Christmas 2009

Ty got a new bow for Christmas and loves shooting it...he does really well when he looks at his target!

Tag loves to shoot too

"I want to do it all by myself!"

Tag loved riding...I think he's a natural!

The gingerbread house all the kids made!

Out shooting...it was a chilly day, so Grammy gave Tag her jacket

The kids table!

We had Lauri's family this year and I was so excited for her to open this!

Santa made a special visit to our house! The boys loved it!

Christmas this year was such a treat for our family! My sister, Lauri, decided to come out here for the holidays and once she announced that a snowball affect happened. My sister, Carrie, decided to come so she could see Lauri and then we told my parents they needed to come too since most of their children would be here for the holidays! Not everyone was able to make it...Rikki lives in France and Drue and Kristen had events planned with her family. Mike and Brita's family was able to come for Christmas Eve and stay through the weekend and we were so happy that they were able to come for a few days! Nothing is better than spending the holidays with those you love!

Lauri and my parents arrived on the 23rd and it was so good to see them! My dad couldn't believe how long it took us to go grocery shopping for the entire week that everyone would be here! What can I say....men just don't understand! They also couldn't believe how far I commute for doctors appointments and Costco or Wal-Mart trips! I have gotten so use to it that it is just life! Mike and Brita arrived on Christmas Eve and Carrie and Brian arrived on Christmas day after they had done their Christmas! Since my house is not big enough to accomodate everyone, we rented out my sister-in-laws grandparents house and it was perfect. They had enough rooms for all of us and our kids to have our own bedrooms! What a treat! Then when you walk upstairs their is a big screen TV, a wall full of movies, and 8 recliners! It was fun to watch a movie and have your own recliner to lounge in! The garage had been converted into a game room and we all enjoyed that! Last but not least, they had one of those player pianos and the kids loved playing it, but I think the guys enjoyed it just as much! We have them on video singing their hearts out while Brian played the piano...it was a riot!

I live in a REALLY SMALL town (1 grocery store, 2 gas stations...you get my drift?) and I was a little nervous that we wouldn't have enough things to do! Boy was I wrong! We kept so busy and only left town 1 time and that was to go play at a big arcade and go bowling with the kids! The kids loved all the arcade games and they did great at bowling too! Other than that, we kept really busy just staying around here. We did a lot of shooting and spent a lot of money on bullets and clays. It was great fun and I think all of us had very bruised and sore shoulders! Brian brought his go-cart and everyone LOVED that! I never got to ride it, but I know my boys and husband loved it.

My sister, Lauri, really wanted to go horseback riding and so did my nephews! We were planning on going to my in-laws to ride, but we decided we really didn't want to drive that far, so when our friends Woody and Tam got back from their trip we asked if they had time to take us for a ride. The kids were all so excited to go and kept asking all day when we were going to go. We went in the afternoon and Tam and Brian helped get the kids on the horse and then led them around the arena! All of the kids loved it and were grinning from ear to ear! It was actually really cute! Then it was Lauri's turn to ride! I think she was more excited than the kids to go riding. Now, we did not grow up on horses, but would got on trail rides a lot. Lauri got on the horse and all was going well, but all of the sudden this horse bolts! I am not exaggerating either! I was filming Lauri and before I know it the horse is bolting right towards me (I was right by the gate and it was open). Carrie and I then realize that Tag is right in the path of the horse, so we are running to grab him. Carrie got there first and grabbed the hood on his jacket and threw him back into the dirt! Then, we realize that Beau (Carrie's boy) is also in the horses path, so we run and grab him. We had 5 kids that we were trying to keep back away from the path the horse was running in. Ty decides he wants to run after the horse as it bolts past us, so I am running after him...thank goodness he wised up and turned around! What had happened is that this horse was once a barrel racing horse. He knew this arena and once he took off he ran out the gate, around the practice loop, back into the arena, around the entire arena and half way again before Tam and Brian could get him to stop. Thank goodness Tam was able to get the gate closed or I don't know if he would have stopped! Brian and Tam chased the horse the entire time, but he would not slow down. If you have ever seen the barrel racing, that is how fast he was going! To make matters worse, my sister had lost the rains at the very beginning, so she was holding on for dear life with her legs! Tam was very impressed with her riding skills and gave her a 10! It was CRAZY and something we will never forget and laugh about for many years! Needless to say, my sister was shaking like crazy and was very sore for a couple of days! I think we gave Tam a heart attack and we felt so bad because we really didn't want her to feel responsible or bad about it! Woody showed up and after they both worked with the horse, my dad and Woody insisted that my sister get back on the horse! She walked around the arena and got the horse to do what she wanted it too and I think it made her more comfortable! It was quite the experience and we were just all so grateful that no one got hurt and things ended up okay in the end! I have to say that I think my sister is just jinxed when it comes to horses because this same thing happened once before when we were getting ready to go on a trail ride! Her horse took off and wasn't looking back! I of course called Josh, who had to go back to work and missed all the excitement, and he just laughed! If you know my sister Lauri, you would understand his laughter!

Other than that one crazy moment, all went great on our vacation! The kids had so much fun playing together and were exhausted every night! We played a lot of cards and got my nephew, Bruce, addicted to cards! It was a lot of fun and something my dad was able to enjoy too! I knew that this Christmas would be hard on him, so I was so happy that most of us could get together and make this Christmas a little easier for him. Thanks to everyone for a wonderful Christmas! It was really hard to say goodbye!

Where Do I Begin...So Behind!

The Many Faces of Tag














Thanksgiving in Oklahoma

This year we headed to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving! We can no longer afford to fly, so we packed up the truck and took the 18 hour drive there! We left around 12:00pm and the boys fell asleep for their naps! Then they were up for a little bit and then fell asleep for the night. It worked out really good and we made great time! It was so wonderful to drive into Oklahoma and be back home again! It was great to see my mom and dad! My brothers arrived later on that day and were there mainly to hunt! We didn't see them much during their short stay because they were hunting everyday all day! Josh had a great time hunting as well, but he did have to spend time with me and the boys during the holiday! Lauri and her 3 girls came too and it was great to see my sister and nieces! All the kids had a great time playing together and Uncle Josh made a fun swing and trapeze to hang from the tree's and the kids just loved it! Josh was happy because he got his buck and I was happy to get my little buck too! Our stay went by really fast and it was very sad to have to say goodbye. The drive home was VERY long and I was so happy to be home and I think the boys and Josh agreed!











The Air Show

My brother-in-law was home on a 30 day leave from Afghanistan. While he was home we wanted to get the family together. There was an air show here and we decided to go as a family! My boys love airplanes and helicopters, so I knew they would have a great time! My brother-in-law would like to fly helicopters someday and has been taking lessons (if that is what you them!) Anyhow, it was a very fun and long day! I didn't realize how tired I was until I sat down! We got home about 3:30 and we all crashed and burned! The kids loved all the air shows that were put on, but we left before the "Thunderbirds" because we didn't want to be stuck there for hours! Josh was ready to leave because his feet were killing him...he was so ornery! The kids had fallen asleep too and didn't even move with all the noise from the planes going on. They were exhausted! All in all it was a really fun day!




Hunting with Woody

Our good friend, Woody Woods, invited Josh to go hunting with him for his mule deer. Of course, Josh was more than happy to go and excited to take Ty with him! He also invited his cousin and best friend, Mel, and his daughter, Montana! Ty and her are about the same age and they had a great time together! Woody was happy to get his mule deer and said he enjoyed having the kids there to take pictures with. I heard it was a fun trip, but Montana got really sick one night and I think that put a damper on things! I had a weekend with Tag and it is always nice to have "one on one" time with the boys!

Flint Rasmussen...the funniest man alive! Imitating "Titanic"

This was an awesome show...he rode without reins

Ty Murray...who Ty was named after! I think Josh would marry him if he could!

This cowboy is from Oklahoma!

PBR

My husband and I love to watch the Professional Bull Riding! Every year they have the World Finals in Las Vegas and I always want to go! This year, I finally got to go. Our adopted, "grandpa" Woody Woods had tickets and invited me to go. I was so excited and wasn't letting anything from getting in my way of going! He picked me up and we headed to Vegas! He had the best seats...right behind the VIP seats! We were right by the bucking shoots, so I was very close to all the cowboys! I have watched them on TV for years, but it was so fun to be right there by all the action! All though the cowboys didn't ride as good that night, it was so much fun to be there! I also had a great "date"...he bought me treats and dinner afterwards! It was such a fun night! Just to let you know, I asked my husband if he wanted to take me, but he wanted Woody to be able to go since they were his tickets! Last year he took Josh and I was so jealous, so he told me if he got tickets again he would take me!! Lucky for Josh, the people who were suppose to go the next night couldn't, so he and his younger brother went and had a great time too!

Happy Halloween

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Halloween was so fun for me this year because the boys were so excited all day long to get dressed in their costumes and go get lots of CANDY!! Ty looked especially handsome in his "cop" uniform and Tag was such a true county boy in his "cowboy" getup! I just loved it and had a fun time with the boys and our community trunk or treat! This year our church announced that they would not be doing a trunk or treat and that made me a little sad! I didn't know what we were going to do for the evening. I was so happy that the community decided to bring the trunk or treat back this year! Even though we had a great time, the boys really didn't get too much candy, but at this age I am okay with that! When they get a little older they might feel a little robbed, but for now we will embrace it! I just remember the good ol' days of being able to go door to door to get candy and I really miss that! We use to bring home so much candy that it was down right sick and boy did we get sick if we ate it too fast!

At the community event they had the trunks decorated and had candy for the kids to be passed out. Then our friends set up their bungee cord trampoline and rock climbing wall! We waited in line forever for Ty and Tag to take their turn on the bungee jump! I was really bummed that I didn't bring my camera to capture the boys! Tag had a blast jumping and Ty loved it as usual! They also had this really fun tall cylindrical thing that you climbed up and once you got to the top there was a huge slide for them to go down! Unfortunately, there were too many big kids trying to climb up that Ty couldn't get to the top! Maybe next year when he is a little bigger he will have better luck!

We had a Happy Halloween and look for many more fun Halloween memories!

My First Mule Deer

This year I was the only one in our family who got a deer tag! Josh was about in tears when he found out that he didn't draw a single tag! However, he couldn't wait to take me hunting! As many of you know, my husband was gone for about 2 1/2 months, but made sure to come back right before the hunt! He was so excited to go hunting, but my hunt didn't start until Monday October 5th, so he had to work a couple of days before taking off to go hunting! We left Wednesday afternoon and were really in no hurry to get to his parents house, but then the phone call came! "Josh a rancher has had four really nice bucks coming into his pasture for the past couple of nights around 4:00pm you better hurry up and get here!" Needless to say, Josh sped the entire way to his parents! We jumped out and dropped the kids off and grandma's and got in the truck and left. I didn't have my hunting clothes or boots on and really didn't expect to get a deer! We left his parent's around 4:20pm and thank goodness we only had to go about 20 minutes up the road. We picked up my father-in-law, Kelly, and headed for the field where the bucks had been seen. Originally we were going to take the 4-wheeler, but we didn't have time to load it, so off we went a hiking. It was a nice evening and we started hiking around the mountains behind the field where the bucks had been seen. We didn't see anything, but there were tons of tracks everywhere. We hiked for a little while and then decided to sit down and glass the mountain. Josh wasn't too happy when he didn't see anything. Then 4 really nice bucks popped up and all I heard was, "Holy crap that is a monster!!" He let me look and they looked like nice bucks, but they were so far away that it was really hard to tell! Well, he drew up a game plan or should I say "hunting plan"! We waited until the bucks dropped down into the canyon and out our view and booked it up this other mountain. Josh then tells me, "From here on out we have to be super quiet!" I thought I was being quiet, but apparently I was going to fast up the mountain and he had to keep pulling on my jeans to slow me down! What can I say, I was excited and my heart was racing so fast!

We get to almost where we needed to be and Josh tells me to get my gun ready to fire because they are going to be right there when get to the top! Now I am really nervous, but excited at the same time! We get to the top and found NOTHING there! What the heck, where did they go! They weren't moving that fast, so we figured they would be there, but we were wrong. Josh tells me to stay where I am and he was going to see if they were further down the wash! Sure enough there they were and they had picked up 3 other nice size bucks! He tells me to hurry up! I am carrying my rifle and sprinting across a mountain top trying to not trip and fall and shoot my husband in the process! I am sure I looked so graceful! I got to Josh and was ready to fire, but he told me to calm down and take a deep breath! I was so afraid I was going to miss my shot! Thank goodness there was a nice big rock to rest my rifle on! Josh pointed out the buck that he wanted me to shoot, but it wasn't that cut and dry! I had a military sight on my rifle instead of a scope, so it was really hard to see the deer! They looked really small and it was getting dark, so I just hope I would hit where I needed too! I fired my first shot and hit him and really wounded him! I was shooting a 223 and ended up shooting him 6 times out of 8 total shots! We knew he was wounded really bad by the first shot, but we were worried he would get away, so I kept shooting! Needless to say, in the end we got him. I will say that I did a big boo boo and shot his antler one of those times! Lets just say it was good I was shooting a 223 and not something bigger! I can't tell you the adrenaline rush I was on! I was so excited and was so happy about my first buck!

It was getting so dark and it was a long way to drag him back to the truck, so we came back and got him the next morning! The boys loved it! The very first thing Tag did was touch his eyeball...so disgusting! Then both Ty and Tag were trying to ride on him and petting him! They were so proud of mom! I had a great time and am now excited for my next hunt! We called my dad to tell him the news and he was so excited and that made me happy! He told me that I had to get it mounted, so that is what we did! Now daddy and the boys can be jealous and have something to aim for! Josh and my brothers said they were all jealous because they have been hunting their whole lives and have never shot anything so nice! I blame it all on my hot hunting guide...I definitely needed him there with me! Let's just say it was a HUGE turn on for him!! I think it was a win-win situation!!

Happy 3rd Birthday Ty!!

This year Ty's birthday fell on a Monday (October 5th). This was a perfect day because we could have a birthday party for our Family Night! We invited Ty's closest friends, Isaac and Becca, and of course their siblings and parents came too! We got him some balloons and he picked out the "Bob the Builder" one which surprised me because we had a "car" theme going on, but I guess he had the best of both worlds! I was going to make him a cake, but it was a crazy day, so I went and bought one! All day long he kept asking to have his birthday party! I had to explain that it wouldn't be much of a party if no one was there and that we had to wait until daddy got home and all of his friends came over. He was such a good boy because mom wrapped his presents early and put them on the safe and he never tried to open them! I know it killed him because he asked me ever day if it was his birthday! What a trooper he was!

Those who know my son, knows that he loves anything with tires that go fast or any type of big equipment! I found this big backhoe that makes fun noises, goes forward, and the bug bucket even lifts up and down! I just knew he would love it! Then I found a great deal on a set of Thomas the Train DVDs at Costco! Since his Thomas the Train DVD doesn't work anymore, I decided to get him this set of 6 for only $20! He has really missed watching Thomas and I knew he would just love all these new movies!

We sang "Happy Birthday", lit the #3 candle, and then opened his presents! He opened the backhoe first and I think we should of saved it for last! His friend Isaac helped him open it and instantly fell in love! I guess he has been wanting the same thing! Ty didn't want to share at first, but we finally got it settled and they did a great job sharing it! He loved the DVDs and Isaac got him a really fun jeep with a trailer and backhoe on the back! He plays with it in the bathtub and outside all the time! I asked Ty if he had a good birthday and he said "yes!"

It is crazy to think back 3 years ago and remember the tiny, tiny, tiny baby he once was! There were many problems with my pregnancy and Ty stopped growing so they decided to take him at 37 weeks! He weighed 5 lbs 13 oz and was just the tiniest thing! Josh and I instantly fell in love with him and have enjoyed all the joy and laughter he has brought to our lives! We love our, "Ty Ty" and wouldn't change anything about him! We Love You Ty!!

*birthday pictures will come when I get my camera back...what is up with me never having my camera?

Happy 30th Birthday Josh

Josh actually missed his birthday because he was still working up north! His birthday was on Wednesday September 3oth, but he didn't get home until the following Friday night. The boys were so excited to make dad a cake and have a party for him when he got home. He got home about 7:30pm, but we still had a party for him. Ty and Tag loved helping dad open his present and they really LOVED the cake and ice cream! There was much to celebrate...daddy being home for good, a birthday, and being back together as a family!!!

Daddy LOVED his present! I was so excited that my surprised stayed a surprise! Josh has been wanting a Kimber 1911, but they are expensive. I looked at some other pistols, but I knew he really wanted this one! I had been saving some money up for his birthday and decided to splurge and get him what he really wanted! He was really shocked that I got it for him and his twin brother about fainted...green with envy! I think I have a lot of my dad in me! I love surprises and I love to get people what they really want! Nothing makes me happier than making those I love and care about happy! However, this will also be Josh's Christmas present this year and he is perfectly fine with that!

We went out and shot the pistol and it is really fun to shoot! It feels great in your hand and shoots really well! We ended up going to Sportsman's Warehouse so Josh could get a new holster to carry it concealed. I think it is safe to say that this is the best birthday ever! We love you Dad!!