blog anniversary!

When I took my first tentative steps into the blog sphere, (exactly one year ago today) I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t be able to find enough things to write about, but so far I’ve managed to write over 100 posts! Pretty good for a newbie and much better than I ever did in an actual "journal". Over the past year I have discovered that I enjoy writing... that I enjoy receiving comments from others... and have had fun reminiscing about life... I've also discovered that quite a few people actually "read" it, which was something that I wondered about in the beginning. People I don't even know... know more about me then they probably should :)! Heck, people don't even need to call me on the phone anymore... they just check the blog instead!! While perhaps not every post has been a perfectly honed gem, and not many deep intellectual thoughts have been shared... I do try my best to make them interesting, with the desire to put a smile on your face... and most especially to record the events that transpire in our little families everyday lives that put a smile on ours!

In the spirit of reminiscing... I have posted links to my top 10 "personal favorite" posts... guaranteed to make you laugh!

Our Fishing Adventures

Walking in the Canal

Swinging the Canal

Soccer Memories... and the shot heard round the valley

Ward Campout

The accident with an Officer

Island Park and Yellowstone

Disneyland

Shane's Ticket

And since tomorrow is April Fools I had to include this classic for those short on April Fools jokes...

The Best Day of the Year

So which one is your favorite???

New Church Ads

I'm sure many of you have seen these two new Church ads... but for those of you who haven't... Check them out! I thought they were great!

(Push pause on the music first :))

Jadyn and the mouse

Last week the kids noticed that there was a mouse in the window well. Of course Shane quickly took care of that... then disposed of it in the garbage can. Later Jadyn asked Tayler, "Where da mouse?" Tayler didn't want to do any explaining so she replied with, "Oh, the "mousie" went to heaven." Jadyn then asked in her sweet inquisitive voice, "...in da garbage can????" The kids all got a chuckle out of that... 2 year olds are WAY more observant than we think!!

Vinyl Lettering Giveaway!

I'm trying to collect pictures of custom projects that I have done for people to post on my vinyl blog. So... my incentive is a $20 gift card to be used on more vinyl stuff... If you want to be included... e-mail me a picture or two and I will post them, and draw a lucky winner in a couple of weeks. Check out what I already have at... Angie's Vinyl Expressions

Still Friends???

Would you still be my friend if I posted pictures like this of you all over town???

Oh, how I hope she still is!!!

Ski Party and more...

The ward ski party was lots of fun... even for the ones (such as myself) who sat in the lodge the whole time! In fact in my opinion that was more fun... good food... good friends... chatting and games. Definitely what I call a good time. (I have just come to realize that skiing is NOT my favorite activity... I don't like being cold... I'm nervous the whole time that I'm going to break something... and when I finally get to the bottom... I have to do it all over again!)

But those who did ski seemed to have a blast! Shane, Tayler, Saige and their friend Kelsee skied "Little Beav" again and again.

Kenna and Jadyn had fun in the lodge with me... and their friends (this is cute Kylie).

Even Kenna gave it a try for a second... a very short second. (good thing we borrowed someone skis... instead of renting them... since it took longer to get the skis on than for her to actually try !)

Besides the ski Party we did other fun stuff this week...

We celebrated St. Patrick's Day with a traditional dinner of Corned Beef and Cabbage... my mom and dad came as well as Tara and Paige who are here visiting Steve.

I set up the trampoline (minus the net.)

Tayler and Saige both got their backhand springs 5 min. after setting up that trampoline! (They have only tried for YEARS... as we payed for lessons each week. Of course they stopped taking last week... and then did it on their own.... ???? Seems we could have saved some money!!:))

Kenna had her very first soccer practice... and LOVED IT!
And I now have proof that my hubby is all that and a bag of chips! Last night I went "scrap booking from 3:30 - 12:30". While I was gone he took our 4 girls plus Tara our niece to a Hockey Game... and to Wingers before. It takes a pretty good guy to do that! Especially because he thinks things like that are completely normal to do.
The girls liked the game... and thought it was funny how mad the players would get. Tayler loved that grown men "had a penalty box". Or as she called it "Time-Out".


They were quite excited about the Zamboni too! (Anyone seen the movie Ice Princess?)

Today we got together with family for pizza and ice cream. What a gorgeous day.
Looking forward to many more days just like this... tomorrow it is supposed to snow... not looking forward to that!!!

Oh, deer...

It sure is fun to see sites like this in our backyard all winter long. I remember looking out the window one night and seeing over 30 deer bedded down right in our yard, it was peaceful and sweet... I actually like animals this way... from inside my house feeling safe... hehehe (kindof like at the zoo... I am completely calm with all those sturdy cages...)

Until I took a walk around the yard today... watching every step as our yard is similar to a mine field with deer poop as the ammunition! I was curious to see why our brand new pine trees were looking so sparse... Hmmmm, not liking those deer so much right now!! Anyone purchased a 6 foot pine tree lately? Not cheap! Not sure why... but not cheap. We planted two cute little vanderwolf pines in the summer of 07'... winter of 07'/08' sweet little deer mutilated them rubbing their horns and using them as a scratching post. So summer of 08' we pulled out the bare trunks and planted two of these... as per the garden centers expertise... because deer "don't like this type of pine." Apparently they were wrong! See the nice green stems on the ground... that SHOULD be on the tree... I can't tell if it is from rubbing on them or eating the soft little shoots on the end... but they also got our flowering crab apple trees... several burning bush.... forsythia etc...

My brothers are big time hunters... in fact the first winter that we moved in and the girls noticed all the deer in our backyard, they immediately said, "Oh no, don't tell Uncle Steve or Dan that we have deer here!" Not sounding like such a bad idea now....

(disclaimer to all PETA friends... kidding... only kidding)

Spring is "snow" much fun!

Last weekend was beautiful and sunny... cold... but sunny. The neighborhood kids were out in force all playing together. The thing I love most about our neighborhood is seeing all of the kids out... playing together... learning how to get along with all different ages... and having a great time. It truly is amazing and wonderful, we couldn't ask for a better place to raise our family! The high Saturday was only 33... but those kids (about 15-20 of them) had a blast running around on the freshly uncovered grass. Jadyn was loving it too... although I don't even think she walked anywhere... she just spent a few hours pampered in her "wagon" being pulled around by all the kids... up and down the street! So the huge "spring" storm that dumped a foot of snow yesterday, was greeted with mixed emotions...

We made the most of it though... doing what we might do on any other "sunny" spring day...

We did a little swinging...
a little sliding...

Played a little catch...
Did a little jumping on the trampoline... (that isn't there...)

Ate a little shaved ice...

Did some 4-wheeling...
Lounged in a chair... (that would be the pampered child that is used to being pulled around and catered too by everyone who knows her... She isn't impressed with the snow.)

Built a fort...

And a penguin... (how cute is that? Mr. Potato head parts work great in the snow!!)

and made a few snow angels...

Finished off by a cup of hot cocoa. I would imagine that the coming months won't be too much different... just more color and less clothes... but as long as we are doing it together... just as wonderful... so... bring it on!

Kenna's quote of the day...

The other day we were driving around town and Kenna saw a man "smoking" in his car. Like all young children she pointed this out, saying "Sick, that bad man is smoking." I, like a good mother explained to her that smoking is really yucky for our bodies, but that he probably wasn't a "bad man". Her reply... "You mean you think he eats his fruits and vegetables??"

Obviously my thoughts of what a "bad man" is... and her thoughts of what a "bad man" is are a little bit different. Pretty much wish we all lived in her sweet world!!