Shakey loves Stoney

Yeah, well.....

2011-04-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

So I didn't keep up. Life happened. Need I say more? We are so busy, particularly me. What's new with us?

Jake has a new job. He is the assistant store manager and lab manager at LensCrafters in Bozeman. After losing his job in December, he considered joining the military, going back to college, moving AGAIN to stay in prosthetics and orthotics, and then this job fell into his lap. He is most excited about the positive work environment and "atta-boys" he receives. His last place of employment was so negative all the time. He works mall hours, which isn't great for the family. We miss the 9-5 thing, but overall, things are better so we will take it! Jake is scheduled for Gamma Knife surgery at Mayo Clinic in late July. Thanks to his pursuing the military, a detailed medical exam was needed. This resulted in finding out that he AVM that we thought was eliminated from his brain in 1999 is not completely gone. We will make a vacation out of this trip and Jake will recover in Michigan. He cannot join the military because of this problem.
I have 3 jobs! I am subbing a couple of days a week now. I changed my availability from all grades to just 7-12. My goal with subbing was to get my foot in the door so I can get a full time job. Subbing at the elementary level doesn't really give me the exposure I want. I recently started working for Sylvan Learning Center. I am teaching math and reading and I love it. Like Jake, I am pleased with the atmosphere and positive work environment of this new job. Everything is positive and motivating at Sylvan. Finally, I recenlty became a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant. I have used the products off and on for years and just fell in love with them all over again. My goal to "try a little harder to be a little cuter" has blossomed into a little part-time venture that gets me makeup and skin care products for 1/2 price. In addition to my work, I am still the chauffer, cook, laundress, maid, tutor, piano and guitar instructor, preschool teacher, nurse, etc.....
Gabe is thriving. He has often struggled to stay organized and motivated when it comes to school. After all, "Mom, school is just one little thing!" but with the help of his principal, teachers, tutors, and a little stint with a therapist, he is doing much better. His confidence is growing and his smile is more frequent. He has loads of friends in the neighborhood and is so excited that the weather is nice enough for him to ride to their houses, around the neighborhood, around the little pond, to the store, etc. He is very conscious of returning home on time now that he has a new watch! He is anxiously awaiting a time when the pond is warm enough to allow him to take out his 2 man inflatable boat! Gabe's recent band concert was a success! He is an excellent drummer. He is also learning the guitar at home and is just about to finish his first lesson book. He is beginning to play songs that really sound like music that we can sing along to!
Poor Layne has had a fairly sickly winter. She had strep and ear infections several times in a row which finallly culminated in a tonsillectomy last week. As the doctor warned us, she felt great on days 1-3. Then she felt awful on day 4. Great on day 5, and awful on day 6. She is on a regimen of overlapping Tylenol and Ibuprofen and she knows, to the second, when it is time for her next dose. Poor baby. On a brighter note, she is doing fine in school. Her report card reads, "Student is a pleasure to have in class. Attitude and effort are commendable." That makes a momma proud. However, it also reads, "socializing interferes with studies." Well, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Layne recently finished up a season of dance classes with a recital where she was the star (in my opinion). She was also fantastic in her recent choir concert and shines when she sings to Disney Sing It at home. Layne is in a little piano playing slump right now, since her sicknesses have kept her down, or working on makeup work from school. Sometimes it is just too hard to do it all!!
Isaac is addicted to the Wii. Sad but true. We are all so busy that he just makes his own fun in his games. He loves all things Mario (cart, galaxy, mario vs donkey kong, super mario, blah blah). He also plays Indiana Jones quite a bit. Luckily, he goes to preschool when I sub, and he plays with friends and toys there! He also plays with his neighbor-buddy Teagan quite a bit. Right this second, they are acting out that one is Yoshi and the other is Luigi. Isaac is learning to read using the online version of the "Explode the Code" program that I used with Gabe and Layne. It is more fun for this little techno-boy to play his way to reading than it is to use the old fashioned workbooks. He is doing great. He can read any 3 letter word with a vowel in between, along with a handful of sight words. He also can identifly and duplicate all his colors, numbers, shapes, etc. He's pretty smart.

This is just me, today

2011-01-14T12:02:00.000-08:00

I have the day to MYSELF. Jake is off to a funeral in Wyoming, and he took Isaac with him, since I had hoped to get some sub jobs in his absence. Well.... I didn't, and I've had two days alone while the big kids went to school. Time to clean my whole house....time for naps.....time for blogging and eating (without sharing) and reading. It has been a blissful couple of days, even the part where I let Gabe and Layne sleep in my bed last night, with me in the middle.

Where the bunnies live....

2011-01-08T11:44:00.000-08:00

We sacrificed our second shower for our rabbits. The other alternative was the dining room. You can see they poo in a litter box. Yeah, not appetizing. So they get to live here unless we have them out to cuddle on the couch or to run around the house. Since we had them neutered, they've been delightful little friends. The white one is good enough that we could probably leave him out of the cage and just have the litter box for him (like a cat) but the tan one is pretty mischevious. I'm pretty sure he'd chew through power cords and stuff.

The Multi-Purpose Room

2011-01-07T11:30:00.000-08:00

Though we lost a lot of square footage in the move, and the kids' rooms got smaller, at least our bedroom got bigger. Now it is the everything room. A fun place to hang out. We can have someone sewing, someone at the computer, someone laying on the bed watching TV, and someone working out all in the same room at the same time. Sounds fun, huh?

View from the doorway (the bedroom)

turn left a bit (the entertainment center)

turn left a bit (the office)

turn left a bit (the sewing room)

turn left a bit (the gym)

The kids' bedrooms

2011-01-06T11:08:00.000-08:00

Recently cleaned and organized for a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Godak. They RARELY look like this, so documentation is a good thing. I can always refer to this blog post at room cleaning time and say, "this is what it should look like when you are done."

Layne's room:

The Boys' room

Living room and entry

2011-01-05T11:04:00.000-08:00

Dining room and music room combined

2011-01-04T10:52:00.000-08:00

It is so nice to make dinner and set the table and listen to Layne practice the piano at the same time. Honestly, she is a careful little learner and enjoys making pretty music. Does a mom's heart good.

My tiny kitchen in my tiny home.

2011-01-03T10:36:00.000-08:00

We moved in August to save money, and because we realized that we didn't really need all the space that we were taking up before. We downsized and simplified and it works. We got rid of a lot of stuff we had been saving and we don't miss any of that. We like this efficient little home. It suits us:

And another habit....finishing what I start.

2011-01-02T21:20:00.000-08:00

I didn't really make a resolution, per-se, because although I don't really believe in "jinxing" I kinda think that making a New Year's Resolution is kinda like that. I'm not going to make a formal statement of intent. I'm just gonna say that I have HEAPS of fabric, beads, ribbon, batting, picture frames without pictures, pictures without frames, thread yarn, various forms of glue, wood, quilt squares, incomplete photo albums, unlearned piano lessons, recipes untried, ad infinitum.

like to plan things and buy the supplies, or print out the instructions, and then look at the stuff I acquired. I start, but rarely finish. One of my goals of this 365 day journey is to share pictures of some finished stuff.

Here I am working on a blanket.

I bought said blanket 2 years ago and discoverd that the 100% silk thing, albeit gorgeous, wouldn't stay on our bed. After Jake's endless complaining about the blanket, we retired it to the closet and pulled out a flannel quilt instead. Then I got industrious and pinned flannel to the backside of the pretty silk bedspread. But safety pins on a bedspread.....well, not such a good idea. Jake complained some more. I took it off and very carefully pinned the flannel on with straight pins and put it in the closet. Because I needed those pins for another project (bwahahah), I recently (finally) sewed the flannel on. Tonight I am tying it with floss to keep it from shifting. All-in-all, this project probably took 2 hours over the course of two years. Sigh.....I WILL learn, really I will.

In the name of consistency....

2011-01-01T20:48:00.000-08:00

My dear friend, Kim, called me up and offered me a challenge. She said she needs to do SOMETHING every day, just to prove she can and she thought of ME when she was approaching this project. Funny how some people just KNOW you like that. She suggested we post a picture a day for 365 days. Perfect. I think I can do THAT. I've considered stuff like this before. After watching Julie and Julia, I considered cooking all the recipes in a 1931 Fannie Farmer Boston Cooking School book I have, and blogging about that but seriously, look at my other two blogs for giggles. You can see how consistent I am with these blogs. One picture each day, though. How hard can THAT be? Baby steps, right?

Oh, and she didn't say I had to TAKE the picture that day. Maybe she meant that, but I don't recall her saying it, so the fact that January 1st's picture was taken on December 24th doesn't mean I cheated....right? Or does it?

What a bad, bad blogger I've been!

2010-09-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

I am one month away from an annual visit from my parents and (thanks to a loving nudge from my dad), I realized that I have not blogged about anything since their last visit. Eeek. I'm working today, subsitute teaching (read babysitting) High School Science and will be showing the same Astronomy movie for 6 consecutive hours. I guess I have time to blog..... Too bad my pictures are all at home! I need to invest in one of those remote access programs so I can blog while I babysit.

So, since last October.....what has happened?? Here goes:

* Gabe turned 10 in November. We had a birthday party for him, complete with a camoflauge cake. He had a snow party for his birthday. His friends came in their snow clothes and they build snow forts in the empty lot next door. We had pizza and cocoa and all the boys took turns shooting Gabe's new bow.

* Layne and Kristin had a one-year stint with Girl Scouts. Both participants burned out on that program. We'll have to buy our girl scout cookies from someone else next year.

* Gabe continued with Cub Scouts and earned his Bear badge.

* We had Thanksgiving with the Godak family at our house. How fun it was to live close enough to everyone to invite them for a holiday. It wasn't like when I was a child, of course, when my aunts and uncles and grandparents traveled just 45 minutes or less to our home in the early afternoon and then went home at bedtime, but "close" is relative, right? Christie and Scott came with Ashley, Cameron, and Brooke from the Salt Lake area (about 8 hours away). John and Colleen came with Kayla and Gracie from Idaho Falls (just 3 hours away). Jack, Connie, Caren, and Joe came down from Coeur d'Alene (about 6 hours away). We got to visit for several days. We went sledding and shopping. The kids pretty much entertained themselves and allowed the grownups to do the same.

* Jake turned 36. We celebrated with leftover Thanksgiving pies and cinnamon rolls while we were all still together for the holiday.

* We had a quiet Christmas at home. Packages of gifts came in the mail from Michigan and Idaho and we kept them all sealed until Christmas. The anticipation was intense. Christmas morning was magical and EARLY. I think we were done with stockings and presents by 8:00 am! We had cinnamon rolls, of course, and just relaxed and played with the new toys. Later that evening, we had a dinner of appetizers while watching A Christmas Story on TV (you'll shoot your eye out!)

* I applied for a paraprofessional job at one of our elementary schools and did not get it. The principal suggested I substitute teach to gain more exposure in the district. I started doing so and ended up subbing 3-5 days per week throughout the remaining school year. I also applied for, and received, my Montana Teaching License. Now I'm just waiting for an English position to open up.

* Meanwhile, Gabe was in 4th grade with Mrs. Brink as his teacher. Layne was in 2nd grade with Mrs. Zwagerman, and Isaac attended the Angel Academy preschool.

* Layne and Kristin started playing the piano again. We tried learning when Layne was 5 and it just wasn't the right time. Now it is going much better. Both students are progressing and learning new songs all the time. It is obvious, however, that since Layne practices more, she will soon surpass her mother and will likely need a professional teacher.

* Jake and Gabe began playing the guitar. Both have electric guitars and are learning to play together.

* In May, Kristin turned 37.

* In June, Gabe went to Cub Scout Day Camp and we went swimming at Bogert pool a couple of times. We also discovered that hiking in Montana is so much fun!

* The fourth of July was spent (again) in Idaho Falls, where the fireworks are FANTASTIC. We chose a place at the park the night before and marked it with spray paint and then the guys arrived early in the morning to set up the grill, awning, blankets, coolers, even a nap cot. This year, the guys did all of this set-up while the moms took the kids to the parade. We spent the day eating, talking, playing games, walking the food and craft booths, and finally settled in for the fireworks. After all the excitement and waiting, Gabe and Isaac slept through the show!

* In July, Layne turned 8 and made the decision to be baptized. For her birthday, she recieved a Lionhead rabbit which she named Oreo. Her brothers also received a rabbit to share, which they named Scampers. They are cute, cuddly, welcome members of our family. Layne had a "spa party" where we did facial masks, soaked our feet in the jacuzzi, painted fingers and toes, played games, and watched a movie....all in our pajamas! I made a two layer lemon cake with lemon fondant flower decorations.

* We temporarily gained a son and a big brother! I've been on the Southwestern Alumni list for years and have not been contacted until now. I recieved a call from headquarters in Nashville asking if we would host a student from Estonia. We agreed to do so and were glad we did. Rauno Avel, the National Estonian cross-country ski champion became a member of the family. He taught us about Estonian history (which is fascinating), introduced us to traditional Must Leib (black bread), which I learned to bake. He played piano with Layne and allowed her to climb on him endlessly. He cared for Lucy and the bunnies in our absences. He went hiking with us. Jake helped him fix his car when it broke down. We cheered him in his bookselling endeavors and I even got to be a guest speaker at a Sunday meeting! He was fun to have around and we miss him very much.

* We went camping with Jake's parents. We found a great campground on a river near our home. The kids waded in the river and rode Grandma and Grandpa's bikes.....until they had a major crash. Luckily, they only experienced road rash and bumps and bruises. No ER trip was needed.

* In a whirlwind Friday to Tuesday conglomeration of events in August, Jake's sister got married and Layne was baptized. We went up to Coeur d'Alene for the reception(prior to the wedding). Then we all drove down to Idaho Falls, where Laynie was baptized, and we went out to dinner. The following day, Caren and Joe were married in the Idaho Falls Temple. Kristin made Caren's veil (36 feet of beadwork), Layne's Jr. Bridesmaid dress, and necklaces for Layne and her two cousins to wear for this event.

* Just a week after this wedding, we welcomed a new niece to the family. John and Colleen had their third baby girl! We now have Kayla Jean, Gracie Jean, and Cassie Jean Godak in our family! We'll travel to Idaho Falls for her baby blessing soon.

* Because August just seemed to have not enough action, we decided to move. When a friend moved into a townhouse to save money, we thought, "hey, why don't we do that?" So we DID. We sold lots of furniture on Craigslist, and lots of other stuff at a yard sale. We rented a storage unit, and we downsized. This, and my subbing, should help us save some money this year! We've been married 15 years and haven't saved a dime. The time has come!

* Now, here we are, back in the grind. Gabe is in 5th grade with Mrs. Hansen. Layne is in 3rd grade with Mrs. Frazer. Isaac is attending Milk n Cookie preschool and is quite happy there. Our 4 year old neighbor, and Isaac's new friend also attends this school. On school days, they play all day, come home and eat dinner at their homes, and then play again until bedtime! We also trade babysitting with the Jeffery family and Isaac plays with his friend, Ethan, on those days.

* Jake's job is still going well. He works with some difficult personalities, which is a challenge, but if anyone can "hug a porcupine," it is Jake. He can get along with anyone.

YELLOWSTONE PARK

2009-10-26T15:11:00.000-07:00

Grandma Vicki and Grandpa Gary came to visit from Michigan. They came with T-shirts from their trip to Mount Rushmore and lots of gifts from Aunt Marcia. While they were here, we went to Yellowstone Park. We went in the North Entrance and out the West Entrance. Afterwards, we stayed in a hotel with a pool and a waterslide.

Here are the kids with "Flat Nicholas" who was sent

by a friend from California to share our adventure

The view from Lower Falls

Looking at those falls from across the Canyon

In front of Old Faithful

We drove up on this wounded Buffalo after a fight

And then found this. The darker buffalo is pushing

the wounded lighter colored buffalo up. It did get up

and walk away.

Dad said he wouldn't leave the park until he saw an Elk.

Good thing we saw these as we were driving out.

Isaac coming down the ladder, not the

slide. Later, he did go down, on Mommy's

lap!

Gabe

Laynie

My Newest Creation

2009-10-26T15:07:00.000-07:00

My Grandma Babe left me her pictures and her craft supplies. I found her notes (tiny pencil-written notes) inside the several quilt books she had used over the years. This quilt pattern had been used by her. I followed the directions (and Grandma's chicken-scratch) to make this duvet cover for my boys' American Military-themed room.

Did you notice? I QUIT using fake names

2009-10-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

That's all. I hope we don't get stalked!

Labor Day Weekend Trip to Coeur d'Alene

2009-10-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

We are really blessed to live much closer to Jake's family. In just 6 hours, including a stop at Taco Bell, we were at Grandma and Grandpa's house! We got to sleep in the camper. The kids got to call Joe "Uncle" for the first time. There was great food from the garden, bubbles to blow, dogs to love, huckleberries to pick (okay, so there weren't huckleberries at all), pine cones to gather, and finally, corn to harvest. We came home with 13 dozen ears of corn, now shucked, blanched, cut, bagged and frozen!

We went to pick huckleberries and left with a photo of a chipmunk
and a bag of pinecones!!

This was hilarious. I had a cheese sandwich and the dogs' heads
followed that sandwich in unison. It was like choreography!!

THE START OF A NEW SCHOOL YEAR

2009-08-26T21:51:00.000-07:00

If I could plan a perfect day, it would look very much like today. It was hot and sunny. The kids were finally free to use their bikes after a week-long grounding (earned by taking a bike ride when it was time to go to the eye doctor). They rose early, dressed, and went off to have one last great day with friends. Meanwhile, a soon-to-be new friend of mine arrived. I had agreed to teach her to can peaches and while doing that task, we learned that we both love books, we both try to cook as naturally as we can, we enjoy wild game, raw milk, fresh fruit. We are both annoyed by "kids these days" or rather by kids not raised to respect their elders. After the peaches were canned and the kids came home for lunch, we took a spontaneous trip to Bogert Pool. We had attempted this trip last Friday but lightning spoiled the fun (I wasn't too excited by the outing that night anyway.) We used our rain checks and had a great time. The BEST part was Bubba learning to swim! He just refused to wear the life jacket and insisted on staying in the shallow pool with mommy. After several slides down the duckie slide, we began practicing the kicking and doggy paddling back and forth across the pool and back to duckie (with mom holding under the armpits). After doing this routine many times, I watched him go down the slide and then just STAY under. I looked closely, not feeling alarmed, and saw that he was paddling arms and legs ferociously. He wasn't making much progress but his effort was grand. After much praise and adoration, we practiced and practiced some more until he was ready to call the "big kids from the big pool." They also praised with all the love and pride in their big kid hearts and jumped in and played with him for over an hour. I love to see my kids loving one another. We returned home to a quick dinner and back-to-school night for BigStack. He has a big locker all to himself, a kind teacher, and an excitement for school that I have never seen before. We left feeling very encouraged. LadyBug's back-to-school night, which we attended yesterday was equally exciting. We decided that a trip to Dairy Queen was in order and we allowed the kids to get more than just a cone.... a whole big sundae. Then off to the store for lunch-box goodies and home for a father's blessing. Once the kids were in bed, I prepared lunches and made zucchini bread to have for breakfast. I am glad I have this blog. I have decided on a few back-to-school traditions:

1. Swimming on the last day of summer vacation, weather permitting.
2. Dairy Queen for real sundaes the night before school.
3. Home canned peaches and zucchini bread for breakfast on the first day.

I regret that I still have no camera to capture this.

Dangit, this blog is about to get boring....

2009-08-16T16:57:00.001-07:00

So, on Saturday, Shakey was off on a business trip, so I took my kids to the Museum of the Rockies. I went off with camera in hand and took several fantastic pictures of the kids looking for treasure with metal detectors, lounging by antique vehicles, and being "eaten" by the larges T-rex head in the world. Well, that T-rex shot was the last to be taken by my trusty Kodak. No idea where I sat it down or if it fell out of my purse during the awesome planetarian show, but after doing the whole museum a second time, and checking the front desk over and over, no camera. I was unable to take a picture of the kids panning for garnet stones, dressing in antique clothing, contemplating the use of a cold chamber pot, smelling heirloom flowers, standing in a giant teepee, playing hoop games in the farmhouse yard, nada. I am crushed. Maybe Santa will bring me one for Christmas.....

Two new adventures

2009-08-12T20:28:00.000-07:00

Ever since we moved to Montana, and LadyBug started seeing horses from the freeway, she was in heaven. This is certainly horse country and she thinks she needs one. Well, since our yard is currently the size of a postage stamp,we told her she'd have to be happy with other people's horses for a while. Shakey's boss has 5 horses and a 13 year old who knows how to care for them so last Friday we all went over to ride horses and watch the fights. LadyBug and Bubba both got to ride and thoroughly enjoyed it. Bubba says he doesn't like horses. He just likes to ride on them. LadyBug shocked us all when riding WITH Stoney. We were getting instructions on how to turn the horse this way and that, and how to stop the horse when LadyBug says, "I think I know how to get him to go fast" and soundly smacked her heels into poor Mo's sides. Sure enough, that IS the way to get him to go fast. Did Stoney remember how to STOP the horse, yes, she did. After a few panicked seconds, a good yank on the reigns and a stern "WHOA" stopped old Mo. Whew. LadyBug will be receiving lessons on grooming, feeding, saddling, and riding Mo through the fall. Best thing that ever happened to her.

The next day, we went off-roading! About a week after arriving here, Stoney and the kids attempted a trip to Fairy Lake. We soon learned that, even in June, there is enough snow in the mountains to make this trip impossible. So, we tackled it again, with Shakey at the wheel, thank goodness. 7 miles of muddy two-track later, we found her. Honestly, it is the most beautiful, pristine little lake you could wish for. The water was clear and turquiose and snow was STILL visible, in early August! We wished we had brought warmer clothes and matches to build a fire. We'd have stayed much longer than we did. Manageable wooden stairs lead down to the lake and a fairly easy hike takes you all the way around. It was the plan for ALL of us to eat our lunch (a philly steak sub prepared at home, which was still warm when we stopped) and then hike around. Bubba (our hiking leader) had made it about 1/3 of the way around when he found the ONLY puddle within 2 miles and fell face first into it. It was too cold for him to continue so Shakey took him back to the car to strip down and put on Shakey's XL sweatshirt. Stoney, BigStack, LadyBug, and LucyDog continued. We all managed quite nicely except for LucyDog who we feared wouldn't make it back up the wooden stairs. Other hikers actually laughed at the "menacing" Rottweiler panting and gasping all the way.

My beautiful sister's beautiful family

2009-08-06T11:26:00.000-07:00

My brother-in law (let's call him Jerry Jeff for the sake of the blog), several of his siblings, and my niece (pictured in green) have a genetic condition, called Polycystic Kidney Disease. Jerry Jeff recieved a transplant several years ago. When his sister needed a kidney, my sister (Mowsh) volunteered but was not a match, so she decided to pay it forward. She offered her kidney to anyone who needed it. In two weeks she will be going to Birmingham, Alabama to donate her kidney to a 71 year old woman. She figured, "I'd give it to my mom, why not someone else's mom?" Incidentally, Jerry Jeff's sister has already recieved her kidney. I love this story and I love my big sister.

LadyBug's sleep problems........

2009-08-06T08:55:00.001-07:00

So.... a few weeks ago, LadyBug came to Shakey at about 11:00 PM telling him that she "couldn't take it any more." Our home is right by the freeway. Although the rest of us got used to the road noise pretty quickly, LadyBug, our light sleeper did not. The next day, Shakey swapped the office for LadyBug's room, so she could be on the backside of the house. Problem solved.....until it got hot, and we let them all go to bed in our room for one night (we moved them once it cooled down). So, now any slightly warm-ish evening has requests to sleep in our room because it is "too hot." Sigh. Alas, last night LadyBug touched the heart of her father with her plea that "I just can't get comfortable." So, he let her sleep in our bed, to be more comfortable. Here, is "comfortable" LadyBug in our bed.

Lewis and Clark Caverns

2009-08-02T22:14:00.001-07:00

Bigstack got to be a part of the tour. The tour guide let him hold a flashlight and explain things as people walked past.

and so did LadyBug

It is so hard to capture the grandeur of this place. It is truly miraculous that it even exists.

It took us 30 minutes to hike to the caves. We spent 1.5 hours inside, deep underground. We had to slide through narrow passageways on our bums and climb stairs chiseled out of rock.

For waking up on a Saturday morning with nothing to do, we were so blessed to take part in this natural wonder, just one hour from our home

We even got Montana license plates. Do you believe it??

2009-08-02T22:12:00.000-07:00

It isn't THAT surprising that my car ended up with Montana plates. After all, my car has always complied with the law. I have had Michigan plates, Idaho plates, California plates, and now Montana Plates

Shakey, on the other hand, has had the same Idaho plates on this Tiburon since it was purchased in 2004. Since then, we have lived in Michigan and California. Apparently neither of those places felt "right." I am HAPPY that he is content with Montana. Geesh.

LadyBug's 7th Birthday party

2009-08-02T22:11:00.002-07:00

When the guests arrived, Shakey led the kids in a rousing game of Digital Candyland. We decided that the kids are now too old for this game and it isn't as fun as it once was.

After the game, we ate LadyBug's favorites: homemade macaroni and cheese (but she has decided that next year she wants me to buy it from the Walmart Deli, 'cause it's better), fresh strawberries, and brocolli and carrots with ranch. The blue punch is strictly theme-oriented.

Pin the fin on the dolphin was great. As usual, the birthday girl cheated, and we let her.

Then we walked to our neighborhood park. This is the scene we witness as we walk there, almost daily.

The pinata experience, though fun for the children, was heartbreaking for Stoney, since she MADE that gorgeous dolphin over the course of several days.

This cake was also hard to cut, though Stoney learned a new technique and it wasn't as hard as it might look.

This sweet angel-faced girl was more than worth the effort! Happy Birthday LadyBug.

4th of July in Idaho Falls

2009-08-02T22:11:00.001-07:00

Our kids plus Kayla and Gracie

BigStack playing cards with Vanessa

All the Curtis kids plus our kiddoes

Bubba with John's new bird dog, Sadie.

Now that we live so close to John and Colleen (just 3.5 hours) we plan to see much more of them. It sure was fun to join them on the 4th. Traditionally, the Curtis family gets together on the 3rd to play a game of Cops and Robbers. WE were happy to have the opportunity to join them. After dark, parents and kids alike strike out to try to make it from the Curtis home to a location in town. The dark-clothed runners are the robbers. The object of the game is to avoid the cops, or a van with an adult in it, out to find the robbers. We teamed up and ran. Colleen, Layne, and I got caught several times but kept on going 'cause it was fun! The next day, we went to the street fair and pitched tents to wait for the fireworks. It was a beautiful day, despite a short rain shower. The fireworks were better than any I recall seeing since I was 16 and in Washington DC!!

Palisades Falls

2009-08-02T22:10:00.002-07:00

Jack and Connie (Shakey's parents) came to visit and we wanted to show off our area. We went to Palisades Falls, which was magnificent. The drive there was beyond our expectations and then the falls were amazing. We were even more convinced that moving here was a good choice. It was rainy to begin with and then misty at the falls so these pictures aren't great.

We moved into the perfect house for us

2009-08-02T22:10:00.001-07:00

So, after 3 days of searching, no no avail, we had settled on a too-small condo and a storage unit. We had paid a small holding fee and began making move-in plans when we got a call from a property manager whom we had met in Wendy's, of all places. She had overheard us talking and told us to call her. We did, but she didn't have anything we were interested in. We were thrilled that she found us a HOUSE with a YARD. And it isn't just A house, it is a floorplan made for us. If we build in two years, as we hope, we will build this house all over again.

Before

After 2 months. We have had lots of experience with turning around a sad looking yard.

This is the living room that you walk into from the front door. It is small but it works just right for us. The closet you see there is deep and under the stairs. When we build, we will eliminate this closet and make stairs to a basement.

This is a different angle of the living room.

First floor master bedroom. It is right next to the living room.

Another angle of the master bedroom. Can you see how that closet is just as deep as that bathroom. I guess I need to do some shopping because we can only fill about 1/4 of it.

This is the hallway that leads to the stairs, then the kitchen/dining, laundry, and garage. The first door is a nice big coat closet for Montana winter clothing. The second door is a tiny 1/2 bath.

Kitchen. Laundry room is through the door you see there. Door to the garage is in there.

Dining and the door to our tiny backyard.

And the view from our front door. See the yellow truck? Yeah, that's the FREEWAY. We do not sit on our front porch (cute as it is) and chit chat. We'd have to yell. This is why we need to build the house in a different location.

We moved to Montana

2009-08-02T22:08:00.000-07:00

We got the video players running while we loaded up the last of the stuff. It was 105 degrees at 10:00 am when we left on June 3, 2009. We were happy to say goodbye to California summers.

This is at a rest area someplace. We took some time to just get out and rest. This drive was long for everyone.

BigStack rode with Shakey in the Uhaul. Bubba and LadyBug rode with Stoney in the 4Runner. That 4Runner did not enjoy going over the mountains pulling that car. Whew!

Finally in Bozeman, LadyBug and Bubba slept hard. Aren't they cute??

LadyBug plays Little Red Riding Hood

2009-08-02T22:06:00.000-07:00

LadyBug was honored to play Little Red in her class play. My dad always told me that I was the most talented child on the stage. He meant it. I now know how it feels to be on that end of the story. She was a delight to watch. I think she may have found her niche and her momma couldn't be more proud.

Pictures to come....

BigStack's 1/2 Birthday Party

2009-08-02T22:01:00.000-07:00

In November, things were hectic and we didn't manage to pull off a birthday for BigStack. We told him that the weather in May would be perfect for a birthday party and we'd do a 1/2 birthday for him. Such a good idea, huh? Well, it was, at the time. Had we known we were moving to Montana and would be deep in the throes of packing and arranging the move, we would have certainly opted for the last-minute November party. As it turned out, things were fine. BigStack invited some buddies from school to go to Chuck E Cheese's. It was a boy's only event, so Jake took them. They were given cups of tokens and allowed to run wild and have pizza. Stoney, LadyBug, and Bubba stayed home and made a chocolate Butterfinger cake with Butterfinger ice cream. After Chuck E Cheese, all the boys returned to our home for cake, ice cream, presents, and some fun in the yard and on the Wii.

Pictures to come....

Cub Scout buddies

2009-08-02T21:49:00.000-07:00

From May of 2007 to May of 2009, Stoney was the Wolf Cub leader in Paradise, CA. I was lucky enough to have BigStack as my Wolf Cub from November '07 to November '08. Gabe is now a Bear cub. Here are some pictures of the people we worked and played with. Pictured here are other fearless leaders we want to remember. Too bad there isn't a picture of me in my uniform. That color does wonders for me!

More Ponderosa Pictures: LadyBug's friends

2009-08-02T21:32:00.000-07:00

More Ponderosa Pictures BigStack's Friends

2009-08-02T21:28:00.001-07:00

The SAD last week of school.

2009-08-02T21:05:00.000-07:00

BigStack and LadyBug were sad to leave their school, and their friends, but they knew an adventure was ahead of them. "Make new friends, but keep the old; one is silver and the other gold."

Dance Class: Spring 2009

2009-08-02T18:53:00.000-07:00

Throughout the spring of 2009, I (Stoney) taught a little dance class. Sometimes we met in my home, where we cleared aside the furniture. Other times, we met at the church. My students (top to bottom, left to right) were: Audrey, Rachel, Heather, Kirsten Grace, Kylie, and my LadyBug. I hope all of these girls will have fond memories of this time.