"Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things,

but just look what they can do when they stick together...."

We drove over to Eastern Idaho Christmas day. Justin's brother, Travis, was home from Seattle with his family and we really wanted to see them. Travis holds a special place in everyone's heart. And I mean everyone. Anyway, we all went up to Teton valley the day after Christmas to see Great Grandma Kay and spend the day on the farm.

There wasn't nearly this much snow, but I wanted to show you how peaceful this place is. For Justin, the nostalgia of the farm is immeasurable. And after nearly 14 years of marriage, it's become a special place for me as well.

Here's the view on a clear day....

Yep, those are the Grand Tetons. And, yeah, it's hard for us to spend a day here and not want to move back home.

The hill at the top makes for perfect sledding.....

If we up and disappear one day.......you'll know where we went!

"I was born for the storm, and a calm does not suit me." --Andrew Jackson

A friend of mine recently asked why I never blog anymore. I told her I guess I'd run out of things to blog about. She laughed and said: "You're raising three boys...there's ALWAYS something to blog about." I suppose she was right. And I suppose I agree with our 7th president. A calm really doesn't suite us.

Carter got his head stuck in the barstool the other night during dinner. I tried to get him out, but couldn't. Luckily Justin arrived home from work in time to save the day. He had to take the thing apart, and it was hard keeping everyone from laughing (which only made Carter's screaming worse), but as I was telling Carter to "just stay calm" I realized that will probably never happen. Not around here anyway.

"Go Get Mom!"

Before I tell you this story I have to set the stage. Last week I had a HORRIBLE week! I have been juggling a lot of balls this semester and I knew eventually one would drop, but I was wrong. Three dropped. All in the same week. Allow me to explain:

As a member of the Stake primary presidency, our biggest responsibility is the monthly stake baptisms. It's not always possible for the entire presidency to attend every month so we make assignments and go from there. December was my assigned month to attend. Saturday came and I headed to work early as I had two new hire orientations to do. They went a little long and by the time I got home, Justin and Jamon had already left for the BSU game. Camdon was home alone with Carter who was running a fever. I quickly got things under control and settled down for a nice afternoon with my boys. Completely forgetting about the 4 o'clock baptisms I had been assigned to attend. I didn't even realize what I had done until Sunday morning. I woke up with a start as I realized I had completely dropped the ball.

Then on Tuesday as I sat down at the computer to take an online exam for World Geography, I was denied access. I couldn't figure out why it wasn't letting me on. Just the night before I had opened the exam, answered the few that I knew off the top of my head, and then bid the test adieu until Tuesday afternoon when I had the house to myself for a few hours to take the rest of it. As it turned out the test closed at 12 P.M. I looked at that probably five times throughout the week and every time I told myself I had until midnight Tuesday night. No people. 12 P.M. means noon, not midnight. That's why I couldn't get access to the test. It had closed and I scored a zero out of a hundred. I had the second highest grade in the class up until then. And of course, my "A" dropped down to a "C". I was absolutely devastated at what I had done. So strike two for me that week. Screwed up at church. Screwed up at school.

THEN ( I know the mind reels that there could be more!) I got to work Thursday night and was informed that the GM was disappointed in the way the training was going. The people weren't doing what they were supposed to, and as the CDT (glorified "know-it-all") this was my fault. So, I was screwing up at work as well. Apparently I'm super busy doing nothing at all. I was having a fairly large pity party. Until Saturday.

It snowed all day Saturday and the kids spent most of the day outside enjoying the winter weather. All summer long the boys spent hours building a BMX track in the empty lot across the street. As you can imagine, all the snow was making for a great sledding track. That's where they spent their day. At one point Jamon hollered to the neighbor kid to toss him down a sled. The kid threw it and the sled hit Jamon right in the face between his nose and mouth. I happened to be outside in our garage and heard the scream. I was already on my way when I heard Jamon yell: "Go get mom!" I was to him in seconds.

I walked him home, got him out of his bloody clothes, and went about the business of tending to his needs. As he was lying in bed with tears in his eyes he said "Thanks mom. I love you."

At that moment I realized something. He didn't yell "Go get Dad!" He didn't yell "Go get Tammi!" (our neighbor who lives next door. She's a nurse.) He didn't yell "Go get J.D.!" (our other neighbor who is a dentist and was outside and saw the whole thing.) No. He yelled "Go get mom!" And I was there. Within seconds.

It was then that I realized that no matter where else I screwed up this week, where it mattered the most, I DIDN'T drop the ball. I play a lot of roles, but the role of "mom" is the one I'm most proud of. I don't think it was a coincidence that I happened to be outside when Jamon got hit. I think Heavenly Father knew I needed to be reminded of the good work I was doing. The really important work of being a mom.

Since you all asked.....

"The President will now accept questions..."

"How's the crusty foot?"

No longer crusty, thanks. Totally healed, accept for the fact that it seems to be cold all of the time. It's frustrating but nothing a sock can't fix. Next?

"How's school going?"

All I have to say is this: Only two weeks left!! I have hated every minute of this semester. There's a reason I never took economics the first time around. I have an 87 right now, so it's possible to still squeak out an "A". We'll see. Next?

"How did the Praxis go and why did you have to go clear to Twin Falls to take it?"

The test is only offered a few times a year at only a few locations. You register with ETS, which is out of Ohio or something. I didn't get registered in time to secure a seat at Boise State, so I had to go to the next closest place...Twin. I don't get the results for another three weeks, but I feel like both went well. Next?

"How's Justin's job?"

Well. He has one. They decided not to do anything drastic just yet. We'll see how the next few months go. Obviously no raises or bonuses this year. I take that back. The bonus is that we get to still have a job. We are grateful for that! Next?

"How are the boys?"

Perfect. Next?

"Are you or are you not going home for Thanksgiving?"

Yes. We will leave early Thursday morning and stay through Sunday. I can't wait to go home and see my family! Next and final question?

"Did Justin SERIOUSLY just get put back in as Executive Secretary?"

Yes. We can't believe it either. He had only been released for 6 months. Same position under the same Bishop. Oh well, what do you do? I have enjoyed having him home on Sunday mornings while it lasted. I told the Bishop we wanted a raise. He laughed and said: "oh you'll get it alright!" Even though we were kidding, I know this to be true. We felt/saw extra blessings come into our lives the first time around and I'm sure this time will be no different.

This concludes our press conference this afternoon. Thank you for your questions. We love that you love us and our concerned for our welfare. We love you too!

"We'll watch for you..."

I got Justin season tickets to BSU games years and years ago for his birthday. He hasn't missed a home game in like five years. The tradition is that whoever doesn't get to go with dad stays home with me and we watch on TV. We always say: "We'll watch for ya"...as if going to the game automatically gets you on TV. Trust me, it doesn't. We've never seen him on TV for any game. Ever.

Well, Camdon has figured out that if you have an ESPN sign, your chances of getting on TV are better. I'd dare say that's probably true. Tonight Justin and the boys are in Utah for the BSU game. They've made a sign and:

"I'll be watching for them!"

I love this kid.

Something reeks of hypocrisy...

The only pencil sharpener we have in the house is one of these little beauties.....

Yes, I splurged on the $.99 and got the good kind. You don't even have to hold it over the garbage can or anything! You just empty it when it's full. Sounds easy enough except that sometimes the stupid thing comes apart in the middle of a sharpening and shavings fall all over the floor. This is exactly what happened to me the other day. Carter and I were just about to start his homework when I dumped the load.

I mumbled something that sounded like: "Grrr", got the vacuum, cleaned the mess, and returned to the business at hand. Carter was watching the whole thing and as I walked away he said to himself (or no one...he was just making an observation):

"That happened to me once only I got in trouble. Mom yelled that I was going too fast and I need to focus. She's lucky she's the mom and no one will yell at her. Oh I know. I'll drive her to Idaho Falls so her mom can yell at her there. Oh wait, I don't drive."

And then he finished his homework.

I love this kid.

A mouse in the house

The other night I was upstairs putting Carter to bed when I heard Justin yelling: "I need a little help down here!"

Okay, first of all, Justin doesn't need help from anyone, anytime, anywhere. Secondly, I was in the middle of bedtime, and he knows better then to interrupt this much anticipated time of day. So, I knew something serious must be going on. I told Carter I'd be right back and I ran downstairs to see him standing in the corner of the kitchen with a broom and a mixing bowl.

"Here", he said, "take this." (handing me the bowl)

Uuuhhh? And do what with it? Then I realized he had trapped a mouse behind this broken clock that I have no idea why I still let sit there. No matter...it proved useful tonight.

So the plan was for him to chase it out from behind the clock and I would slam the bowl down on top of it.

Yeah, right!

That little sucker was fast! He ran out of the kitchen, around the corner, into the mud room.

I told Justin I was just going to shut the door and leave he and the mouse to work it out. So, I did, but after a serious of bangings and clangings, the boys

(who were watching from up here.....)

yelled: "He went into the cubby!"

That's what we call this little room, directly across from the mudroom. It's not big enough for anything except Carter's made up club. It's usually a pig pen, as was the case that night.

It looks good now, but that's only because I insisted the morning after this happened that he clean up his crap. So, anyway, we decide that we'll scare it out. So Justin starts stirring the mess of toys with the broom. Every once in a while, he'd beat the toys. Nothing. I dared get down in there and look around with a flashlight. Nothing. There's no way the mouse would be still want to be in there during all the broom stirring. We assumed the boys were wrong. After a few minutes we both concede defeat, and I went back upstairs to finish Carter's story.

Now, the rule at my house is once you're in bed...you're in bed. None of this coming out to get a drink crap. Or going potty one more time. Or I forgot to hug you. NO. Bedtime is bedtime at my house and once you're in, you're in. So, Carter, despite all the commotion, stayed put. I'll admit at first I was surprised. After all, these could certainly count as extenuating circumstances and we're pliable parents ...to some degree.

As it turns out, he stayed in bed out of sheer fear. As soon as I got back up into his room, the first thing he said was:" Oh man! Who got the beat-down down there!?"

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! He thought one of his brothers was in big trouble. It reminded me of last year's mice incident where I grabbed a baby mouse by it's tail and took it outside so Justin could beat it to death with a rock. All the while Carter was screaming: "His momma is going to be looking for him!"

AAAHHH..the joys of building a house right in the middle of a field.

Oh, and as a couple of side notes...

1. He was in there after all. As soon as I went upstairs he ran out of the cubby, back into the kitchen, and under the stove. He clearly knows his way around my house! Great!

2. We have never, nor will we ever, chase our children around the house trying to beat them with a broom. I don't know what Carter was thinking.

Stable Condition

This morning I stopped off at the hospital to pick up a copy of my E.R. report for the Aflac guy. Here's the gist of what it said:

Diagnosis-Burn-second degree, foot, left

Disposition- Discharged from E.R. to home. Stable condition

All day I thought about the term "Stable condition" and how that probably means something different to each of us. Luckily, I've never been in "critical condition". At least not physically. I certainly have been in "critical condition" spiritually and emotionally, though. I suspect we all have. I'm grateful to the one person who NEVER leaves us as we endure our various tragedies.

The Savior.

Yes, I agree with the good doctor. I AM in stable condition. Right now anyway. As we all know, that could change tomorrow. But, for now, here's what our "stable condition" looks like:

We grew 8 perfectly carve-able pumpkins in the garden this year.

Jamon turned 10 last week and we had so much fun decorating BSU cupcakes.

Camdon turned 12 Sunday and was ordained a deacon. It was wonderful. Here he is decorating cupcakes with Jamon, but here's why I love Camdon so much. He didn't want cake. He wanted fudge. He thinks it's way too good a treat to only be consumed at Christmas time. He's been eating off the block all week.

Justin was contacted about this picture he took on our Seattle trip this summer. The city wants to put it in their newest edition of those touristy "city guide" pamphlets. What an honor!

Here's to being in "stable" condition!

Chicken fried toes....

Last night I was making fried chicken and spilt boiling chicken grease all over my toes. The E.R. Doc said the thing that saved me was my sock. Yay for the cold fall weather that made me wear socks! Anyway, 2nd degree burns on the toes. It's totally gross and I have no feeling in the last two toes. The doctor said he didn't think there was any nerve damage so I'm assuming I can't bend them because they're blistered and swollen. The picture doesn't really do it justice. The toe next to my pinkie toe is blistered all the way down. The middle toe blister has already popped. Enjoy my grossness!

From the mouth of babes...

Carter is always good for a laugh:

Thursday morning he had a meltdown over his school outfit. He wanted to wear this....

I suggested he wear this.....

He didn't understand why it mattered that he matched. Maybe he's right. Maybe in the big scheme of things it doesn't matter whether he matches or not, but it turned into a bit of an argument. After much frustration he screamed at me:

"Why do you have to be such a...such a....

(he was really struggling here to find the right word. The one word that would really hurt me.)

...such a matching mom!!??"

Then last night he was telling Justin what he wanted to be when he grew up. A scientist. To which Justin asked, "A mad scientist?"

"No. A happy one."

Then last night as I was bathing him he informed me that he had to "go poop", but I wasn't home so he had to ask Camdon to "wipe him". Laughing on the inside and feeling sorry for Camdon, I said, "that was really nice of him. You should thank him. Did you thank him?"

He said, most emphatically: "NO! His attitude about it was so bad."

Ba ha ha ha I'm sure it was.

I love these funny boys.

Kite Runner

You know that Mary Poppins song....."with your fist holding tight, to the string of your kite"? Well, she was NOT singing about this kite, that's for sure!

We spent Labor Day in the park flying this huge kite our neighbor has. He was a great sport to let everyone try it. Watching Justin was hilarious! You have to put on this chastity belt lookin' thing, and there's three sets of strings, and if you aren't careful it will take you away. Literally.

Here's Josh holding on to Justin after the kite took him for a ride....

(He ruined his flip flops..not the best choice of shoes)

Here's Camdon giving it a go. He LOVED it!

So, next time I'm at Wal-Mart buying a cheap $0.99 kite for the Easter baskets, I'll remember this day and save myself the $3. There's no going back after a kite like this!

Football Fever

Jamon's jamboree was last week at Boise Stadium. Because playing on "the Blue" is every little boys dream, you can imagine the nerves and butterflies. Each team gets a 12 minute game...6 on offense & 6 on defense. Jamon played all 12 minutes. We're so proud.....

Their first regular season game was this morning and it was awesome. We were down by a touchdown with 1:30 left to go. A touchdown pass tied it up and the two point conversion won it with 3 seconds left! Sweet revenge. We lost the championship game last year to this team. You should've seen their faces.

Here's some pics of Jay on the Blue:

First Day of School

"Sometimes", said Pooh "the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."

Carter's first day of school was a little hard on me because I wasn't able to go with him. I started school, too, so I had to leave right after the boys all got on the bus. With my first two, I went down to the school, took pictures, hung out with other Kindergarten moms, and observed conditions. I was feeling guilty about not doing the same for Carter. As I later found out from a friend of mine, my oldest sons filled in nicely.

She said they walked him to his line, stood there with him until he was comfortable, and made sure he was in good hands before they left him. This just melts my heart! What a small thing, but to a mom who wasn't there to do it herself, it was HUGE! Thanks Camdon and Jamon for being great big brothers!

Another installment of....

"We interrupt this family to bring you football season."

AAHH... Football fever. It starts earlier every year. This year was particularly early because Justin was working on his Broncodashboard App. It is in the store now, so if you have an iPhone/touch be sure to download a copy. A big thanks to those who have already bought one!

Jamon had fall camp last week.

It was put on by the high school football team. Jamon proved himself a worthy opponent and made running back. Practices start tonight. Five nights a week until Jamboree. Jamboree is the official kick-off to the season and each team gets to play a 6 minute scrimmage down at Boise State. As you can imagine, Jamon is SO excited to play on the blue!

Football fever has officially spread throughout my whole family. Last night as we were watching We are Marshall (yes, a football movie) Carter leaned over to me and said: "I guess I will be interested in football so I can kick the crap out of people."

Oh great!

Happy Football season everyone!

Isn't Life Grand?

Who: The Kay Men + 3 boys who hiked like men

What: Second annual hike to Table Rock (the Grand Tetons)

When: Last weekend

Where: Trailhead in Driggs....7 a.m.

Why: Male bonding at it's best

I couldn't believe it when the boys said they wanted to hike with Justin. It's strenuous at best for the grown-ups, let alone two boys. Justin said they did awesome though. I guess so because they made it all the way to the top! The summit is 11,000 ft. To put this into perspective for you...when I went skydiving, we jumped from the plane at 12,000 feet. So, these boys did some serious vertical climbing. Those of you who are familiar with the hike will understand the significance of what they accomplished. Way to go fellas!

Jamon took a bit of a spill (literally fell and started rolling/sliding down the mountain). Luckily he escaped with just a raspberry down his left side. It could've been way worse judging from each account of the story I heard. I'm grateful that he was surrounded by such capable men. If something more serious were to have happened to him, he'd have four of the most worthy priesthood holders I know up there with him. Needless to say, he was definitely being watched over!

It was definitely an experience they'll always remember!

"I'm your Huckleberry...."

As is tradition, we went to Heise Canyon to pick

huckleberries while we were home for the funeral.

This is one of the things I love most about my in-laws....

they work hard and love doing it.

In fact my father-in-law teases about having nightmares about Jamon's poor performance last

year. He says it's part of his heritage. I guess that's true.

Anyway, it's so fun to be up on the mountain together,

talking and picking. It takes all day and

it's extremely labor intensive.....

but the huckleberry cheesecake that follows is soo worth it! So is going to my freezer all winter to retrieve

my prize. By the way, they sell huckleberries on

roadsides for $45 a gallon.

That's right...$45! I wouldn't sell my berries for any

amount! It's way too much work getting them.

Anyway, it was the first time picking for our new

sis-in-law, Abi. She was a good sport & I think she had a good time.

I just don't think she was expecting it to take so long.

My ADORABLE niece came with us. She belongs to these great people...

and I think she makes me want to have a baby girl.

hmm..... What do you guys think?