The Bowbowlicious Project

You need to go to Bowbowlicious right now! This is a project that Shannon has been working on for a long time. Well it has finally come to fruition. I have watched her painstakingly figure out how to produce the highest quality, incredibly colored hair bows.
It is so great that she has followed her dreams of starting her own thing. Take a look, tell your friends, and make a purchase!

NEVER SAY DIE!

This is the most amazing thing. This snowman has hung around just melting slowly until he is in the full limbo position. He was not built this way. He was built like every snowman, tall and proud. I am not sure how it is holding on because in my mind that middle and head should weigh plenty to make it drop.
As a thought about him this morning on the way to church, I thought, "just don't quit!" I know that for our family and a lot of others, the trails of life seem to pile up and you feel buried in the pile of self doubt. This is not the case, as we are promised,

“Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand."

- How Firm a Foundation, Hymn 89

We have had great things happen to our family over the years. Our lives have never been more blessed than they are right now. Blessings are real. Our Heavenly Father knows who you are. I am thankful for that.

A Little Sledding

It seems like in the past years we never get enough snow to ever go sledding. Or when it does snow the wind is blowing 100mph! Well, were my parents moved it snows almost everyday and they live on the side of a mountain so the conditions for sledding are perfect!
As you can tell by the looks on the faces of these boys they are in a happy place. It makes me think about being eight years old and living in Scotland riding down the hill on the rail sled we got for Christmas. Those were the days...

Snow Flakes, So Good!

Oh, to be so little and innocent again. I could never do this now because I can think of the forty things that live in the woods that could have pooped, peed, sneezed, coughed or snorted on that very spot. As I have gotten older I have developed this innate fear of the gross things that could be.

However, for Amaya this is a whole new and fun experience. One that obviously she could not resist. I can only imagine the feeling of those cold ice crystals on my tongue. What a fun time for her.

It really does pay off to take your camera with you everywhere you go. Otherwise, you miss out on great moments like this that only happen once in a child's life. Because the next time she wants to do this you know it's going to get ruined by a brother that just pushes her face deep into the snow!

Cold Weather Smiles

Just a few new shots taken up at my mom and dad's new house. I know I have been slacking major on the whole blog thing, I promised myself I would do better. Enjoy the new pics in the meantime!

Family Home Evening Photo Shoot

Shannon and I decided to take some pictures of the kids tonight fo family home evening. She gave us a quick lesson on why you need to take pictures for your posterity and how much they will appreciate seeing you. Then we hit couple of places around town in the evening light. I got a long way to go I know but that one of O'Shann looks great!

Quick Trip To Jackson!

I got done with our job in Portland, Oregon (even though they had record breaking heat)so when I got home Friday I decided to head to Jackson Hole with the family on Saturday. We loaded up and headed over with a small agenda of things to do while we were there.
1. Square ice cream. If you haven't stopped for a square ice cream cone you're missing out. It's not like the ice cream is any better or anything but it's a square scoop. Everyone loved it and it was a big hit!
2. Jackson Hole Alpine Slide. This was a good time for everyone. Shannon however was not a fan of the ski lift ride up to the top of the slide. Mainly because Amaya has wiggle pants and wouldn't sit still in the lift. If you are at all familiar with ski lifts there isn't a lot of safety features to keep one inside the lift. Especially a 35 pound wiggly girl! The slide was really fun and the kids had a blast. I would suggest this for anyone. Amaya had to ride with Shannon but everyone else went down solo. Totally safe, and really fun. Is it worth the $15 per person per run? Probably not but it's only money!
3. Yippy I-O Candy Company. So, you know as well as I do five kids are really not pumped about looking at western clothing and wildlife art. Lets be honest, niether was I! While O'Shann and Shannon were checking out some t-shirts the rest of us stummbled across the candy store. Probably the highlight of the trip for the smaller kids. Basically, barrells of candy that the kids are able to put into their own bucket at will. Of course it's nearly impossible to watch five children picking and choosing their candy so somehow Amaya was able to come away with the "biggest bucket of candy" award. $65 later I had five happy kids, a fist full of Sixlets for myself and a quick lunch!
4. Coldwater Creek. This is kind of a hidden find for Shannon lately. She has found some really hot outfits here. She always thought it was a "grandma" store. Her words not mine. We had been in there a while and that's when things got a little restless. We all had to start trying on the most outrageous clothes we could find. Blaize won the prize as you can tell in the pics. The addition of his Spiderman Sunglasses is a nice touch don't you think?
5. Jackson Hole Shootout. LOUD! Fake guns are louder than real guns. Cowboys, dancing, bull whips and a shootout. You can't really go wrong showing up for something like this. Especially if you're a boy. This is a must for you if you go to Jackson.
6. Bubba's Bar-B-Que. A trip to Jackson Hole isn't complete without dinner at Bubba's Bar-B-Que. Baby back ribs for me please! Oh and Amaya. That girl loves her some ribs! We all got tanked up on various meats. This is not a fancy place basically you sit at a stainless steel table and wait for you yummy dinner. It's bar-b-que, you're not going for the secenery. It's a funny place though full of bikers, families and people from all over the world who are loaded. A great time was had by all.
It was a fast fun trip like I said. We all had a great time and it was nice to spend time with the kids after being gone for a week. They are my favorite people!

Ouch!

So here's the deal. I was really excited to go water skiing with Damon and Collin a week ago. I've always wanted to take some water skiing and wake boarding pictures. So, I thought it was a great opportunity. Of course, I also thought it would be a great idea to get in a couple of runs myself. You know since I haven't been water skiing in like, oh 16 years! I can't imagine what could have gone wrong. Well, as you can tell be the picture something did go wrong. On my second attempt of getting up on the wake board I HEARD two pops and felt a sudden loss of sensation in my left leg. Well, long and short of it, my leg keeps getting grosser but it is feeling better. All that I ask now is that I can go to the bathroom with no pain!

ICE BLOCKING *(Do not try this at home!)

As you can tell by the expression on Blaize's face it's going to be a wild ride. Everyone did a little ice blocking at the family reunion on Saturday. I gotta be honest, I really didn't want the kid to do it. Not because I thought they would get hurt really but more because I didn't want them to have huge green grass stains on their butts. Well, I was wrong on both accounts. It was great they had a lot of fun and there was minimal grass stainage. For those of you who have never been come to Jensens Grove in Blackfoot and we can show you a good time!

"Amamya the Creepy"

This is Amaya, and she wanted to be creepy so this is how she came out. I'm not sure how "creepy" it really is except for the mismatched clothes and the winter clothing in summer. She is quite the kid and loves a little "shock value." I'm not sure why she felt the need to turn "creepy." I think it is a coping mechanism that gets her through when the boys are fighting with one another. It's the only thing I can come up with. Enjoy!

Shannon Rocking the Hula!!!

Her heads cut off but you can see whats going on here! Shannon is not afraid to bust out the hula in the middle of Walmart. What an awesome Mom huh? She will kill me for putting this on here but I think it's about time everyone saw how fun she really is. Oh, by the way, she's wearing heels!

Chicken Paws, Really?

So, I'm always excited to try new things especially when it comes to food. However, this treat is one I am not interested in putting into my mouth. Yes, you're looking at a wrapped package of "Chicken Paws." As I was par oozing the old meat section at the store my eyes could not help but be drawn to this oddly freakish marketed delight. Laying amongst the chops and links. In my opinion, this is great marketing!
I have since seen these cooked up on the Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods but Andrew has also been known to eat a variety of pure nastiness like blood sausage and seven year old fish.
As I held the package in utter amazement I asked myself, "How would one eat such a throw away part?" After some research I have found some interesting recipes to help you on your quest for a plate of yummy chicken feet. Please let me know how your recipe turns out for I will not be trying them out!

1. Delicious Chicken Feet

2. Hot and Spicy Chicken Feet

3. Chicken Feet Stew

4. Dim-Sum-Style Chicken Feet

Asparagus Poaching!

For my friends not in Idaho this will be an interesting issue we deal with here in the Wild West and for my friends here in Idaho you will all have your own stories I'm sure!
We have the great benefit of having Asparagus growing along the side of the road and in other "hidden" places.
Asparagus is a funny vegetable, somewhat related to the thistle and goofy looking. Not everyone likes it and even in my own family we have a split decision on its likability. I however like it and enjoy the Spring harvest of this little green delight.
However, there are some who make it their life's ambition to hunt the tasty find. Out by our house, which is kind of in the country there will be people all throughout the day sifting over the sides of the roads and the ditch banks looking for some. We call them poachers. They have no problemo just coming into the yard to harvest "your" asparagus.
I like it, it's good and all but I reach my limit at about two or three dinners with a side of the green weed. What bothers me is the Walmart bag (See, in our town that is the preferred carrying device) stuffed with asparagus. Sometimes even two. Usually the wife is out stumbling around the tall weeds as her husband follows ahead of her pointing out all of the hidden finds.
Seriously, what is the need for all of this asparagus? I love Cadbury Creme Eggs that come out at Easter but after two or three I've had my fill and can wait until the next Easter. Besides, if you have eaten asparagus you know that due to the asparagusic acid your urine smells so hideous I'm not sure how you could eat a Wal-Mart bag full of asparagus and stand yourself! It is quite the paradigm and I spend way to much time pondering over it.
Well anyhow, I hope you don't poach at our house because we do have a few fine patches growing nicely in the Spring sun. I'm not going to run you off or anything like that, I'll just smile, wave and as you pull away I will laugh to myself thinking about you picking that asaparagus that my dog Ceasar just peed on! ;)

So I Was Wrong, It Can Get Cuter!!!

So, I was totally wrong about this whole dance thing with Amaya. This is her DURING her dance performance Saturday night. There are many shots of her winking at the camera while she was dancing. To be honest I didn't even know she could wink! She hammed it up pretty good for a while. Dance is going to be a different experience for Amaya than O'Shann.

Doesn't Get Any Cutier Than This!!!

After being at a meeting tonight I got home to find Amaya's dance pictures on the table with this incredibly sweet thing staring at me. Honestly, even though she's my kid, does it get any better than this? She performs this Friday and Saturday night for the first time ever. This is going to be a show!

Sweet Dreams!!!

O'Shann competed on Saturday in her third and last dance competition. They did super! We are so proud of her and all the girls on her team. This is my favorite dance that she does and it looked great. Let me know what you think!

I Wish It Wasn't So...

I have been pretty injury free for most of my life but I ended that streak last night with a wide, deep gouge to the palm of my hand. Of course I waited until this morning to go to the doctor because I didn't want to pay for an emergency room visit and I really thought it would be fine. Shannon spent the better part of three hours getting the bleeding to stop before I went to bed last night, which in a weird irony of things, allowed the doctor to stitch it up this morning. Apparently, you have about a twelve hour window after you injure yourself, that will allow for stitching. Due to infection and blood flow it makes it a high risk to do anything after twelve hours. Just a little bit of knowledge to help you out in life.

In case you are wondering, yes, it hurts.

One Down, Two To Go!!!

Dance season has begun and O'Shann and her team are off to an awesome start! We spent last Saturday in the gym of a Ogden, Utah high school gym as we watched O'Shann and many other teams dance their hearts out. Everyone of O'Shann's dances received a first place and some overall awards as well. Everyone on her team did an excellent job and they all deserve a big pat on the back.
If you look at O'Shann's face you can see how happy she is. She LOVES being out on the floor performing.
This Saturday we're off to Draper, Utah for the next competition. This is a BIG dance and there'll be lots of teams and stiff competitors. Hopefully mt pictures will be better this time. I was having some issues but I think I've figured it out.

Easter Eggstravaganza!

Of course we had to color eggs. With five kids it's always an advernture. They did really good though. Everyone got to color seven egg and they had a great time. As they are getting older we are seeing some more creative concepts come about. Check out the pictures and enjoy!

So today Forrest went to work. Yep, full time (for the day.) He did a great job and busted his hump to be honest. I am very proud of him although the highlight of the day was lunch at Rupes! When I asked I would have thought it was spending the day with Dad but, no, it was lunch! He is off to a great start I hope he doesn't leave me and start his own business.