SEMA - Las Vegas 2011

This year Paul got to attend SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) in Las Vegas. I'm a little jealous that Paul got to go without me but it was such a great experience and he got to go do so many fun things while he was there. I might have to have him add more to this post so that you can get a better idea of what a trip to SEMA is actually like but for now I'll just have to post pictures. He truly was a kid in a candy store while he was there. It was fun when he came home and showed us all of his freebee's and the kids loved all of the "toys" he brought home. I forced him to take a camera with him so I could see EVERYTHING. I know he wasn't happy about it but I'm so glad he did. It was so fun to see all of the stuff he was interested in and he said that he wished he could have gotten more or even been in some of the pictures.

These were only a few of the "jewels" Paul got to see while at the SEMA show. Most of them are my favorite pictures but there were SO many too choose from it was hard to choose a select few. I could have gotten out of control trying to show them all. You know me!!

The biggest reason I was jealous that Paul got to go to SEMA is because I knew he would some how find a reason to meet this guy, Chip Foose. He is a car designer and one of the most talented people in the business. I've always been a fan of his but before Paul left he started getting caught up on the show "Over Haulin" from TLC. It was a show I used to watch in high school but it's on Netflix now and we've been watching it non-stop for the last few months. Paul finally got to schedule in a chunk of time to wait in line to see him on one of his last few days in town and was able to get him to sign a shirt and a hat right there in person for him. It would have been fun to have been there to meet him and watch him draw one of his amazing drawings in person. I'm so glad Paul had a great time and that he was able to go. He's really working hard with work and school it was great that he got to take a little time for himself to participate in this with other "kids" from school.

Halloween 2011

Halloween this year started for us in January. At the beginning of the year Riann fell in LOVE with the new show "The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That" on PBS. We had watched it EVERY day for the first few weeks of the year when I got the idea to dress the kids up as "Thing 1 and Thing 2". I was SO excited because we were finally getting to do a family theme!! I've been waiting for a while to do something like this and we were finally getting to do something together. When February came around I figured that was a great time to get them little red outfits with Valentine's Day and I started looking. I was able to score some season sell-offs for $1 and $2 and knew it was meant to be when they were at such a great price. After that I held off with the rest of our costume searching until we were a little closer to Halloween. Unfortunately it was a really bad idea to wait so long because Paul ended up being out of town and the kids ended up getting the flu in the middle of the week before Halloween, when I had planned on doing all of my prep and the rest of my shopping. It all worked out okay but the days before Halloween consisted of SUPER late nights and lots of phone calls trying to get everything pinned down.

Getting everything ready. Testing out the hats and costumes to make sure everything is the right size.

I'm really happy with how everything turned out this year and grateful that the kids loved their costumes too. Originally Paul was supposed to be "The Cat" but when he got his schedule for going out of town I had to step in. We found a costume at one of the Halloween boutiques in Idaho Falls for me and the rest of the kids stuff at different craft stores and other locations. Originally I planned on sewing/gluing blue boas to hats and using those for the kids but after trying to put it all together I didn't have enough boas and finding more was impossible. I ended up knitting them hats and they turned out SOOO much better than I ever thought they would.

Playing with the preschool group at the Halloween party. Our friends Emily and Heather did a FANTASTIC job putting it all together. The kids had a GREAT time.

We ended up having a very busy Halloween day but it was still a great day. Colby and I started off the morning by attending the beautiful funeral of a neighbor while Riann went to a friend's house to play. Then we came home to get ready and headed out the door for a "class party" with the preschool group the kids participate in. Then we came home to rest for about an hour and we rushed right back out the door for our Trunk-or-Treat. The kids had a great time out playing with friends and getting candy. Riann LOVED introducing Colby to everyone and she made sure he got just as much candy as she did. She's a fantastic big sister. We had a great day and it was so fun being together.

At the Trunk-or-Treat and other activities of the night. Riann had a blast with Colby. After we played here we stopped up at one of the movie theaters and in a neighborhood in town for more trick-or-treating and fun.

We really with Paul could have been there with us but he had a great time while he was away on "vacation". I'm excited for next year. Hopefully I can talk Riann into doing something as a family again. I know we only have a few years let.

We've got a surprise!!!

This isn't new news to anyone but it's news that needs to be documented. At the end of September Paul and I found out that we are expecting our third little one this coming May. We are VERY excited about the change and addition coming into our lives. We, mostly me, were a little shocked when the test came back positive but so far we have only see blessings from this new adventure and we hope that things continue to progress as well as possible.

We are just past the 16 week mark now and so far my morning sickness hasn't been as bad as I would have expected. I still have really hard days but overall I can't complain when I compare it to the other two kids. We are so excited about this little one and can't wait to learn more about it. Any time I ask Riann what we're having she tells me another boy. She wants another brother. When I ask her what we should name him I get the same answer every time... Colby. All boys should be named Colby and all girls should be named Riann according to her. I love it!! It'll be fun to find out what we're actually having and have her help us with the naming process again. I'm so grateful she was excited about all of this. I was afraid in the beginning that she wouldn't want another baby because Colby just barely got here, or so it seems, but she has been more than happy and loves to tell everyone that "mommy has a baby in her tummy". I'm glad that we waited to tell her, until other people knew... Ha! Colby too seems to almost know what's coming and on the days I struggled in the beginning thinking, it can't be time to have another baby, all I had to do was look at Colby and it seemed like he knew what I was thinking and would always give me a smile that said "Don't worry mom. It'll be okay." It kind of makes me wonder if he already knows who this little one is and he's been waiting for them to get here.

We feel so blessed that the Lord trusts us with another one of his beautiful spirits and can't wait to hold this one when the time comes. This next year is really going to be an adventure!!!

Summer Catch Up - August 13th - August 21st

After a great trip to the beach we traveled another 10 hours to White Fish, MT where we stayed with Paul's family at his aunt and uncles beautiful cabin on the Big Mountain. We had a great time there with the kids enjoying more time quality time with their cousins. The last time we had seen Paul's family was Christmas of 2010 so it was a much needed chance to catch up and enjoy each others company. We had a great time seeing everyone and it was wonderful for the kids to catch up with even more cousins. Jackson and Jeffrey kept Riann and Colby SO busy and Colby did a great job keeping up. He learned how to climb stairs and became a much faster crawler because everyone was really keeping him on his toes. On this trip we also got to finally meet our first niece Emily and had a blast getting to know her and making her smile.

We got to participate in SO many fun activities on this trip there was very little time to rest. Here are some of fun activities we got to do, it was an amazing vacation!!

Dave got a special paper airplane book for the kids and on one of our lazy mornings Dave, Paul, Scott and the kids pulled it out and spent all morning making planes. After everyone made the special plane they wanted we went out to the balcony and the "race" was on. The kids loved flying them down and then running ALL THE WAY down to the street and running them ALL THE WAY back up to the balcony. They had a great time seeing who's could go the farthest and the fastest. They also enjoyed going on "hunts" when they couldn't find their plane in the tall grass. It was a lot of fun to watch them play. Just the other day Riann found some colored paper in the house and asked Paul and I to make her planes because she wanted to "fly them like she did with her cousins".

We took a beautiful evening at the beginning of our trip and took some family pictures. We try to do this every year and it was a lot of fun, and a little stressful, to be out with the kids this time around. It was also nice to have up to date family photos with our new additions over the last year. We're so happy to have both Colby and Emily in the family.
They are the cutest kids ever!!

One of our many adventures was the Alpine Slide. We all got a chance to ride down and all of the little kids, even Emily and Colby, got to go down too. It was so much fun to take Riann down and have her enjoy something fun like that. Colby seemed to enjoy it but didn't show any really "joy" either way. It'll be fun when he gets excited about stuff like this when he's older.

On a different day Scott and Casey took a trip back up the mountain with the boys. They all had a great time but unfortunately they had a rough go at in and they crashed a few times while they were coming down. On Scott and Jackson's last run down they just happened to crash right in front of the photographer and he caught the WHOLE thing!!! Jackson was a super stud. Everyone got a little "road rash" from their crashes but Jackson never complained. He did awesome considering what you see above.

Taking a break from the mountains we got to go down to the lake and play in the water. Dave and Kathy rented wave runners for the day and the kiddos loved being out on the water and playing. It was a little cold so they didn't go for long but they had a great time. Both kids LOVED the water.

Another one of our amazing adventures was the Zip Line on the Big Mountain. We were so blessed to be able to do something like this and had an amazing time. After a short class on safety we were sent on a hike up the mountain to various location on the mountain and we were sent flying through the tree tops. It was so fun to be out with Paul's family and to get to spend time with them joking around and just being together.

On one of our last days in Montana we decided to go up the mountain for a hike. Unfortunately the lift that takes you up to the VERY top of the mountain was down for repairs so we had to go up a different route. We were up there a little later in the day and probably shouldn't have gone as far as we did but it was too beautiful of a day to pass up. Riann and Paul had been sick the day before so we let them set the pace. Riann was a little upset about how far we went but she did a fantastic job. When we got to the top we realized we wouldn't make it to the lift back down in the time that we had so we took our time getting back down. It was a VERY interesting hike but both kids did great. We'll make sure we never hike again without a baby carrier but Paul was a champ and toted both kids up and down the mountain. He was even so good at how he carried them he had Colby asleep for quite a while before we made it to the top. He's a pro!!!

These last photos are from the top of the mountain. I got distracted and took TONS of scenic photos that included a LOT of wild flowers. I tried to minimize how many of them I posted because I know I can get a little out of control. It really was amazing at the top though and I'm so glad we all pushed ourselves to make it up there.

This trip was a fantastic way to end our summer trip and we are so glad we got the time to relax with Paul's family. It is so hard to be away from them while we're away in Idaho doing school and we love anytime we get to get away with them. We love them so much and we're so grateful for any chance we get to see them.

Summer Catch Up - August 6th - August 12th

After a great week with the kid's great-grandparents we moved on to Pacific City, OR with my dad and his side of the family for a small "reunion". We had a great time there as well. Probably WAY too much to share so I'm going to let the pictures do most of the talking. It was a fantastic trip and it was SOOOO good to be back on the coast. We've been away for WAY TOO LONG. It was Colby's first trip to the coast and Riann's second. They loved every minute it. Colby is a true beach bum and Riann had a fantastic time trying to catch the waves in whatever cup, or container, she could find. It was a great change for them to spend quality time with their cousins and we were so happy to see my brothers and step-siblings and their families. The kids also had a fantastic time playing with "Big Jim" and Grandma Cheri. We got to do a ton of fun activities and overall had a fantastic time. There were WAY too many pictures to choose from for each adventure.

The scenery at the beach. This was only part of the beautiful scenery we had.

Colby's first day at the beach. The minute we set him down he dove right into the sand and the toys. He had a great time.

Colby's first taste of sand. Unfortunately he's not sad because it didn't taste good... He's sad because we took it away.

Colby's first beach "treasure". He was so happy to share!!

Riann's first day at the beach. She had a great time playing in the waves, even though the water was FREEZING.

Riann's first beach injury. She wouldn't listen about wearing shoes while walking on the barnacles.
Hope she finally learned this time... Probably not...

Everyone having a great time playing and enjoying the beach.

All of the kiddo's playing with "Big Jim".

Getting some fresh water over at Devil's Lake near Lincoln City, OR. The kids all had a great time each getting towed behind the boat and getting their chance at driving.

We got a chance to take a break from the sand and the waves and drove over to Tillamook Cheese Factory and enjoyed the cheese tour, samples and their fantastic ice cream. Riann got her "pink" ice cream and Colby enjoyed some of my peppermint candy ice cream and Colby got his first taste of ice cream, sharing peppermint candy ice cream with me.

After our tour at the factory we crossed the street and played 8 holes of putt-putt golf. All of the kids loved playing and did great for it being their first times.

Big Jim and Cheri, along with Jana and Jodie, offered to take all of the kiddo's for the day so that the big kids could take a trip up to Netarts Bay to do some crabbing. It was a great day to go crabbing. We got out on the water right as the tide was coming in and our first pots came up FULL of crab. We rented our boats for 3hours and we, in the boat that Paul, Todd, Tanner and I shared, caught our full count in just over 2 hours and the boat Jesse, Meagan, Jacob and Amanda were in, caught their full catch in about 2.5 hours. We've never had that kind of luck. It was so fun to be out on the water and to have such a successful day "fishing".

Our last day we got to spend on the water. Riann did NOT want to leave.

We wish we could have spent weeks there with our family and the beautiful weather. Unfortunately we had to move on to our next stop... I say unfortunately because we didn't want to leave. But we had SO much fun in Montana that leaving wasn't as hard as it could have been.

Summer Catch Up - July 30th - August 6th

We left for our BIG three week vacation that covered just about 2000 miles at the very end of July. The kids did fantastic through the whole trip. We started the first part of the week in The Dalles, OR with my Aunt Debbie, my Aunt Joyvonne, my Grandparents and my Mom, Stephen and Micah. My aunts have a beautiful home up on the hill side of the Columbia Gorge. While we were there we were able to swim, "hike", celebrate my and my Grandfather's birthday, relax and just play, play, play.


After our visit in The Dalles we headed off to my dad's parents house in Scappoose, OR. We had a fantastic time there as well. We celebrated my birthday a second time with amazing desserts and family. The kids had a great time playing with their "new" cousins and it was great catching up with everyone. We got to go visit the Portland Zoo and meet Jesse's fiance for the first time. We LOVE her!! It was so fun to watch Riann play with everyone and for everyone to FINALLY meet Colby.


Both kids had a hard time leaving after our first stops and they want to go back as soon as we possibly can.

Summer Catch Up - June and July

Goodness!!! I've gotten so far behind this summer its nice to have things start to calm down. No apologies though. We've been having fun and it's been great to be away from the computer most days! I originally planned on doing one big post the the more I put into it I realized it was WAY too long and I was still leaving out too much of the fun stuff, so I'm breaking it down into smaller - more managable - posts ;-).

Here's what's been going on since the last time I posted...

June:

June 14, Colby had another sleeps study done.

This time everything went a LOT better than last time. Overall he was a lot happier throughout the whole test and much more patient with everything going on. He also slept a full 6-7 hour block as opposed to sleeping in 2 hours increments like the last time. I don't think he really ever cried once through out the whole test. There were a few times he fussed a little because he was frustrated and didn't have the ability to fully move but he never let that really get to him. With this test we found that his breathing has improved by about 60% and he does still have sleep apnea but its getting a lot better. We will go back when he's about 18 months to get another scope done on his larynx and then schedule his third sleep study at that time. Hopefully by then he'll be sleeping normal and we can take him off his oxygen at night. That will be a big day in our lives!!

July:

July 3, We celebrated the 4th a little early this year and shot off fireworks with some our our good friends down the street from us. The kids were very excited about the holiday.


July 4, The next morning we woke up and joined our ward/area at the Salem Community 4th of July Celebration Breakfast. We really enjoy going to this every year. The food and company are always fantastic. Because of family trips I missed out on all of the breakfasts our ward did growing up so I enjoy doing this SO much!!! I'm so glad the kids get to participate in things like this.


After the breakfast this year we skipped out on the Rexburg parade and headed off to Ririe Reservoir for a fun day on the lake with some of our other good friends Dave and Terri and their son Nathan and their great dane, Chief. We had a great time. It started off a little cold but right after we took our lunch break the clouds broke and we could not have asked for a more perfect day.


Paul, Dave and Terri showed off their skills as wake surfers and road the "waves" for a little bit while we were out. It was pretty fun to watch. I haven't gotten over my fears of being towed behind a boat so I stayed in the boat with the kiddos, and the dog, and held the flag for everyone. I'm okay with that though. I like being a flag girl!!


After boating we came home to clean up and then headed back over to Dave and Terri's for dinner and more fireworks. The kids loved being out all day.


It was a great way to celebrate our country's independence. A day like this truly made me grateful for my freedoms and for those who fight to keep us safe. We pray for you always. May God forever bless America and those who protect her.

July 17, We had our first family pictures with Colby taken.


It was a beautiful HOT day and we had a great time. I'm amazed at how well the kids did. Riann was her usually unique self and played "shy" every now and then but we had a great time. We had a fantastic photographer. She worked great with the kids and we really enjoyed working with her. There were so many great shots it was too hard to pick which ones to add to my collage!!

This all was a great start to our amazing summer!!!