Dahl's

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-08-30T22:17:00.000-07:00

Leprechaun Trap

2011-08-30T22:16:00.000-07:00

It is a 2nd grade tradition at West End for the kids to build Leprechaun Traps.

I'm not sure who had more fun Marcus or Nathan and I.

Valentine's Day

2011-08-30T22:12:00.000-07:00

Where Have We Been?!?!

2011-08-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

As many people have pointed out it has been almost a year since my last post. So, here is the story... Over a year ago my sister Melissa and I decided that we needed to take a much more active role in our children's education, and by more active I mean we decided to open a charter school. After over a year of WORK (Nathan likes to point out that I was not working full time, I was volunteering full time) by many people Oasis Academy opened last Monday. And can I just boast a little and say it is awesome.

The school filled to capacity within 3 hours of our open enrollment back in April (people started camping out Tuesday and enrollment didn't take place until Saturday.) We hired the most AMAZING teachers and limited the class size to 20. The school is 180 students K-8. We have the hardest working Board of Directors and the most dedicated parents (who volunteer a ton!). Because we have so many people willing to volunteer their time we have be able to do some pretty awesome stuff on or limited budget. Including leasing google chromebooks (one to one for 5-8 grades and two to one for 3&4 grades and several in K-2).

There is a lot of learning happening inside those doors.

One of our parents is an amazing artist. He painted this awesome tree right inside the front door.

Flag up!

We went with uniforms and I love them!

The Board hired Melissa as the administrator.

She is really the one who made this whole thing possible.

She pulled of a miracle with a lot of faith and hard work.

Mike is on the Board and our go to guy for everything. He does accounting for his "paying" job which has really benefited the school and saved us a ton of money. He is also very technically savvy which came in handy the first day when the internet went down!

Eager learners and parents!

This has been an amazing adventure and I am confident that Marcus and Maleen will have the best education our community has to offer. Which makes all the hours worth it.
Now that school is open I am hoping to have more time to catch everyone up and keep it that way.

Christmas Sunday

2011-03-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

I love Chrismtas Sunday.

The music & everyone dressed up in their new Christmas outfits.

This Christmas Sunday didn't go quite according to plan

Things were rolling along smoothly.

The kids had been bathed.

Marcus's hair had been fluffed and oiled/greased.

Maleen's hair was blow dried just waiting for pigtails and curls.

And then I heard Marcus yell four word that will derail
a Sunday morning...

"No, not the coconut"

To most of you this probably doesn't mean a thing but my stomach instantly dropped.

When I ran back into the bathroom I found that Maleen had indeed smeared gobs and gobs of coconut oil through her hair (picture thick coconut smelling Vaseline).

I threw her back into the tub washed her hair four times and nothing.

I ended up having to pull her hair into two oily buns.

The next day I did some serious research to get it out.

I tried powder, dish soap, Tide, egg white, and finally peanut butter.

Needless to say I am much more careful with the coconut!!!

A Snowman Named "Chuck"

2011-03-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

WATCH OUT

The perfect snowball maker

After some snowball throwing we finally got down to the business of making a snowman.

Maleen loves playing in the snow.

Hazel was not to sure what the appeal was of being so bundled up the you can't move and then going outside to play.

He's starting to come together.

The snow was so wet that the each body piece weighed a ton.

Meet Chuck

Maleen really loved him.

We had so much fun making Chuck that we went over to my Grandma's and made Sally!

Rudolph With Your Nose So Bright

2011-03-20T07:39:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite Christmas traditions is our advent.

Each day the kids open a little door and find either a surprise

or an activity.

We did a lot of fun things this year. Some of the highlights were:

We picked toys for Toys for Tots.

Watched a Christmas Movie & Made S'mores

Went to the Down Town Christmas Tree Lighting

Got Rudolph Noses (these were and still are a big hit)

West End Christmas Program

2011-03-20T07:33:00.000-07:00

We had to get to the auditorium 1 hour early in order to get a seat.

All in all Maleen was pretty good.

The Star Preformers

of the 1st and 2nd grade!

Raygen and Sutton

These two little girls get hauled to a lot of things to watch their older cousins.

The 2nd Graders sang:

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

Rocking Around the Christmas Tree

& Joy to the Wold (which I loved but thought the music teacher took a big risk to do.)

Thanksgiving 2010

2011-01-13T15:48:00.000-08:00

This year I made the girls these adorable skirts!

I love the way they turned.

"Give me hug"

Nothing beats sister love.

although cousin love comes close.

Gamers!

Aunt Rachee is always a trooper for entertaining the boys!

Maleen had a change of heart about Aunt Jenny because

"Jenny painted my nails!"

Pretty! Pretty! Girls!

Like I said Sister Love

The bird looks delicious!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

It was so nice to be together.

The food was awesome.
Even better then I remembered!

First Snow

2011-01-13T15:35:00.000-08:00

The first snow is always very exciting.

Nathan took our kids outside at 6:30 AM so they could enjoy it before it all melted.

Back Up...Back Up

2011-01-13T15:14:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I forgot to blog about our trip to Utah in October. My cousin Brennen came home from his mission to Samoa and we all went in to celebrate! It was great fun and I don't have one picture to prove it.

I did remember to take my camera to Cornbelley's however.

For those of you unfamiliar with the abundance of super fun activities in Salt Lake City and Utah Valley you are really missing out. There is sooo much to do.

One of our favorite fall things is Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point.

Good times are to be had for young and old.

Cornbelley's is one of those places that you wait in a long line to get into (if you go at night on a weekend) and think it isn't going to be fun because of all the people. And then you get inside and realize that it is so big that it really doesn't seem like that many people.

Due to the scarcity of photos you can see that I was busy having fun not snapping pictures.

I did get some good ones waiting in line.

The girls couldn't figure out what all the excitement was about.

The boys knew and couldn't wait.

Tanii was freezing by the time we left.

Marcus was so happy that Uncle Steve was there.

Even Grandma and Aunt Rachee got in on the action.

Maleen had a great time on the bouncing pillows.

It is great because they have a separate area for toddlers.

Marcus got rough and tumble with Kinsley.

Marcus has talked about shooting a car with corn since last year.

He is a pretty good shot if I do say so myself.

The biggest wooden rocker I have ever seen.

Way to cute for the stocks.

Like I said I didn't snap a lot of pictures.

But we all had a great time.

The only low spot was...

When I MADE Marcus go through the Haunted Dragon with me.

He hated it.

He kept his eyes closed the whole time.

He has vowed never to go in it again.

I felt bad for making him.

Halloween

2011-01-13T14:12:00.000-08:00

Maleen was a clown this year.

(My first had made costume)

Marcus chose his costume based on the weapon accessories.

This costume had a gun and a dagger!!!!

My Mom's neighborhood make a great spot for trick-or-treating!

The kids were all so excited to go that this is the best group picture I could get.

I love Hazel's "Super Girl" costume!

Fenn was so excited to be Spiderman (he had it planned for a year)

Jenny made Malcolm an awesome ninja costume!

Maleen was a total trooper.

She wanted to walk most of the way.

She feel in love with her "purple pumpkin".

She cried her eyes out when I packed it away for next year.

Along the way we met up with Nathan's sisters.

Raygen made an adorable witch.

Sutton was dead set on being a dragon!

Marcus as always was thrilled to see Jace.

My Favorite Book Character Is...

2011-01-13T14:00:00.000-08:00

Lance from the book BOO! by Robert Munsch.

Marcus's first class presentation was to present a report on his favorite book.

He had to present from the point of view of the main character.

He had to dress-up.

He was a little nervous but did a great job!

Championship Game

2011-01-13T13:52:00.000-08:00

When you are 7 years old there are few things more exciting then running through a banner!

In case you don't remember Marcus's football season started mid-July.

He played in the championship game on the 19thof November.

Unfortunately they didn't win (they lost by one touchdown)

But they never gave up!

On of the boys said after the game "I just want one more quarter coach!"

There were a LOT of tears (I am happy to report none from Marcus).

Coach Mike gave a great little talk to the boys after the game.

He pointed out that they weren't supposed to be here.

Nobody thought they would make it to the championship.

Not Fernely who had 2 undefeated seasons (we shut them out the week before)

and at the beginning of the season not even the coaches.

He told them to HOLD THEIR HEADS HIGH!!!

They worded HARD!

They practiced 5 days a week until school started!
They got better and better!

They had FUN!!!

It was a great season.

Sometimes...

2011-01-13T13:41:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how cute she is!

Happy 2nd Birthday

2010-11-30T09:45:00.000-08:00

Maleen had a "Bitsy" party.

Everything was bitsy from the invitations to the individual chocolate cakes.

The sliders were delicious and the kids loved the tiny little soda cans.

To bad I don't have any pictures of the delicious spread. Oh-well.

Maleen was very excited for everyone to sing "Happy Birthday".

She loves that song.

I don't know who was more excited about the candles Marcus or Maleen.

She did a great job blowing out the candles.

This year Maleen understood that inside that pretty paper was something FUN!

She had a lot of help opening presents.

The kids played with these Bilibos all night.

Don't be afraid to purchase some.

The Cozy Coupe was fun for kids young and old.

Maleen loved her car once she finally got a chance to play in it.

Who doesn't need a poodle purse?

Once the older kids had something to play with Maleen got to open some gifts without assistance.

Sutton loved Maleen's new coat.

It is really hard to share when you are almost 2...

just as Hazel.

Sutton and Hazel did not enjoy the birthday party as much as the other kids.

They just didn't get why everything was Maleen's.

Maleen loves these "Twinkle Toes" and lets be honest what's not to love.

They sparkle, shimmer and light up.

Labor Day Weekend

2010-10-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

Raygen, the leader of the girls.

Maleen the smallest but just as ferocious as the rest of the girls.

Sutton, the youngest but you would never guess.

This creek has provided hundreds of hours of fun for all the kids in Starr Valley.

Look at that MUD!

Marcus and Raygen had the best time playing together.

Marcus was sad when he found out Jace wouldn't be there but he

had such a great time palling around with Raygen.

The yard in Starr Valley is perfect for kick around a ball.

This year we once again headed to Starr Valley for Labor Day Weekend.

We had a great time.

My Heart Could Melt!

2010-10-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

Just Chillin'

2010-10-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

I was watching our kids the other day and after a while I noticed that it was pretty quiet.

I panicked wondering what they were into.

When I walked out into the living room they were all just chillin' on the couch.

She's Got Curlers In Her Hair But...

2010-10-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

She's Nice.

Scouting for ELK

2010-10-24T10:39:00.000-07:00

Do you see anything Marcus?

For the fist little bit of our day Maleen couldn't figure out what in the world was going on and why she was allowed to get sooo dirty.

I'm one lucky wife and mom.

Few things make Marcus more happy than a day outside with his gun.

If it flies it dies.

Toward the middle of the day we saw some elk.

We decided to stop and take a closer look.

Nathan was very excited to see some nice bulls.

Maleen was soooo dirty.

But still soooo darn cute.

I must say I was also pretty excited to see the bulls.

The side of the mountain the Elk were on.

Marcus also got in on the action checking out the elk through the binocs.

I just love these two. They dug in the dirt for ages together.

He just couldn't pull himself away.

Nathan drew his elk tag this year. I know in some places that is not big deal but in Nevada it is basically a once in a lifetime draw. So it is very exciting.

We took our last free weekend before regular football games started to go up to Nathan's area and scout.

We had such a great day.

Smackdown 2010

2010-10-24T10:15:00.000-07:00

Fallon pulled out all the bells and whistles for the Smackdown.

It is hard to tell in the pictures but there were thousands of people.

They estimated that 12,000 people came to the Smackdown.

Marcus has a great group of kids on his team this year.

They have come a long way since their first practice!

The fist of many games!!!

We LOVE Marcus's coach this year.

Coach Mike

Let the game (scrimmage) begin.

Marcus plays on the Green O offence and kick off return team this year.

This year Fallon hosted the SYFL SMACKDOWN. They pulled out all the stops.

I was a huge success.

Pizza Barn had their highest grossing day ever!

It was a great way to kick off the season.

Our little team may actually do all right this year!

2nd Grade

2010-09-08T16:47:00.000-07:00

Wow! Marcus is in 2nd Grade.

Marcus had some opinions this year about what he wanted to wear the 1st day.

I think he has pretty good taste.

It was very exciting to see Jace on the playground.

The Districts theme this year is TEAM, Together Everyone Achieves More, Marcus's teacher did a great job decking her classroom out with sports decor. Which he loved.

Marcus's teacher is Mrs. Frank. I think he is going to love her. She seems very sweet.

He was a little nervous about being in her class. He nearly broke into tears when I made him take this picture. When we walked back towards the playground he saw Miss Mandic and threw his arms around her. I was so happy when school was over and her reported that, "Mrs. Frank is super nice."

Maleen and Hazel Learn to Swim

2010-09-08T16:36:00.000-07:00

We decided to sign Maleen and Hazel up for a semi-private swimming lesson at the end of summer. I'm sure their swimming teacher, Eddie, wanted to die when he realized he would be teaching two tinny little girls with two VERY strong opinions.

Maleen loved to KICK, Hazel apparently didn't feel like kicking and she wasn't afraid to let Eddie know what she did and did not want to do.

Eddie would say, "Let's blow bubbles" and Hazel would reply, "You do it Eddie."

Maleen on the other had was very passive aggressive. If Eddie suggested something she didn't want to do she simply pretended she didn't hear him and kept right on doing what she wanted to do.

Both girls loved a game of "Ring Around The Rossie"

Eddie was a great sport!

Hazel LOVED to float on her back.

Maleen not so much!

By the end of lessons both girls happily went off the slide, jumped off the side, and happily went under.

I call that a complete success.

It's That Time of Year Again.

2010-09-08T16:24:00.000-07:00

My life officially goes on hold once football starts.

Starting the middle of July the Greenwave Bandits practiced 5 days a week for 2 hours a day.

Once school starts practice will be 3 days a week for 2 hours and games every Saturday.

Marcus shows a TON of improvement this year.

He is no longer the smallest guy on the team.

His new coaches are great.

Crop Duster

2010-09-08T12:35:00.000-07:00

One thing I love about living in a farming community is seeing the CROP DUSTER!

We woke up to quite an air show out our back window as the corn field behind our house got dusted!

Tuesday Swim Day

2010-09-08T12:28:00.000-07:00

This summer Courtney instituted Tuesday Swim Day at her house. It was so much fun getting together with good friends, visiting, swimming, and letting our kids play. The only problem with Tuesday Swim Day was summer got over to quickly... Oh well there is always next year?!?

A lot of good chit chat took place under that umbrella

The boys got pretty tricky by the end of summer.

We at a LOT of snacks.

And got to spend some extra time with the people we love!

Thanks Court

RBC Denver

2010-09-08T12:16:00.001-07:00

Tahoe (No Dad's Allowed)

2010-09-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

Last year Mel and I had such a great time on our Tahoe (No Dad's Allowed) trip that we decided to make it an annual event! This year we rented a bigger cabin (Fenn felt that the cabin was "absolutely wonderful") and invited all the girls...

Rachel and Nicole were the only ones who could come.

It was so much fun having them there.

Although I don't think they were impressed by our lackadaisical Tahoe parenting.

(Maleen was crying for NO reason... when Rachel pointed out that she was crying I simply pointed out that we come to Tahoe to ignore our kids. Needless to say this didn't come out quite right... What I meant was ignore there crying for now reason.)

Cousin Love is what it is all about!

Rachel is always such a good sport. She spent a LOT of time "fishing" with Marcus.

Next year we will be bringing nets to tray to catch those illusive little fish.

Swimming in the BIG waves is one of our favorite things to do.

Although this year the waves didn't get that BIG it was still FUN!

Strike a pose!

This year our kids were big enough to go to the BIG SLIDE! This is something Mel and I have very fond memories of as little kids. When we pulled up Rachel was less then impressed (we had been taking these slides up for days) and to be honest the place is a bit dumpy looking. But like the saying goes, "Don't judge a book by its cover."

Yes, you have to climb four flights of stairs to get to the top.

But it is worth EVERY step!

Our boys went down again and again and again.

It was $6.00 well spent.

Maleen went down twice.

I think she was in such a state of shock the first time that she couldn't cry.

After the second time she cried and cried.

And shook for about half an hour.

Needless to say she did not go again.

Hazel loved it the first couple of times.

But after the third of fourth time she started sobbing (I guess she caught a little to much air).

She went down a couple of more times a little later.

The boys were exhausted by the time we got home.

You know you had a great day when you look like this at the end of it.

Thanks girls for such a fun few days!

These are memories our kids will never forget.

Marcus is already talking about going back next year.

And who knows maybe there will be a little Snyder to join us!?!?

Let Freedom Ring

2010-07-05T23:10:00.001-07:00

4th of July at Twin

2010-07-05T23:08:00.000-07:00

What would a weekend with Uncle Steve be without a wrestling match?

Never mind that there were 15 people in our 1200 sq ft cabin.

Marcus loves fishing with his Dad.

And who can blame him in this paradise!?!

What can I say?

They are the BEST!

Cute, Cute, CUTE

Hundreds maybe Thousands of people come to Bridgeport for the 4th.

And who can blame them.

It is everything the 4th should be.

Festive, with a parade, good food, fire works, and a beautiful location.

Two of the best sisters a person could ask for.

Poor Hazel fell down the stairs the day before.

She had the biggest goose egg any of us had ever seen

She is super tough and bounced right back.

Jenny got to come this year which was great.

Marcus loved setting off the fire works that his Dad bought him.

Maleen was not super impressed at first.

In fact she was scared to death.

By the end of the show she LOVED it.

She clapped and said "WOW" over and over.

Rachel, Nathan, Marcus, and I talked made comments through the whole fireworks show.

We LOVED it!

Lynlee did not appreciate our constant commentary.

Even Grandma and Grandpa love the fireworks in Bridgeport.

We are so lucky that my parents bought a cabin in Twin Lakes.

Spending the 4th of July there is a highlight of our Summer.

We cram in like sardines and love every minute of it.

We play games, swim, kayak, eat, sleep, hike, and RELAX

Reunion Part 3 The Zoo, Natural History Museum, and Jump On It

2010-07-05T22:45:00.000-07:00

Marcus loves his Uncle Steve.

Steve is such a great sport.

Our kids are lucky to have him.

Touching this snake was the highlight on Marcus's trip.

Maleen loved the Zoo.

She especially loved the monkeys.

The gorilla was awesome.

He played peek-a-boo with our kids.

Hazel is still talking about it.

Maleen loved Grandma's sun hat.

After the Zoo (95 degrees) Rachel took us the the U's Natural History Museum (nice and air conditioned)

It did not disappoint.

The kids loved it.

The adults were to exhausted to really appreciate it.

After the Natural History Museum we headed to Jump On It (warehouse filed with trampolines and bounce houses, what's not to love)

Nice flip Marcus.

Everyone was sure Nathan was going to end up in the ER.

I am happy to report he didn't

Even the baby girls loved it.

Nice air Kinsley.

By the end of Jump On It we had moved passed exhaustion to complete delirium.

Hence why there are no more pictures.

The Reunion ended with another delicious dinner at Shelley and Dave's.

Thanks Foster Family for such a great time!

Tucker Family Reunion Part 2 LAGOON

2010-07-05T22:24:00.000-07:00

Maleen was ready for some fun at Lagoon.

If I puff my hat up will it make me taller Dad?

My boys!

I love them!

Grandpa was a good sport.

Marcus was brave.

He went on every ride he was tall enough for.

Maleen on the other hand was not so brave.

She did NOT enjoy the carousel.

She did however enjoy puff.

When the ride ended she said, "Fun!"

Grandma Tucker

Thanks for such a great family!

These boys played HARD!

The splash park was a big hit.

Everyone had a great time.

We were completely exhausted by the time we left.

Let's Stick Together (Tucker Family Reunion Part 1)

2010-07-05T22:02:00.000-07:00

Nathan had major grass burn after several trips down the slip-and-slide.

Kinsley gave everyone a run for there money.

Tanii would not be outdone by the big kids.

Nice moves Marcus!

Everyone (big kids, little kids, and mostly the adults) had a great time on the slip-and-slides.

Keep you eye on the ball Trey.

After everyone did some slipping and sliding a serious game of slip-n-slide baseball got underway.

Thank you Uncle Tye.

All the little girls had fun playing in 1st Base.

We sure are lucky to have such a great family.

After some fun in the sun we headed to Shelley and Dave's for our

Lets Stick Together Dinner

The food was delicious and everything was served on a stick.

It was super cute.

Shelley got to live her dream of being a bartender.

She created some delicious mixed drinks (slushies to be more specific)

Dave has done work on their backyard.

It is really beautiful!!!

We all had a great time kicking back and visiting.

To top of our great reunion kick off party

SPARKLERS!

Swimming Lessons 2010

2010-06-17T11:10:00.000-07:00

"I want your arms way out of the water"

The DEEP END!?!

NO problem!!!

Lay Back, Relax, and Float

Practice makes perfect

It's a lot higher than it looks!

1, 2, 3 JUMP

Ready or not here I come.

Diving Boards

EASY!

Swimming is SO MUCH FUN!

I don't want to get out of the pool.

Marcus was very apprehensive about swimming lessons.

If you will remember there were a lot of snot and tears last year.

This year...

Not so much.

Brandon is awesome. He is the exact type of teacher Marcus needs.

He makes him take risks.

He doesn't get sucked into Marcus's negotiations.

He praises him when he does well.

Marcus LOVES his lessons this year!

The Last Day of First Grade and Field Day

2010-06-04T08:03:00.000-07:00

If I said I haven't shed a few tears about the end of 1st grade I would be lying.

Marcus has had a fantastic year.

We LOVE his teacher, Ms. Mandic.

He has had a total LOVE of learning.

And he has made some Great friends!

Field Day At West End is a BIG deal.

All the first grades tie dyed t-shirts.

There are these super fun bounce houses. Which is where I spent the day helping.

The kids have soooo much fun playing games, going on the bounce houses, eating snow cones and cotton candy, going in the dunk tank, and basically being wild all day.

Marcus loved playing in the Battle Dome (basically dodge ball in a bounce house you can imagine the good times) he also loved the Shark Attack Slide (I don't have at ton of pictures because I spent most of the day running the Battle Dome.

The Fallon Fire Department brings a water truck for the kids and we close off the whole street so they can play.

Marcus was very into the sponge war game.

It was a great day to end a great year.

Thanks Ms. Mandic for instilling in Marcus a love of learning!

(yep I'm crying again)

Home Run King..

2010-06-04T07:40:00.001-07:00

Marcus hit a home run at Tee Ball and nope I didn't have my camera.

If You Are Between Bridgeport and Smith Valley You Don't Want...

2010-06-04T07:22:00.000-07:00

Your motor home to start on fire.

There we were driving a long praying our very tired kids (mostly Hazel see previous post) would fall asleep when suddenly we crested a hill and saw a motor home across the highway with smoke coming out the front end. There was one other car pulled off to the side of the road and he reported that it had just caught fire while driving down the hill. Of course being surrounded by mountains cell phone were not an option. Lucky for us we had On Star. So we pressed the red emergency button (for the first time ever) and nothing. Not even On Star would worked. We quickly drove about three miles until we got a weak On Star signal. To make a long story short after several brief minutes Fire Trucks were dispatched from both Smith Valley and Bridgeport.

When we arrived back on the scene this is what we saw...

Not a whole lot left.

And then we sat,

and sat,

and sat some more (poor Rachee was stuck between the babies who wouldn't leave her alone, she also was suffering a little PTSD from her own recent car fire, really her not so hold Mazda 3 spontaneously started on fire, or the fact that she had to pee) until...

They all finally arrived.

Honestly it took over half an hour for anyone (and not a fire truck with water) to arrive and let me tell you

a motor home burns up FAST so there was much left for them to do.

And still we sat for another hour before we could go.

And by that time...

This is all that was left.

Let me just say that I honestly believe that if this would have happened in Churchill County it would not have taken the fire department over a half hour to respond.

We jokingly call the Fallon Volunteer Fireman, Fallon's Finest but I am sure glad they take what they do seriously!

Once we finally got on the road home we had to make another emergency Pee stop for Rachel who accidentally ended up peeing right by a giant ant hill. Which caused a few problems the rest of the night.

Memorial Weekend At Twin Lakes

2010-06-03T16:47:00.000-07:00

We got to the cabin in the early evening on Thursday.

We made the mistake of putting the babies car seats right next to each other.

Maleen pulled on Hazels shirt and stole her pretty the entire two and a half hour drive.

She looked like a mean little alley cat by the time we got there.

We all quickly settled in.

Rachel went straight to reading the Spellman's (which is so so funny!!!!).

We woke up bright and early to several inches of snow!

We attempted a walk.

We didn't even make it all the way down the lane.

We were freezing!

Hazel was a great sport.

She did a LOT of walking, a LITTLE falling, and LOVED every minute of it.

No, I didn't bring winter coats.

It was Memorial Weekend for heavens sake.

Needless to say by the time the little girls went down for a nap the boys were a little stir crazy.
We took them to town to get milkshakes and my-o-my were they delicious.

Our kids are super lucky to have Rachee for an Aunt.
She was a god send when Mel and I wanted relax on a Lafuma and read.
She went on numerous walks, hikes, trips down to the lake to throw rocks, crystal finding expeditions, and bug hunts.
We love you Rachel!!!

Hazel and Maleen have a love hate relationship.
They get super excited to see each other and have short spurts of time when they play so nice together.
But most of the time Maleen is pulling Hazels hair, Hazel is pushing Maleen, and they are both trying to get what the other one has.
Case and Point. Who can sit closest to Grandma?
It just depends on which picture you look at.

Our babies love a sink tubby-tub.
It was really cute and fun,
Until they started throwing water all over the kitchen.

Saturday we had beautiful weather.
We got to spend time at the lake,

Suck up bugs ($15.00 well spent),

examine them and...

keep them in a jar.

At the cabin you don't have to get beautiful,

you can just kick back and relax.

The boys are getting big enough to play outside alone.
At least that is what we thought until we heard Marcus yelling,
"Can we get some help here. Hey we need a little help."
Once again Aunt Rachel to the rescue.
Marcus and to prop himself in front of Fenn to keep him from falling down the mountain.

One of the highlights of the trip was not captured on film but will a story brought up often.
Hazel and her all nighter.
We have no idea why but Hazel was NOT tired on Saturday night.
And by not tired I mean she was up until 1:30 AM.
She wasn't crying she was simply chatting up a storm.
After several failed attempts to get her to sleep Melissa took her downstairs.
Now our cabin is SMALL so going downstairs did nothing to alleviate the noise.
I knew Mel needed to be "tapped out" when I heard Hazel say "ear" and Mel say, "Don't put the Q-tips in your ears Hazel." (and by Q-tips I'm talking about used ones from the trash).
By the end of the night Me, Mel, and Rachel had laughed so hard our sides hurt.
I have no idea how the rest of the kids slept through it.
I think it was DIVINE INTERVENTION.

Candee Farm

2010-05-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

We just love these little goats!

Seriously, I'm thinking about getting one

Maleen has a LOT of LOVE for her Grandma Tucker.

Hazel couldn't wait to show Grandma Tucker the Piglets, but...

They were all gone!

The big pigs are still super fun to see.

Who knew they were so BIG?!?

Feeding a goat is so much fun.

We are sure glad Aunt Colie could come to the farm.

We love the horses,

Chickens and Roosters,

Cows,

Ducks, Geese, and Chucker

but mostly we love those baby GOATS!

We can't wait until Summer so Marcus can come on all of our adventures with us!

Melissa discovered this beautiful farm in Fallon. We buy fresh eggs there and the people are super nice. They let us traps around and see all the animals. They let us gather eggs, feed the goats, and show us the newest babies.

Twin Lakes

2010-05-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend at the cabin. It was AWESOME!!!!!! To bad I forgot my camera!

The weather was awesome, not to hot not to cold. Perfect for hot chocolate in the morning.
Everything worked (when you go up for the first time after winter you never know what you are going to get.)
The kids were awesome.
It was as beautiful as always.
Maleen had her fist ice cream cone and LOVED it.
Marcus and Nathan did a little fishing (with no luck) but had a great time.
We went on a couple of long walks.
Threw some rocks in the lake.
Read a little.
Relaxed a lot.

Rabbit Hunting

2010-05-16T19:54:00.000-07:00

Marcus shot his first rabbit with his BB gun.
He insisted that we take a picture "for the Blog".

Happy Birthday Marcus

2010-05-16T19:51:00.000-07:00

I love that Marcus LOVES his cousins.

While planning his party I commented that perhaps Fenn was to little. Marcus promptly replied, "He's one of my best friends Mom." Enough said.

He has been asked for a remote control spider since Easter.

Fenn and Malcolm delivered and it was a huge success!

Jace also brought a "great" gift, two fish and a fish tank!

Jace will be getting a hamster for Christmas.

Fenn went home about 10:00 PM (after he fell asleep).

Marcus said that to be a real sleepover they had to sleep on the couch!

They ate real movie popcorn (thanks Rachel for the use of you popcorn popper), drank soda, ate candy, watched a movie, played video games, and giggled until 2:00 AM.

The next day they went shooting with Nathan and then came home and did some target shooting with various weapons (water balloons, squirt guns, etc.). It was a lot of fun, sorry I was way to involved to take any photos.

Then we had a Birthday Dinner with all the rest of the family

Marcus was humiliated by everyone singing Happy Birthday!

All in all it was a great Birthday weekend!

He has already started talking about his NEXT one.

What In The...

2010-05-16T19:23:00.000-07:00

To say we have had a windy Spring would be putting it mildly. On April 27, I arrived home with Marcus and came to a dead stop at the top of our driveway. I said "What in the..." and Marcus one cue said, "Is that our trampoline on our roof!" Yes, indeed it was our trampoline on the roof and then off the roof into the front yard and on its way out of the yard and down the street. Needless to say I had to call for reinforcements, my Mom and Mel. We ended up having to take the whole thing apart to keep it from blowing away.

Charter School

2010-04-21T08:39:00.000-07:00

So, Me and Mel have been toying with the idea of opening a k-8 Charter School for a while. With all the changes happening in our district of late we have gone from talking to action. There appears to be a lot of interest in the community about the idea. It will be a lot of work but we think well worth it. Who doesn't want a school were teachers are encouraged to be innovative and there are small class sizes? If you have any questions e-mail falloncharterschool@gmail.com. We are also having a community interest meeting on Friday, May 7th at Oats Park near the Centennial Stage.

Rockies!!!

2010-04-15T22:07:00.000-07:00

Get in front of it!

Put me in Coach!

This is what it's all about.

Marcus, Jace, and their new friend, Brent.

Marcus takes "the game" very seriously this season.

The practice...

the swing...

The HIT!

Who are we?

ROCKIES!!!

We are so glad that Marcus is once again on the Rockies T-ball team. We LOVE "Coach Steve Moon". This year we were thrilled to learn that Marcus and his cousin Jace were going to be on the same team. Fenn also is playing, unofficially, on the team. He did AWESOME his first game. He listened to the coach. Maintained his position on the field. Hit the ball with all his might and ran the bases (with a little help from Jace.) Things are shaping up for a great season.

Dixie Valley

2010-04-06T17:58:00.000-07:00

We took a great drive out to Dixie Vally on Easter.

The weather was beautiful.

The kids loving running around outside.

Marcus got to shoot.

Maleen got to climb on rocks and play in the dirt.

We got to spend some time as a family!

What Do You Do With Uneaten Easter Eggs?

2010-04-06T17:51:00.000-07:00

We shoot them!

Easter Morning

2010-04-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

Nathan had a hard time waking up to see if the Easter Bunny came.

Marcus was happy to see that he did.

Maleen was way more interested in the Easter Grass then in finding eggs.

Marcus was happy to find his chocolate bunny amongst all his stuff.

Maleen loves a sweet treat. She can sniff on out a mile away. So, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when she came walking around the corner with her chocolate bunny completely open and one ear eaten off. I asked Nathan if he opened it for her and he didn't. Guess she just knew there was something good inside that shiny foil.

Egg-stravaganza

2010-04-06T17:28:00.000-07:00

The boys got into egg dying this year.

Some of the results were fab others not so much.

I'm not sure who had more fun the boys or Nathan and Gib.

Mel and I turned out these amazing eggs using old silk ties.

We learned a lot, like don't use the little girl's ponies, they melt in the boiling water.

Next year they will be even better.

Mori's Egg Hunt!

2010-04-06T15:21:00.000-07:00

Who knew a ripped trampoline could be so much fun!

The boys played on this for hours.

Maleen was right in her element with all the cute sweet "big" girls toting her around

Uncle Gib spent a lot of time at the BBQ.

The 6 - 9 year old egg hunters were ready to go!

I think Marcus and Will were the last hunters out of the field!

These little girls were more interested in the candy then the actual hunting!

The babies had their own little area for hunting.

Despite the age difference these two little boys LOVE each other!

This year we tagged along with Mel and Gib to the Mori's Egg Hunt. We are so glad we did it was a lot of fun. Marcus and Maleen were completely exhausted by the time we got home.

Guess What's for Dinner?

2010-04-01T13:48:00.000-07:00

Mixed veggies

Meatloaf

Mashed potatoes and gravy

April Fools!!!

We think we are awesome!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty Lucky!

I'll Take That Dare Mel...

2010-03-12T19:58:00.000-08:00

And I double dog dare the rest of you!

Let's just get the most horrifying ones done right from the get go.

I will begin Spring Cleaning Monday and this is my first project.

Wish me luck!

Catch-all and soon to be Maleen or Marcu's Room (haven't decided yet)

Playroom

Need I say more?

It looks worse in the pictures I swear!

I had to throw these ones in for my own self-esteem!

Yes, Maleen and Hazel emptied out half the wipes, all the diapers and most of the shoes.

WOW!

Isn't the point of a play room to keep the mess in one place?

Yes that is a bouncy chair and a shot gun on my bathroom counter.

Doesn't everyone keep those on hand in the bathroom?

Yes, I was blog stocking when I happened upon Mel's Dare.

Why you may wonder when my house looks like this?

I'm asking myself that same question right now!

Mel's Had A ...

2010-03-12T13:58:00.000-08:00

Hell of a couple of weeks, as evidenced by the fact that she did P90X in her UNDERWARE! Yes you heard me right. I walked in her house at about 5:25 AM ready to "Bring It", Mel stood up and it became blaringly obvious that she was missing, what in my opnion is a vital piece of workout equipment, namely pants. When I politely questioned her she just shrugged. Imagine Ab Ripper with no pants. That's all I have to say about that!

Love you Mel!

Cousins

2010-03-06T16:59:00.000-08:00

I just wish you could hear Marcus singing "I was born in the South of America" in a total rocker voice (we always talk about him being born in the South). These little boys LOVE to play together. You literally have to do nothing but feed them when they are together.

We are so lucky to live in a town surrounded by family. My kids Love spending time with their cousins.

The Best Part of 2008

2010-03-06T16:45:00.000-08:00

Say Hello to the babies of 2008:
Hazel, Maleen, Hartley, Cinco, Olivia and Sawyer.
I hope you will be friends forever!

Reception

2010-03-06T16:24:00.000-08:00

Lynlee picked the Joseph Smith Memorial Building at Temple Square as the venue for her reception. She has known that she wanted her reception there since she was a little girl. The JSMB is near and dear to my heart. It is where Nathan and I had our luncheon after we got married. It is absolutely beautiful.

The tables looked beautiful even before the flowers arrived.

The cake was darling.

The flowers were beautiful.

Who says carnations aren't pretty?

The view amazing!

Fenn completely exhausted after at lest 6 hours of swimming a day for 4 days.

Steve's friends Anthony and Scott and Lynlee's friend Kaylee and Mel "toasted" the couple. They were all so sweet. These two are really loved. Melissa was not all that amused to be appointed as the "toaster" for our family (hey she is the oldest) she did an awesome job and said what we all could not. They also had a friend sing. She was amazing. Between the toasts and the songs everyone was a bit teary eyed.

When I asked Marcus if the wedding was fun he said "It didn't start off that fun but it just kept getting funner and funner." Apparently he did think it was to fun waiting for Lynlee and Steve to come out of the temple. He did have a great time with all of his cousins and yes that is him on the bottom of the dog pile.

I just love this picture!

Maleen and Hazel both had a great time playing in this window.

Here Comes the Bride (and Groom)

2010-03-06T15:56:00.000-08:00

They look so happy and we are super excited to have Steve in the family.

Our kids LOVE him and so do we!

The Kesslers have been friends of our family for years. Kyle is their oldest son super cute and super smart. We are trying to work a Rachel Kyle angle and although she agrees that he is a hottie she feels it may be awkward. We haven't given up hope that something will workout between her and Kyle or her and Tyson (he is on his mission right now. He is equally as adorable and as smart) we aren't picky we adore them both.

Our Uncle Sam is so fun!

Waiting

2010-03-06T15:39:00.000-08:00

Maleen wasn't in a great or even a good mood when I left her at the hotel with my sisters.

Apparently her mood did not improve!

Apparently these boys attempted a little wrestling while they waited.

Fenn was not amused by his wedding attire.

Steve's nieces and nephew did not appear to have any

"behavioral issues" I asked his sisters if they wanted to trade.

Steve had a LOT of friends come in from out of town to help them celebrate!

Let me start by saying THANK YOU to Mel, Rachel, Nicole, Jenny and Gib. They got left with the responsibility of getting all of the kids ready and to the temple on time as well as picking up and delivering the "walking flowers" and then watching all the kids while they waited for us to come out of the temple.

Rachel got stuck with the responsibility of picking up and delivering the walking flowers. We could tell from the beginning this was something she did NOT want to do. But because she is Rachel (totally willing to lend a hand and to nice to say no) she said that she would do it. Well right before she was ready to leave She started bawling. She did not know where to pick up the flowers, where to deliver them, where to park, and quite frankly did not want the responsibility of screwing it up. This is not typical for Rachel. So we ALL went into how can we fix this for her mode. It was decided that Rachel would pick up the flowers and come back to the hotel. Where she and Mel would load them into the Suburban and drive them over to the temple. Problem solved... we thought.

Rachel later admitted that after pulling herself together in the hotel she got in her car and had another breakdown. It had finally hit her that Lynlee was getting married...Her Lynlee, "You know it has always been Lynlee and Rachel and now she is getting married." I could relate to that feeling and I lost it for her. Mine happened the day Melissa left for BYU without a dout one of the worst days of my life. I am crying just thinking about it (embaressing but true). Loveing someone so much is just part of being a sisiter.

If My Dad Had Only Known...

2010-03-06T14:52:00.000-08:00

how much joy my Mom would get out of this steamer he would have bought her one years ago.

You would never know...

2010-03-06T14:47:00.000-08:00

That below this regular look Pharmacy (which my Dad discovered does 100 compounds a day) is...

or more specifically DELICIOUS pizza (and I don't like Pizza)

If you have ever wondered what a 23" pizza looks like now you know.

Ya, we ordered 2 of them along with a 16".

Lynlee and Rachel directed us to The Pie for dinner the night before the wedding.

It's A Shower

2010-03-06T14:36:00.000-08:00

Me and Mel fell in LOVE with these invitations.

Which also made the Perfect tags for the favors.

We had the shower at the Brick Oven.

I gained a lot of love for showing up and having everything ready!

Lynlee refused to look beyond the STANDARD kitchen supplies in her gift from Shelley and Danica.

We talked her into it!

Steve thanked Shelley for the goodies at the reception.

Right after he basically told everyone it was time to leave.

By the time she got tot he flirty apron from some of her friends she was passed being embaressed.

The baby girls had a great time at their first ALL girls event!

Maleen doesn't have a lot of love for...

2010-03-06T14:21:00.000-08:00

Her Aunt Jenny!

It all started several months ago when Jennifer showed up at our house on with a crazy hat on.

It scared Maleen to death and she hasn't had a lot of love for her since then.

Practice Run

2010-03-06T14:17:00.000-08:00

Jennifer did a great job on Lynlee's hair for the practice run.

Lynlee changed her mind on her hair styles for the actual wedding day.

Good think Jenny has skills because she looked beautiful even without any practice.

Happy Birthday..

2010-03-06T14:14:00.000-08:00

Our kids are super lucky to have Rachel for an Aunt.

She is the super fun Aunt.

The one who can always be counted on to do whatever you want.

Rachel picked Goodwood for her birthday dinner.

I can't remember the last time we ALL went out to dinner together.

It was so fun.

The Shilo Inn

2010-03-06T13:56:00.000-08:00

After MUCH debate my Dad booked our rooms for Lynlee's wedding at the Shilo Inn.

My Dad described the Shilo Inn as a

"Three star hotel with a pool open 24/7"

That was all we needed to here.

The fact that it had a continental breakfast and

was only two blocks for the Salt Lake Temple were definite bonus features.

Here is my assessment.

The pool, hot tub and sauna were awesome!

Exactly what we needed to entertain our kids.

Everyone, even grandpa loved the pool!

The hot tube was huge!

Hazel impressed us all by jumping in and going under

The pool went to 9' deep.

Total bonus!

The water was warm...

The only reason Nathan spent so much time swimming.

Ready, Set...

Jump!

As you can see we took complete advantage of the pool.

Our kids were exhaused and so were their Dads!

It was a little dated but totaly great non the less.

On the negative...

During one of the many trips down on the elevator we were "lucky" enough to ride with a Shilo Inn maintance man. Now like every kid who has ever ridden on an elevator the boys jumped when the elevator started down. The maintance man basically told Nathan and I that unless we wanted to reach the lobby smashed to slitherines we shouldn't let the boys jump because the elevator was old.

This wouldn't have been quite so disturbing if later in the week all of our kids, husbands, and Jennifer wouldn't have been trapped in the same elevator.

See Melissa's blog for the details.

Another...

2010-03-06T13:24:00.000-08:00

SNOW DAY!

Maleen loved it!

Hazel did not!

Probably because she spent most of the day like...

this!

I tried to tell her Mom to take the snow suite off.

The poor thing couldn't walk and was about 100 degrees.

The boys had a great time sledding.

Thanks Aunt Mel!

P90X

2010-02-21T09:12:00.000-08:00

Has completely taken over our lives. We talk the talk with each other and with everyone we know (we have a lot of friends on the P90X journey). We compare moves. Marcus can do an amazing number of Heart to Heart push-ups. I on the other had can't do any.

Marcus has developed a deep love for Tony Horton. We were listening to K-LOVE the other day on the Radio and Marcus told me to stop talking because he thought he heard Tony Horton. Sure enough Tony was a guest on the show.

P90X has also given Marcus some career goals. The other night he told me, "Mom, I'm going to make a P90X for kids. It is going to be super hard and they are really going to have to bring it!"

GYWC

2010-02-21T08:49:00.000-08:00

Marcus loves doing push-ups.

He's a "push-up boy."

Show him how it is done Coach Frost.

Coach Swisher checking to make sure the hold is right.

Marcus is doing wrestling.

He LOVES being a member of the Greenwave Youth Wrestling Club.
I'm still up in the air about the whole thing.

Saturday With Dad

2010-02-21T08:34:00.000-08:00

We needed a fun family day. So we took one.

We headed over to Carson.

Saw the Pharmacy my Dad and Nathan are buying.

It is nice.

Went to the Nevada State Museum.

Very fun!

Drove on the old highway to Reno.

Very pretty.

Did a little shopping.

and ate some good food along the way.

It snowed the whole way back to Fallon.

It took a couple of hours to get home.

Presidents' Day

2010-02-17T09:44:00.000-08:00

The weather was awesome.

By awesome I mean I was sweating.

Maleen had her first McDonald's Sprite.

We played for a couple of hours.

Next week it will probably snow!

Happy 21st Birthday

2010-02-04T16:55:00.001-08:00

What would we do without you? Way to sad to think about!

Love you!!!

Would You Ever Guess...

2010-02-04T09:22:00.000-08:00

That she just had surgery 4 hours earlier.

Maleen's surgery to get tubes in her ears went great. She couldn't have been better, even though she woke up at 5:30 AM and didn't get to eat until 9:45 AM (this is a girl who wants a glass of milk and breakfast right when she wakes up). The actual procedure took about 15 minutes. She was like a new child the rest of the day. We feel really blessed that things went so smoothly.

ENT

2010-01-29T20:41:00.000-08:00

We went to the Pediatric Ear Nose & Throat Specialist today and Maleen is scheduled to get tubes on Wednesday. Her ears are still very infected. I wish she didn't need them but am sure greatful the technology is available.

Sick

2010-01-27T18:57:00.001-08:00

Honesty she still looks adorable but trust me she is miserable.
Unfortunately I was unable to capture the blood curdling nose.

This is what happens everytime I put Maleen down.
Needless to say I am getting NOTHING done.
It woudn't be so bad if holding her made her stop crying;
but it doesn't really.

Maleen has had a double ear infection since the week after Thanksgiving. Not to mention double pink eye, a sinus infection and more than likely strep throat (no need to test as she was getting a major antibiotic) Well 5 antibiotics later (7 since April, More than Marcus has had his entire life) we are going back to the ENT on Friday. Who knows what Dr. Garrett will say but something has got to give.

I feel really bad for her and for me!

Teacher Work Day

2010-01-22T18:30:00.000-08:00

I LOVE NO SCHOOL DAYS!!!

We....

Made whole grain bread
Experimented with food coloring
Made sugar cookies (with one of our experiments)
Played
Played
Played

I am so blessed to be able to stay home with my kids and days like to day make me realize that
I AM LIVING THE DREAM!

P90X

2010-01-12T06:36:00.000-08:00

WOW!

I hope I can walk tomorrow.

It is soooo sad when...

2010-01-10T10:24:00.001-08:00

The Aunties go back to Utah. I wish they could just come home forever. I am wondering what I used to do before they were home. I love you guys and miss you already!

I Love Our Playroom

2010-01-10T10:19:00.000-08:00

One of the things I love best about our house is the playroom. It is so great to have a place to put all the toys and that the kids can play in and make a mess in.

Don't Break My Big Icicle...

2010-01-10T10:16:00.000-08:00

or do!

Marcus has been wanting to break this big icicle down for days. I haven't let him because I loved looking at it out my kitchen window. Well he talked his Dad into letting him and then couldn't wait to show me the pictures.

Fort Good Times...

2010-01-10T10:05:00.000-08:00

It may not look like much now but just wait.

Welcome to Fort GOOD TIMES!

These to imaginative little boys kept themselves entertained with some boxes, two roles of painters tape, yarn, and cotton balls all day.

Not one but two entrances.

When you have a Fort this awesome it is imperative that it well protected. Don't even think about touching the blue because it will mean instant death by electrocution.

The girls loved the Forte too.

Every Forte needs a "Eating Room"

Me and Mel basically moved into my Parent's house after Christmas and by the day after New Years everyone had had enough of us. Sooooo out of desperation to keep our wild kids entertained we decided to build a Forte at Mel's house. We called around and found some big boxes and with the help and Grandma and Grandpa we collected them. Then we set to work building this amazing Forte. The boys had SO MUCH FUN and I must say Mel and I had fun too.

I LOVE CHRISTMAS...

2010-01-10T10:02:00.000-08:00

a lot. I get so excited that I can't sleep all night. Nathan thinks I am worse then a kid which is probably true. Needless to say there are a ton of posts about Christmas. I had a really hard time narrowing down the moments. It may not seem like I narrowed them down at all but trust me I did. If you want to see all the posts you will have to click on older posts.

Nana and Papa's

2010-01-10T09:52:00.001-08:00

Cute little girls.

Marcus couldn't even get all the way inside before he opened his gift from Nana and Papa.

Raygen is at the great age when she loves everything everyone opens.

Our little thinker loved the Science set Conner got him.

Jace has the best imagination.

Christmas Breakfast at Nana and Papa's is one of those things you start thinking about weeks before Christmas. Needless to say I didn't take many pictures because I was way to busy eating.

This years instead of a traditional gift exchange between the adults the decision was made to do a $40.00 limit Yankee Swap. It turned out fun. The cousins draw names and do an exchange which is fun also.

SANTA

2010-01-10T08:29:00.000-08:00

Getting our picture at the top of the stairs is a Christmas tradition. We probably have 20 years worth of pictures like this one.

Seeing the boys faces as they came into the living room was so fun.

Santa wraps! My Mom insists that Santa gifts be wrapped and I am in complete agreement. Then you can savor everyones face as they unwrap the perfect gift. It makes all the weeks of planning, shopping, and stress worth it.

With a big crowd Santa has to get creative sometimes.

See what I mean about savoring the JOY!

Nice UGGS. Santa has great taste. These should keep Lyn's feet nice and warm for her February Wedding!!!!

For comfort you can not beat a pair of Dansko shoes. Especially when you are on your feet all day like Nicole is. That Santa really knows what he is doing.

Again the Joy.

I wished it and wished it and it came true. A Kindle!

By this point Maleen had no trouble opening gifts.

My Mom loves Christmas as much as the rest of us. She puts a TON of work into making Christmas MAGIC.

Nice UGGS. I could post several more pictures of Rachel with this exact face. She also has a special love of Christmas. I love that she keep the fun of Christmas alive until there were little kids in our family again. We have never had a year when we slept in past 6:30 AM.

You may be wondering why the nervous smile from a kid who finally got the gift he has been asking for since he was four years old. Well let me just tell you. Marcus has been asking for a DS for several years. I have always told him NO he had to be at least 8 years old. Well this year when he was waiting to sit on the Big Man's lap he nervously told me that he was going to as Santa for a DS and asked if I would be mad. Of course I gave him a hard time by telling him he could ask for whatever he wanted but that I didn't appreciate him going over my head and asking Santa. So when Marcus opened his DSi I think he was a little nervous that I would be mad that he had gone over my head by asking the Big Man Himself and that Santa had delivered.

Sometimes opening all those presents works up an appetite.

Nathan almost wet his pants when he opened The BOSE speakers he has been wanting.

Love my new APPLE. Now if I can just figure out how it all works.

Rachel reliving the "Christmas Miracle." aka when Santa brought her Doddie.

Maleen kept on my Dad's glasses for like 20 minutes.

Have I mentioned that we love Christmas. We love staying over at my Parent's house. Marcus put it best a few weeks before Christmas. I asked him if he was excited for Santa to come to our house. He looked at me with this very serious face and said, "Santa's not coming to our house." I asked him if Santa wasn't coming because he had been bad. He looked at me as if I had completely lost my mind and very patiently explained that Santa doesn't come to our house he comes to Grandma's. I told him that if we spent the night at our house Santa would indeed come to our house. Again with this look like I was completely pathetic he said, "Yah, but that's only four people (with his four fingers in front of me just incase I couldn't under stand what he was saying with my feeble mind) and that's boring." And I must say I have to agree with him. Christmas would be BORING without a crowd.

That's What Christmas Is All About....

2010-01-09T08:21:00.000-08:00

I am amazed everyday by this amazing family I have been blessed with. A hardworking fun loving husband and two of the most adorable precious in their own way kids ever. I mean I really feel bad for my sisters because it will be so hard for them to have kids that just aren't quite as great as mine. Sorry girls. We will love them to pieces anyway.

The Sister Exchange

2010-01-09T07:56:00.000-08:00

Rachel loved that hard backed copy of the first Harry Potter Lynlee got her. Apparently the hard back is not easy to find and doesn't come cheep. Rachee is a huge Harry Potter fan and I quote, "I wish Harry Potter was real soooo bad. I think about it everyday."

Nicole got Lynlee this awesome clock. We all coveted it!

Jenny hit the mark with this Origins gift box and the gift card to Sephora.

I think Jenny liked the GAP boyfriend jeans I got her and the plastic storage bins (she asked for them and who am I to judge).

Melissa loves to give a themed gift and she did a great job with my last name DAHL. I love the Pottery Barn wire letters, personalized stamp (I have been wishing for one of these for years) and Christmas door mat.

Mel was thrilled to see the new makeup brushes Rachel picked out for her (hers have seen better days unless you liked putting on makeup with what feels like toothpicks). She also got this adorable t-shirt from Sundance.

We have been exchanging sister gifts for years. We LOVE it so much that we have made a solum vow to never stop doing it. I mean even if times are so bad that we have to find a pretty rock and give it. It is so fun to shop for that perfect. It is even more fun to watch them open it. This year the gifts were great as usual.

I love my sisters. Anyone who knows me well has probably heard me say, "I don't have time for friends, I have 5 sisters" and I mean it. I feel so blessed to have them. The older I get the more I realize how rear and lucky I am that we love each other so much. That doesn't mean we don't get on each others nerves at times but it is the kind of situation where I can say, so and so is driving me crazy but no one, not even Nathan, had better agree with me because I will defend them to the death. Anyone who is close to their sisters knows what I mean!

Gifts from Grandma and Grandpa

2010-01-08T11:54:00.000-08:00

Maleen didn't even need to open hear chair to know she loved it!

Hazel was pretty fascinated by Maleen's chair and did not fully appreciate the pony until later. Maleen and Fenn saw the beauty of it right away.

Fenn LOVED his dinosaur. He threw his arms around it and said "I've been waiting and waiting for you."

Night vision was on the top of Marcus's Christmas list.

Malcolm didn't know he wanted night vision goggles until Marcus opened his. Good thing Grandma was thinking one step ahead.

As kids the most exciting part of Christmas Eve was opening our gifts from our Grandma and Grandpa Tucker. It was always something amazing. Well the tradition continues with the gifts from Grandma Deena and Grandpa. Everything was a hit this year.

Cousin Exchange

2010-01-08T11:26:00.000-08:00

When Mel told me Hazel wanted me to make her a pink satin pillow case I was skeptical about the idea. She loved it! I guess mother does know best. Maleen also gave her and adorable tent.

Maleen loves the doll bed Hazel got her.

Marcus got Fenn a Batman Cave.

Malcolm got Marcus a Hot Wheels Race Track.

It was hard on Marcus being the oldest cousin. The wait was worth it when he opened his comic books and remote control helicopter from Fenn. Surprisingly I think he was most excited about the comics.

Christmas Eve Dinner

2010-01-08T10:57:00.000-08:00

Yep, I made it!

Prime Rib DELICIOUS!!!!

Nathan and Kinsley have always loved each other (I think 90% of our wedding pictures have Kinsley in them).

Christmas Eve Dinner is something special at my Mom's. This year the Fosters were in Fallon for Christmas which is always extra fun. The Fosters surprised us with an extra special treat of homemade vanilla and lemon ice cream.

Christmas Cantata 2009

2010-01-08T10:22:00.000-08:00

Maleen was diagnosed with a serious double ear infection the day before the Cantata.

She was still not in the best of spirits.

I think these boys could have played XBox all night.

By the looks on everyones face and the characters involved I am sure something wildly inappropriate was just said.

We had tables set up everywhere!

We have been doing a Christmas Cantata (aka Singing Extravaganza) and ornament exchange with our Tucker Family for the past 9 years. It is so fun to get together and it is really important to me that my kids know all their cousins. This year Nathan and I hosted. We ate delicious soup complements of Shelley, Nicole, Mel, Mom, and Me. Jennifer provided the most amazingly delicious assortment of breads and everyone else brought a great smattering of desserts. The kids played and played. The adults visited up a storm and then the fun began.

Melissa read us the Christmas story and we sang the Carols. Of the 40 or so people who attended the Cantata only about 4 can hold a tune (thank goodness for the Mormon Tabernacle Backup Singers) and this year Jennifer decided that the MoTab was a bit to slow for her taste so because she is one of the 4 who can carry a tune she proceeded to lead us through the songs about 5 words ahead of the CD.

Aftern we sing we do a Yankee Swap ornament exchange. It is always fun to see the funny, beautiful, and down right crazy ornaments that people bring. It is also so fun to pull them out each year.

This is such a fun night (at least I think it is) the big boys complain but they keep coming back for more so they can't hate it to bad.

Getting into the Christmas Spirit

2010-01-08T10:15:00.001-08:00

We had Nathan's family over for a pre-Christmas Party on the 20th. I made French Dips (which I must say turned out amazing),Nathan read the Christmas Story and we all sang the corresponding carols (acapelle, yikes!) and then played a game of Pictionary boys against girls. The girls won!!! It was a fun night and a great way to kick of Christmas.

Painting the Fountain Green

2010-01-08T10:07:00.001-08:00

I need to do a little backtracking. I failed to blog about the final football event. On December 2 the City of Fallon had all of the FYFL teams who made it to a championship game paint the fountain on Maine Street Green. This is a new tradition and it was very fun. They closed Maine Street gave each of the kids a bottle of green dye and them let them climb all over the fountain and dye the water green. Each team got their own turn. They also got to climb all over the old firetruck. I think it is great that Fallon is starting to rebuild Greenwave Pride. Marcus already loves to be a Greenwave.

What do you do when the high is 5 degrees????

2009-12-10T22:05:00.000-08:00

Catch up on 3 months worth of blogging. There are pages and pages of new posts. Hope you enjoy!

Snow Day Take 2

2009-12-10T21:48:00.000-08:00

Baby it's cold outside

Ready, Set, GOOOOO!

These two are such good buddies and have the best time together.

Living the dream.

Nice balance.

Our driveway is not the steep. Sometimes you needed a little push.

Wipe-out

Yes he rode clear down the hill on his back eating the snow off his glove.

Just taking a little break.

Why ride when you can roll.
Fenn is completely covered by snow.

Yum

Yes that is right 2 snow days in a row. The city had everyone who owned a dump truck, backhoe, or road grader working to clear the roads so we couldn't use the 4-wheeler instead we used a knee board to sled down my driveway. We watched Christmas movies and made some delicious cookies. What more could you ask for.

It's a SNOW DAY!!!!!

2009-12-10T20:17:00.001-08:00

This is a sight you don't see very often in Fallon.

Too Cute!

Fenn was so excited to get outside he didn't take the time to put on his snow boots.

Lets ride!

So happy together.

What a great way to spend a day!

Looks fun!

Because we so rarely have snow most of us don't have proper snow gear. We had to make due with what we could scrounge together. Thank goodness for dryers.

I built a big fire to warm us up after playing in the snow.

Marcus saw this mask and quickly stole it from me.

Grandma brought the girls to watch the boys ride the tubes.

I mocked Nathan when he offered me this hat first thing in the morning. I quickly changed my mind after driving the 4-wheeler.

At first Hazel thought it might be fun to be ouside in the snow but then...

she realized it was not.

"Look Mom no hand!"

Maleen loves a 4 wheeler ride. She would not be denied.
Mind you she cried so hard Grandma had to take her home when we made her get off.

The boys went around and around Manchester Circle until they were frozen, tired and in tears!
This is what real fun looks like at the end of the day.

These are the four magical words I wished to hear when it started snowing Sunday night. I knew the chances of that happening were slim to none. Fallon had not had a snow day for almost 20 years. But then at 6:45 AM the phone rang and I heard the words I had wished to hear. I was to excited to sleep so I woke up Nathan and Marcus to share the exciting news. I then called Aunt Mel and Grandma to make plans.

The day started with breakfast and grandma's then off to Tedford's to get tubes. We pulled the boys around and around Manchester Circle on the tubes behind the four wheeler. They after they were frozen we headed up to my house to warm up by a fire. Grandma and Grandpa volunteered to keep the girls, they are both struggling to get over colds.

After warming up we headed back outside. It was an amazing day. One I will never forget. I am so lucky to be able to stay home and make these memories with my kids. I am also lucky to share such great experiences with my sisiter and her kids! Love you guys.

Starr Valley

2009-12-10T19:40:00.000-08:00

I have the most adorable family!

Pam keeping the babies warm!

Conner is an awesome shot.

Drew is a die hard thrower. He never complains and just keeps throwing and throwing for as long as anyone wants to shoot.

Enjoying the nice warm fire.

Just watching the action and whishing they were a littler bit bigger.

Sutton looks just like a girl version of her Dad.

Scott justing kicking back watching his partner do work.

Pull

And the Winner is...

In Annie Oakley you have to be ready. The first person says pull. He shoots the birdie and then each person after tries to piece him. If you get pieced you are out.

Looks good Raygen

Landon is getting so big.

NICE

The kids love to play under this huge coffee tableGirls share.

Maleen share!

Really girls share!

Maleen finally settled for two and Sutton one.

These two little boys really love each other.
This is totally not a staged hug.

I love that Pa loves my kids!

We love going to Starr Valley the Friday after Thanksgiving. Nathan's family does an annual Turkey Shoot. It is a lot of fun. Each team pays $20.00 to enter. The winning team gets their name on the Trophy and takes home the pot. Needless to say Nathan and I have never won. This years winner was Conner and his Dad, Scott. After the official shoot we play a game called Annie Oakley which is also very fun. We figured by the end of the weekend we had shot between 1,500 and 2,000 shells.

As usualy Pam fixed more food then anyone family could possibly eat. It was delicious! My personal favorite 1-2-3 cookies and slush.

We spent Saturday morning putting up Nana and Papa's enormous Christmas Tree. The kids had a great time and the tree looked great as usual.

It was so nice to see everyone. Pa (Pam's Dad) came from Utah and Jason and his family came all the way from Nebraska. Everyone else made the drive from Fallon. Marcus and Jace kept each other busy. They love each other and can play nonstop. Finally Saturday night they were so tired they could hardly move. Jace said, "It is time for you to go to bed and for me to go to bed." Both boys were to tired to even walk and had to be packed to bed by their Moms.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-12-10T16:19:00.001-08:00

I got to my parent's bright and early with Maleen. She loves this mega bucket of tinker toys although this is the first time she has actually played in the bucket.

Maleen loves anthing fancy. She nearly lost her mind over this headband.

About three years ago I asked for and received a sewing machine. I have gotten nonstop crap for it ever since. Mostly because I never used it. Well I finally used it and made these adorable outfits for Maleen and Hazel. I think they turned out rather adorable for a first project.

Have another olive Grandma.

Malcolm and Marcus just kicking back with some toons after dinner.

I love Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for. My husband, kids, parents, sisters, my grandma and the fact that Nathan is done with Pharmacy School to name just a few. If you are wondering why there is only one picture of Marcus, Fenn and Malcolm it is because Nathan gave us a little Thanksgiving miracle. He took the boys BB gun shooting before and after dinner.

2nd Place

2009-12-10T16:10:00.000-08:00

Marcus' team had a great season. They only lost one game during the regular season. They had the #1 defense in the league and scored more points that any other team. They lost the championship game to Fernley but were pleased as punch to win 2nd place medals. I think the coaches took it harder than the kids but who can blame them with all the hours they spent working with the kids.

November 14, 2009