shopped around at all the booths. It was a good time. It's funny how one of us always has a new baby on these retreats...we seriously need to stop reproducing so quickly:)

Fall all over

2010-09-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

Seriously love the fall, perfect weather, perfect colors, perfect time for family walks.

Outdoor Flag

2010-09-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

I had some weather-proof material left from another project, and I really wanted a flag for my front porch...something personalized and not too cheesy. The store-bought kind are a little to cartoony (yep, that's a word in my book) for what I like. Here is what I came up with. The birds are rub-ons (craft-store) Make sure you spray them with a clear coat of some kind to keep them weather-proof. I also used washable fabric paint. I'm thinking I'll have to bring her in when the weather gets really bad, but as for a little moisture here and there, I think it will be OK. Oh, the "flag pole" is actually a curtain rod that wasn't being used. I drilled a couple of holes in the rod and attched the flag with wire. Hope this inspires some front porch creativity!

Eat a Pita

2010-09-10T12:06:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to find a recipe for Pita bread that was as good as the real deal. Not tortillas, or leftover roll dough. I FOUND it! Seriously, follow the directions exactly, and you are on your way to the best, chewiest pita bread you have ever tasted.
Follow the link for Instructions. I usually stuff it with chicken, grapes, apples, and almonds. Mix it with a little cream cheese and mayo combo and it is good stuff.

Hiking with the Burtons

2010-09-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

We Hiked Shay Mt. for the first time. It was quite steep and rocky, but the views were amazing. Tyler and Scott are doing their hunt here, so we were "scouting" the area...or maybe because the wives were there it was just more of a picnic. (inside joke) We sure love the Burton's. So grateful we didn't attempt it with children this time:)

The end of a happy Summer

2010-09-10T11:48:00.000-07:00

I just loved this picture of Cloe so I had to post it. She is a funny girl.

This is one of the many reasons I love Tyler. Never in our marriage has he used the TV to "wind down" from work. Now...as for the amount of nice pants he's gone through from "winding down" this way...well I have lost track. Another brag moment brought to you by Your's Truly:)

Change of seasons

2010-08-27T07:20:00.000-07:00

I have to say I love this time of year...I'm not quite ready for the cold weather, but I love harvest time. All the canning and baking that goes a long with it is a fun change from my usual avoidance of the kitchen in the heat of the summer. I'm going to have to get used to these very short summers here in Monticello. We love this little place and feel so grateful for this first year here. As crazy as we were this time last year, I wouldn't have done things any differently. So...one of my favorite things to pop in the oven this time of year (besides zucchini bread loaded with nuts and chocolate chips) is Chicken Pot Pie. You can use vegetables from your garden and it is super easy and yummy.

2-pie crusts (homemade or store bought)
1-chicken breast cooked and chopped
corn, peas, squash, potatoes, carrots, onions...(whatever you have)
1 pkg cream cheese
1 can cream soup

Saute your veggies all together to soften them up. Cream together cream cheese and soup. Stir in veggies and chicken. Salt and pepper to taste. Scoop into pie crust. and cover with second pie crust. Don't forget the slits in the top! Bake @ 350 for 1 hour or until crust is golden. The best dessert with this is peaches and cream. Cut up some fresh peaches, sweeten them with a little sugar if needed and pour the cream-so so so good!
It's a good thing I've started running daily, because these recipes are not easy on the calories. :)

Ma and Pa

2010-08-14T21:05:00.000-07:00

2010-08-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

2010-08-14T20:50:00.000-07:00

2010-08-14T20:44:00.000-07:00

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2010-08-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

Family Pictures

2010-08-14T20:19:00.000-07:00

My two studly/stinker brothers. Love em'...
I took some pictures for my Sister's family, here are my favorites

Sweet Family

2010-08-14T20:08:00.000-07:00

More Idaho Falls Fun

2010-08-14T20:03:00.000-07:00

From treasure hunts to camping we had a great time!

My sister's house

2010-08-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

We started off our 10 day trip with my sister Tara and her family, we had a great time with them. As you can see, we have a few little girls between the two of us:)

Jack Family Reunion

2010-08-03T11:40:00.000-07:00

We went on a Jack Family history tour. Tyler's Dad grew up on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona, where there family owned a trading post. There were two trading posts that were in the family and we went to both of them. Tyler's Grandpa built the post in Lukachukai. Say that ten times fast:) Round Rock was a special place for the famiy, many of their names are carved on it. Unforunately, there was a cranky Navajo woman who put up a big stink when we started to take the road to climb the rock. Because of the law-less place it can sometimes be, we decided to not push it.

It's over!

2010-07-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

What a crazy week, but I'm finally done with my classes for the summer, papers written and all and we have all the talks/presentations out of the way. Just in time for our family Reunion that starts...today actually. So I'll post on that when it's all over with. Summer is a flyin'!

Things as they really are

2010-07-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

Tyler and I were asked to present at a tri-stake youth activity this week on Elder Bednar's talk "Things as they really are." I've been thinking, and praying for the last two weeks on how to address this sensitive subject. If you have time, read the article if you haven't already, and give me some thoughts on the subject. I'm really interested to see what others have gotten out of this amazing talk.

White Chili

2010-07-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

I love this recipe!
Cooked/chopped chicken
one onion chopped
-Simmer together in Olive oil, cumin, cayenne, oregano, serano pepper chopped (according to preference of taste)-
add 3 cans White beans
and enough chicken broth to cover ingrediants
Let simmer together for about 30 min for best results

love this set up

2010-07-21T11:55:00.000-07:00

No grass in the pool and it's like one giant play pen. The deck comes right off of the kitchen so it means easy access. Couldn't ask for a better set up for the girls

Bar D

2010-07-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

We went to a place called the Bar D chuckwagon in Durango Colorado. It is such a fun place, good food, good entertainment. We left the two little ones with friends because it would have been a loooong trip for all of us...Allie was feeling so big. Tyler's Dad came with us and we had a great time.

My helper

2010-07-14T13:30:00.000-07:00

Allie is so good to say things like, "Mom your hands are really full, I think I should carry something for you." and "Mom, your kinda' busy, I'll just wash the dishes." She has definitely assumed the oldest daughter position, and although her and Bria can get in some whoppin' fights, they have their unfailing sweet moments.

Ahh summer

2010-07-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

We had a little cook-out with some friends-I love this picture of the kids running...amazing how entertaining running is when your this age:)

What do you do with an old ironing board?

2010-07-10T09:28:00.000-07:00

This thing needed some help when I found it, bu4t here it is now. This label was originally on it, I just kept the picture and sanded the rest off. I loved it! I painted it and I added the words and now it will be so fun to hang up in my laundry room...just as soon as I finish painting the walls:)

Some Projects

2010-07-10T09:22:00.000-07:00

I got this old door for $15, painted it and made it into a clock-I took the door knob off of another door and found these really cool keys-

More 4th fun

2010-07-06T15:22:00.000-07:00

We fish and hike a lot I'm realizing...

The fourth

2010-07-06T14:28:00.000-07:00

Me and my sis.
Cloe and Grandpa Jack
Tyler in the parade
Tye (my sis) fishing.

Tyler the tooth extractor

2010-07-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

Poor Kaden...he is so trusting...

My sister and her family came for a visit over the holiday. We had a great old time.

Cloe's 1!

2010-07-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

Cloe Baloey turned one year old! What a sweet, silly girl she is. She adds so much to our family....dishes, spills, laundry, crying...I'm teasing. We love our Cloe!

I guess she was finished:)

Tyler's 30th

2010-06-24T16:09:00.000-07:00

Tyler celebrated his big 30. I can't believe he is so old! Of course he wanted to go fishing at his favorite lake with a little dutch oven cooking to top it off. He's such a great guy. Simple, and wonderful! His whole family couldn't come, but we were grateful for those that could make it. His Dad use to take him fishing every year for his birthday, and it was pretty special to have him there this year.

Good lookin' boys

2010-06-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

Here are more pics of my brothers, I think we got some good shots.

Summer Picture randomness

2010-06-16T11:52:00.000-07:00

I decided to practice shots on my brothers, so here are some of them .

All these girls belong to me and my oldest sister, Cloe is missing from the picture. Sheesh.

Bro's for a visit

2010-06-16T11:48:00.000-07:00

My brothers came to visit for a week, we had a lot of fun! Fishing, hiking, exploring-we're glad we got a little time with them before we all got i4to the craziness of summer sports.

Salt Lake

2010-06-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

We went to Salt Lake for a quick trip. My Brother-in-law finished his Master's program and they had a little 80's party. This is my sister Tye, I'm sure she's going to love me for posting this picture! My mom and the girls got some cuddle time, and I got to see my "sister from another mister" Alta- from Nevada. So good to see loved ones!

1st time Summer

2010-06-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

Allie got her first real bike, and she is playing t-ball for her first time also, so fun to watch her grow up! She is a pretty sweet girl.

Do Daddy's get naps?

2010-06-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

Poor Tyler, as soon as he was spotted, it was all over...

And more camping

2010-05-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

More Camping

2010-05-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

You and me baby

2010-05-22T20:20:00.000-07:00

Red Rocks, fire, s'mores, hiking, wild flowers, amazing sunsets, ancient ruins...elements of a great time. Tyler and I went on a little camping/hiking adventure this weekend for our belated anniversary. We hadn't been camping alone since before we had children-it was AWESOME! I love being with the girls, but I have to say, having that time with Tyler was so great. We really are best friends and there isn't anyone I would rather being spending time with. We were at Comb Ridge which is FULL of Anisazi ruins. We hiked through three canyons and to the top of a mountain all before lunch! Now I call that productive. I love this little corner of the earth that we call home.

Fun

2010-05-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

Camera practice

2010-05-14T08:43:00.000-07:00

The girls love "shoe time". That's when Daddy comes home from work and they get to take his work shoes off. Don't ask me why that is so fun for them, but they look forward to it:) I'm practicing with the camera, so expect some random pictures here and there.