Catching you up!

We Bought a Horse!

Her name is Haidas Smart Chic

This is a long term investment so we look forward to what can become of this beautiful horse and her offspring.  She is to foal in June so we look forward to that too.  She is up at the ranch in Donnelly being taken care of by my husbands brother and dad.   We created our business title 'Arcadian Cattle' and Haidas is our first purchase.  If we are going to have cattle we got to have some good horses to cut them work them.  She is a cutting/reining horse and we are excited to start up something for our future!  

Favorite Things Party 

So one of my friends decided to throw a "Favorite things" party right before Valentines day for all her gal friends and it was so much fun that it would be a great way to do gift exchanges at Christmas time with large families and get together's.  So everyone that came, which was a lot of gals, each brought with them there favorite thing times five.  So for an example it could be your favorite cookies.  So 5 plates of those.  Or you could bring your favorite candle or favorite accessory or whatever thing you love. $5 budget for each gift.  Mine were free cause I made my favorite cookies :)  and another lady made bread Hmmmmmm YUM!  So when you come into the party you write your name down 5 times and put it in a hat and then the hat is passed around to each person and that person picks 5 names out and those 5 people get to have your 5 things you brought that you love.  You tell them why you love that thing too.  So by the time everyone is done everyone has 5 gifts to take home.  It was so fun and easy and really enjoyable.

Gymanstics Coaching

I will have to take my camera and get pictures of each of my classes.  The kids are so fun.  I am really enjoying it and the boys are really liking Gymnastics too.  I started doing a little bit more of a challenge for the kids this week.  They have done well.  It is fun to see them saying, "I am not trying that" and then I get them on the bar or I help them on the beam and once they see themselves actually doing what they thought was impossible you can start seeing their confidence shining through.  It is pretty cute.  And with how many gymnasts I have (72) I can say there are only a couple that get on my nerves the rest do really well.  It feels good to be back into a Gym again.  I love Gymnastics.  

A Blessing

So being pregnant and all I do not feel well and I am very tired a lot of the time and before and after Gymnastics I don't feel well and I am nauseated but when I am actually there and coaching and jumping around I have had the energy I've needed and have felt no nausea during my classes.  I see this as a blessing to be able to distract the nausea out of me :)  Now I just need to knock on wood and hope it continues. (knock Knock...There it's done :)

These are our Valentine boxes we made for FHE for Valentines day and we would write each other notes to go inside.

Gideon making his

Bridger and daddy taking a break on the couch :)

Checkers Anyone?!

This is me playing Monopoly deal with Daddy and Gideon and Bridger is doing my hair.  He loves to play with my hair and I don't mind one bit ;) Gideon at age 5 has become a great competitor with this game and beats mom and dad on a regular basis.

Our HERO!

Valentines the boys gave to their friends

This was a little treasure hunt we did for the boys for Valentines day.  I put hints on different objects around the house to get to the next hint.  For an example I would write something like "I love mondays!  Do you know why?"  and so they went to the Family Home Evening sign to get the next hint that said "ROAR!!" and that was to get them to go to their big Dinosaur that roars and so on.  The boys enjoyed it and got their pop guns we bought them for Christmas but got here late so they became a V-day gift :) 

This is after Gymnastics on Thursday he fell asleep in the car so I got him out of the car and stood him up in the entry way and went to put a few things away and came back to see this.  We all had a good laugh :) 

So we got this car back in November and I don't think I have ever blogged about it so here is our 2nd car that we paid cash for and runs great.  It has more cargo space and Joseph has the Benz for work and I have the green car for my freedom which the boys just love :)  When we were parking it in the garage they would just play inside and loved it.

Maday!!! We have lost teeth!!

Friday Night

So there was no drama with this kid.  Daddy just put them to bed and I was coming in to tuck them in and Gideon says, "Mom my tooth is really loose!"  So I wiggled it (which Joseph just loves...not.  He can't stand it when I play with my sons teeth :)  Anyway so we turned on the light and I told him it was loose enough for it to come out.  I asked him if he would like to pull it out and he told me to do it.  So I grabbed a tissue and pulled it out so fast that he was still looking at me wondering if I would still pull it out.  He was so surprised that it didn't hurt at all.  What a BIG boy!!

Saturday we turned our garage into an extended living room and school room.  We love it!!

The boys learned how to play checkers and Love it.  They are real competition too.  Yes those are poker chips they are playing with.  When you shop thrift you gotta find what you gotta find.

School stuff.  I just LOVE my pickle jars.  We go through pickles here so fast, like a bag of candy.  So I have all these jars which are perfect for displaying the essentials in.  Crayons, markers, legos, play dough, and anything else that works.

Play room area

Now my living room is just a living room without the TV and we added our music instruments to this area as well.  The upsatiars bedroom is being converted into a sewing craft room.  Excited to get things in order there.

Saturday night

I ran up the stairs chasing the boys and they hid behind my bed and so I came over and started tickling them adn then all of a sudden Gideon stops and says, "mom you knocked out my tooth".  I didn't do no such thing it was already loose enough he was just laughing and squirming around so much that it got knocked out on it's own.  So another tooth out with no worries and no tears.  So far so good :)

I love his new little lisp now :)

So for FHE this week our theme was 

"...The family is central to the Creators plan for the eternal destiny of His children"

Joseph taught the lesson and told a story of the parable of the treasure and keys.  Without the keys from dad and mom we can receive the treasure.  We then made cardboard keys after that and played with them.

I love my family and I will do my best to strengthen them in Christ on a daily basis.

At home with snow and with family

The Bridger Monster in Daddy's boots... he must of dumped water on his shirt.  Looks like drool but I assure you it isn't or at least hope it isn't :)

This is Bridger a couple of weekends ago playing with legos late at night while sick.  He is keeping his bowl close to him incase he needs to throw up.  It was so funny because he kept it on his head like a hat for a while.  Funny Boy!

On My friends blog I always get the coolest ideas of things to do with my kids for school.

You draw a design with glue.  Then you sprinkle salt onto the glue and then you take water color paints and all you need to do is just touch the salty design and it sucks up the paint.  it is really fun and the boys really enjoyed it...Well and so did I!

Taking pictures of each other 

Bridger taking picture of Mommy

Gideon taking a picture of Bridger kissing daddy

A snow day!!  I went to Gymnastics on Tuesday morning while the boys played at home with daddy!

So much fun in the snow!!

My Brother Ryan's Visit

My Brother is in London for a month on business and was lucky to catch a flight adn come visit me.  I am ONE BLESSED SISTER!!

This is after driving and picking him up.  We didn't get home till after 11pm on Friday night.

Saturday morning headed out on our outing to see more of the area.  

This is on Spangdahlem AB checking out the planes.

In neurburg where we hiked up to a tower on the side of the street in town.  This is what it looked like....

Cheese!

Pretty town of Neurburg 

The boys were so happy and excited to have Uncle Ryan for the weekend.

Chateau Vianden Luxembourg 

Headed into the castle grounds

posing for pictures with Ryan

The entry room

sitting on a window seat

spears and boulders used for defending the castle

don't get caught near the gallows....

one of the concert halls...  This castle is used for a world music festival every year in the summer time

My Cute Bridger boy

Pigeons in a window 

in the chapel

a layout of the castle

Dining room

Me and Bridger being silly

sleep boys sleep

one of the other concert halls

This plaque is from 1617 

on the deck of the castle

the water well and still in use

Awwww!  This is so cute!

The castle

The river

we visited the cemetary there and they have these plts that are boxes adn the family is all burried in there.  So one on top of the other..... Interesting yet cool in a way too.  It was a pretty little cemetary

By my photographer brother...Ryan.  He did a good job i think.  It should say (instead of Romeo) Joseph. Joseph.  Where for art my Joseph?   A:  At work :)

Cute Boys!!

At dinner in Wittlich

Mi Familia

At church...This is where I go to church

In Deutch

Saying our Good byes :(

The boys adored Ryan and loved every minute!!

Was sad to see him leave but so BLESSED to be able to see a family member.  it felt so good.  Love you Ryan and best of luck in the future with work.  So GOOD to see you!~