Happy Thanksgiving!

After dad died, we realized how important photos are to us. We decided to have a mother/daughter picture done since we didn't have one. I love these ladies in my life!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween has come and gone and I have to admit, It's nice.  After a week full of school, church, and family parties, I am so over the Halloween candy.  In fact, yesterday I took what was left and dumped it in the garbage when the kids weren't looking.  When they asked for more candy, I told them that their dad ate it all!  Sorry Boone!  Here are some pictures.

Madison/Princess Giselle

Makenzie/Princess Aurora

Easton/Spiderman

The kids showing off their costumes.  I clipped fake hair into Maddy's real hair and talk about DIVA ATTITUDE!

Pumpkin Carvin'

Goodbye Halloween!  We need a break from each other......until next year.

This and That

Fall is here and it's a little too cold outside for baseball, so Boone and Easton have been playing in the basement.  These are pictures of Easton pitching to Boone.  The little guy has some attitude.  HMM...I wonder who taught him that?  You can see our new piano in the background thanks to Grandma Hathaway.  The kids love it and they do an awesome rendition of "I am a Child of God."

We girls have been busy these days.  The girls having places to go and me being a TAXI!  Anyway, we are wearing Easton out and the past few days he had been falling asleep at the dinner table.  He's either really tired or my cooking leaves a lot to be desired!

Kenzie started school in September.  She loves school and loves to remind Easton that he doesn't get to go with her.  She feels like such a big girl these days.  Last night at dinner the girls were telling us that they were going to marry their boyfriends in the temple when they got older.(Jonathan & James...the neighbor kids)

I think Boone choked on his dinner, more than once during that conversation!

The First Day!

Today was the BIG DAY!  Madison started Kindergarten.  She was so excited and had no fear at all.  I got Kenzie and Easton dressed so we could walk Maddy to the bus stop by 8:00am, but Maddy insisted that she could walk by herself since she was a "big girl" now.  I said "Not a chance little one," and I grabbed my GIANT camera to capture the event!  

She got off the bus a little after 3:00pm and she was all smiles.  She said she had fun, she had burritos for lunch, she saw her friends, and she missed her dog Leah.  One day down and how many more to go?  Let's hope the rest of the days are as good as the first!

We didn't have any planned trips this summer, but don't let that fool you.  We have been busy this summer!  We spent our summer days going to The Splash Park, Rigby Lake, Heise Hot Springs, Apple Athletic Club, dance lessons, and swimming lessons.  Let's not forget the lazy days spent at home in our wading pool, playing on the swing set, riding bikes, and loving our new dog Leah.  

While we have spent our summer days playing, Boone has been slaving away at work.  He and his partner dentist bought a 2nd dental office in Victor, ID.  It's called Mountain River Dental. Boone works one day a week in Victor, and the rest in his Rigby office.  His partner does the same, and they employ two other dentists to work the other days in Victor.  This has kept Boone busy, but he always loves a challenge.  I am not to happy about him making the one hour drive to Victor in the winter and the late nights once a week, but I'll survive.

Maddy starts kindergarten in two days.  She is so excited to ride the bus.  I worry about her actually making it to school and have thought about following the bus her first morning, but I won't!  Kenzie is supposed to start pre-school the first week of September, IF she stops peeing her pants.  She has been potty trained for a month now, but she has had an accident every day this week.  Sometimes more than once a day.  Gotta love potty training!

Easton gets to spend one more year with me as his teacher before he starts pre-school.  We'll see how that goes.  He is all BOY and so destructive, but I love him and his chubby cheeks!

Makenzie, Easton, and Madison riding their bikes.

Grandma Jeniece with the kids at Madison's dance lesson.

Swimming at Apple Athletic Club for Kenzie's 3rd Birthday Party.  Maddy is the one with the pink goggles on.

Kenzie's Princess Cake for her birthday.

Miss Leah

Princess Leah!

We have a new member in our family!  We got a DOG! Those of you who know Boone are in shock right now!  The deal is I have to be in charge of her and clean up after her.  I don't mind.  She is super cute and we love her to pieces already.  Madison got to name her and she picked the name Leah.  She is a great dog and surprisingly calm for a lab.  Her breeders had four children, so she is used to kids.  The kids are nuts over her.  I took some pictures of the kids and Leah to share:

   Princess Leah

Blog Lazy!

I have been blog lazy.  I guess Kenzie’s pneumonia and stay in the hospital took all of my energy. 

First, can I just say how much I hate this snow we are getting.  I really wonder why I live in Southeast Idaho.  Even when the weather is warm, the wind still blows you sideways!  We will definitely retire somewhere else. 

We have been busy with work, church, family, and we wish we were busier with friends.  Sunday is a crazy day.  Boone teaches gospel doctrine and I teach in the primary.  We just cross our fingers that our kids don’t need us the last few hours of church.

Madison and Easton had birthdays in March.  Maddy is now 5 and Easton is 2.  Maddy is registered to start Kindergarten next fall and Kenzie gets to start pre-school.  They are growing up fast.  Easton gets to hang out with me all day for another year.  POOR KID!  It’s like having a little mini Boone following me around all day.  He looks a lot like me, but he acts just like Boone.

I was able to have a long awaited surgery that I have dreamed about.  LASIK!!  No more glasses, contacts, or horrible headaches.  I am so pleased with my surgery.  I see 20/20 and my eyes are healing great!  I was so nervous before the surgery; I wanted to run out of there.  They gave me Valium that didn’t do a dang thing.  Boone was no comfort.  All he could think about was that this eye surgeon was doing a surgery every half-hour.  Every half-hour, over $3,000.00 per surgery, that’s a lot of money.  He leaned over to me while I was shaking in the chair and said, “Should I go back to school?”  I gave him the crustiest look I could come up with.  Of course he was kidding.  He loves to joke with me when I am nervous.  He reminds me of my dad in that respect.  Annoying at times, but I love him more than life itself. 

Last but not least, we seem to have a tough little cowboy on our hands!  My dad would always get his grandson's their first pair of cowboy boots around age two.  Since my dad is gone, my mom and I took Easton to Vickers in Idaho Falls and got him all decked out in a suede hat AND a pair of black boots just like Grandpa Danny used to wear.  It was very emotional and both of us were crying.  The store clerk must have wondered what was wrong with us, because we couldn't stop crying long enough to explain it to him.  Too funny!  He is my favorite little COWBOY!

Wish you could have been here, Dad.  We miss you!

LONG vacation!

Can you say Pneumonia? Our little family has been sick since Christmas, just passing the cold/flu back and forth. Well, Kenzie decided to go out with a bang. After two chest ex rays, two shots of Rosefin, and two steroid injections, she was admitted to the hospital. The most alarming part that won her a luxury vacation to the hospital, was her oxygen levels. She was down in the low 80's and even got to the 70's a few times. They like to see you above 95. Usually anything in the 80's is cause for concern. She went in on Tuesday and was released on Friday. They were very LONG, oh wait, I mean luxurious days! They had a little red wagon that we could pull her around in that she loved. I think they had to replace the carpet after the times Grandma Allen stayed with her and spent the whole time pulling her around the hospital. There was a contest between my sisters of who could get credit for all of the many toys that were brought! My sweet niece Daridee even brought her a present. Kenzie was pretty spoiled during her vacation. She had to have a lot of TIME OUTS after we got back home and settled. Anyway, we are happy to be home. It was a LONG vacation!

Kenzie, hanging out in her hospital bed.

My sister Danette, making sure Kenzie knows who brought her a present! (We love you Danette.)

Kenzie wondering what is going to happen next. She kept saying, "No more pokes!"

Question?

Cold/Flu is like a four letter word around here these days. We have been battling sickness for over a week now. All of the kids got sick at different times with similar symptoms. Madison's symptoms tend to linger longer, Easton usually gets the worst cough and doesn't sleep, and Kenzie gets the really high fevers. Just when the kids started getting better I came down with it. Making this fun journey even longer. I actually feel so much better if I could just breathe through my nose at night!

So, here is my question.

How do you feel about flu shots?

Do you get them every year?

Do your kids get them?

This is a question I have been pondering about lately. We have been on both sides of the fence, but I'm curious what your experience has been. This is the first year we haven't done them, but the kids get sick whether they get the flu shot or not every winter.