Married off the siblings

Jake's lil' sis was married in the Logan Temple on August 10th. They were beaming with happiness all day and their outdoor reception was magical; White lights, burlap flowers, candles in mason jars, yummy grub, fun music, the whole she-bang! Jake and I even got to dance in the rain. Awww..

Jake's older brother was married the following weekend on the 17th. We met up with them afterwards for dinner at the "Himilayan Kitchen." The reception was held the next day up at the cabin. Between the seriously scrumptious food prepared by the bride herself, and the photo booth out back we had a really good time.

Best wishes to both couples! We love you guys!

New Nephew Onyx

My brother Landry and his wife Kaela 

just welcomed a new baby boy:

Born July 5th 

8lbs 8oz 20 inches

Paso-Fino Open House

June 23rd and time for the annual horse open house in Mink Creek. We managed once again to make it to the in-laws ranch for some Horsin 'around!

Heidi and her fiance` had the honor of doing the flag ceremony this year, and did a really great job with it.

 

The old man obviously knows what he's doing with his 200+ animals. It's always fun to hear him spout off his knowledge and show off his skills.

Jake didn't actually break a horse this year, as he usually does, but he did look quite impressive during the gate demonstration.

We considered letting Denym get a feel for the saddle during the "open ride" time, but then thought perhaps we should wait until next year. He was, after all, only 6 weeks old.

Lots of sun, some visiting with good folks, and a few sodas later we called this years show a success! 

New Niece Nora

My brother Braeden and his wife Jackie have a new baby girl:

Born June 7 

6lbs. 7oz. 

19 3/4 in.

Happy New Year

Deep breath..... mmmmm. Nothing like the smell of the wood burning fire as I pulled up the driveway at my parents house. Between that and the blanket of snow, it felt like home right away.

I am glad we made it to Star Valley, even if it wasn't for Christmas. They still had the tree up, so we took a few pictures in front of it:

Gotta love laughing candid shots.

 She still manages to look good
even in a santa hat.
How does she do it? It must be those ridiculously white teeth!

 Here we are on the last day of 2011!

 Just me and my belly.

 

We rang in the new year by going to a family dance held at our ward building that night. At one side of the room they had a giant 2011 and on the opposite wall a giant 2012 - I am pretty sure it's sole purpose was so that we could get such a dazzling picture.

We did a little swing dancing, a bit of a waltz, a cha-cha or two, and here we are line-dancing like crazies. I always get way too into these things, but I had no idea how dearly my poor preggy self would pay for all of this the next day :) 

As midnight approached they handed out noise-makers and prepared a giant balloon drop. Wahoo! What can I say, I am a small town girl easily amused by such celebration.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We sent 2011 out with enthusiasm, and have lots to look forward to in 2012!

Had ourselves a Merry Little Christmas

We had such an outstanding Christmas that it has taken me over a month to recover and get around to blogging about it! Oh poor neglected blog...

For me, Christmas morning this year was all about opening our "gender reveal envelope."  I had an ultrasound done on December 22nd, and we had the Doctor put the results in a sealed envelope. It was only a few days to wait, but it was so hard not to peek!

All of the Pre-Christmas activities provided pretty decent distraction - We spent our time at the farm and also with their neighbors. Lots of good people, good food, and good times.

I was particularly happy about attending the Christmas Eve Dinner at the Jones' residence and to participate in their yearly tradition --- We each write down a goal for the coming year and put it in their "Gift to Jesus" stocking. Then when we all get together the following year we read what we wrote and tell everyone how successful we were at carrying through with our specific gift. I admit, Jake and I usually kind of forget and fail - but last year Jake and I had written "Start a Family" on our paper and I was happy to report that we were doing just that!

So after much cheer, present exchanging, and fudge eating we went back to the Free Farm. It was pretty late and I decided to skip the puzzle this time. (Usually I stay up until I finish a puzzle, a tradition from my own immediate family.)  We were sleepy, and so it was not too long before we went to bed....

But did I sleep at all? Nope. This was probably the first time in 10 years that I had this much anticipation built up for Christmas morning. I tried and tried to sleep, but I woke up at least once every hour and just laid there. I finally got up about 5:30 and had some Lucky Charms to pass the time. I paced around a bit and tried one last time to go back to bed. Sigh... Is it time yet!?

I believe it was about 7:00 when I came down stairs and started being purposely noisy so that everyone would get up! I know we are all adults, and we should have been sleeping in - but I wasn't about to wait until after church to open this thing... my sincerest apologies to the Free family for my bratty behavior. And so I called my parents, and the event commenced. Here is the video for your viewing enjoyment: (Disclaimer: remember that I am supposed to be chubby, that it is early, and that we are probably all still on a sugar high from the previous night.)

Mom: "Good Morning. What's happening over there?"

Me: "I got everyone up and I am holding my envelope"

Mom: "Let me go get ShaNae." (my little sister)

Me: "Okay"

Me: "Went to get ShaNae up - it might take a minute"

Vickie: "Now aren't you glad you waited for all of this?"

Me: "No." [in a grumpy sarcastic manner]

Me: [excessively fidgeting with the bow]

Me: "She's kind of like Heidi. It might take a minute. poke poke!" [referring to how hard it is to wake them up sometimes.]  

Richard: "This is the phone call. She's gotta get up."

---Pause in Recording while we wait

Me: "Here we go. I took off the bow."

Mom: "What color  was it?"

Me: "Red"

Me: "Ok. Here we go I'm nervous....." [I really was nervous, and acting so weird!]

Vickie: "I can tell"

Me:  "BOY"

Everyone:  "A BOY!" ... lots of happy laughter.

Richard: "Oh wow. It's a boy."

Vickie: "It's a boy."

Me: "I can't really tell in the picture...but it's a boy.... oh YEAH I can."

Jake: "YES you can."

Me: "That's his cute little bum." Sigh....

Richard: "Oh wow. That's exciting."

Vickie: "And that's what they were hoping for."

We were indeed hoping for a boy (although I can't imagine we would have been any less enthusiastic about a girl.)

 Here is a close up in case we haven't invaded his privacy enough:

And so we are VERY excited about welcoming this little man into our home:

As we arrived at church many of the neighbors looked at us inquisitively and awaited the news. We had worked it out the night before so I would give them certain signals.  If it was a girl, I would twirl my hair and if it was a boy I would flex my muscles. So there I was entering the chapel and flexing my muscles... hehehe.The meeting was excellent and there was a special joy in all of us. (And quite a bit of sleepiness as well- my bad!)
 
Christmas night we all gathered once more and enjoyed another present exchange. Lots and lots of crazy kids running around, as well as a lot of quality chatting. We were so spoiled and blessed.

 

...And as if that wasn't all we could have ever asked for, Jake and I had our own Merry Little Christmas when we arrived back home the day after Christmas. A late lunch at Olive Garden, a few gifts for each other, and hot chocolate by the glow of Christmas tree lights.

We're just a couple of Traveling Turkeys

We are so blessed to have so much family within driving distance. Traveling around and seeing so many of them for Thanksgiving made the past few weeks extra enjoyable --- having three separate feasts did not hurt my feelings either!

We started celebrating early when our good friend Gary came for a visit on the 16th. He finally finished his 4 year contract with the Air Force and gets to be with friends and family for the holidays. Let's see if I can find a really embarrassing picture of him.... ah! Here we go:

So he spent a few days at our house - mostly enjoying the luxury of eating, sleeping, and playing video games with Jake. In the mean time, I baked cinnamon rolls, cooked a dinner of ribs and baked potatoes, bought them mountain dew, fixed them snacks - basically spoiled them rotten and let them carry on in their manly fashion.   

That weekend we headed down to Salt Lake for an early Thanksgiving with some of Jake's family. It snowed like crazy, but I loved it!

In spite of the storm, we met up with his Mom, Wayne, older siblings, and nieces/nephews for dinner at Roosters Restaurant in Layton on Saturday. Yummy food and a good atmosphere where we could all just sit and chat.

Jake's sister has a new baby girl and we were able to stay for the blessing on Sunday. Here is our newest niece, Cassandra:

Just a few short days at work, and then we were back on the road to Salt Lake to celebrate the actual Thanksgiving Day. We picked up my oldest sister, MarLeice, at the airport then made our way to Orem. My younger sister bought a house there this year, and so she was designated hostess for our family dinner!

 Thursday morning Jake and I thoroughly enjoyed sleeping in and then turned on the Macey's Thanksgiving Day Parade. He had never watched it before - can you believe it!?

The weather was extremely nice that day, but Jake and I skipped out on the family football game due to our being sick with the cold.

I was jealous when I heard how much fun they had had. BUT, we had fun too.... uh, we watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (my choice) and James Bond Casino Royale (his choice) --- very festive shows, we know.

Thursday afternoon, we had a great pig out! nom nom nom. Turkey, stuffing,  mashed potatoes, yams, fresh veggies, rolls, and I made a frog eye salad. Something about those little frog eyes that I pretty much LOVE.

ADULT TABLE

KID TABLE

 It didn't take us long to dive into the pie and ice cream, even after a few plates full of dinner. Some of us literally dove in -

And then began the game playing and the present exchange. We decided that since everyone made it for Thanksgiving, and we weren't sure who would be around for Christmas, we would do our sibling gifts that night.

 Friday came too quickly and the morning was a rush. Showered, packed, and off to another location. My extended family on my Dad's side had a dinner at a church building on the way to where we were going, so Jake and I stopped in for a late lunch.  It's always fun to see this HUGE group get together - 13 kids in his family and all of their kids. There were over 160 people there and that did not include the ones that couldn't make it. Amazing wonderful chaos. Here's a little snippet:

K, when I saw her doing this, I was totally inspired. You can't hear the music in the background which is unfortunate, but she is stepping right on beat so it's like a little wiggle dance. Denae, you are awesome :)

Jake and I made it to Mink Creek that night at a decent time, and awaited yet another gathering. This was the gathering of "The Boys."  They all grew up making mischief together, but they don't get together very often.  The most recent picture I have of them all together was at our Wedding: 

 This time we got to see five out of these seven on Friday night. We had some "interesting" conversation and then played a few games of wally ball against a younger generation. Old crowd was triumphant! Most had to disperse the next day, but the few that were left behind had a good day in Logan, eating at the traditional "Mandarin Garden" and watching a new Jackie Chan flick. Yes.... I survived all the "guy" time somehow. Just kidding - They are really a great bunch of guys and I am glad Jake is able to keep in touch with each of them on some level.

I am sad to say we played a little too hard, because Jake and I had a very long sleepless night. By this time both of us were super sick, and didn't sleep much. Bad cough, congestion, the works. I am afraid we did not make it to church and after dragging ourselves out of bed at noon, we watched old Red Skelton Christmas episodes until it was time for lunch at 2:00.

We had to make a quick exit after eating, because Jake had left over work stuff to get done that night.

I am grateful to be home now. Thanksgiving is now officially spent, and Christmas will be EXPLODING out of our house. I've been trying to contain it since before Halloween! But I am glad that Thanksgiving was given its time in the spotlight --- We have really had so much to be grateful for this year, and always! We are thankful for the way our life has taught us so many things, and we are grateful for all of you!

Hunting Season

October 15th was upon us once again as people everywhere (mostly scruffy men folk dressed in fluorescent orange) took to the mountains.

Jake was among them (although he was one of the handsome, not-so-scruffy men folk), and within a few short hours was successful in harvesting a little buck. He spent the whole weekend with "the boys" and enjoyed some manly time.

I myself did not buy a tag this year, but instead went to visit my roots in Star Valley. The drive up there is unbelievably breathtaking in the Fall. This is Palisades Reservoir that is located about half way between our house in Rexburg and where I grew up in Fairview:

 It was evening when I arrived home, just in time to have a nice big bowl of my Mom's chicken noodle soup for dinner. Mmmmm.

Early the next morning my Dad set out for the hills and waited for the sun to come up and the deer to come out. He was also successful on the hunt! Getting a nice elk to put in the freezer.

In the mean time, my younger sister and I went on a four-wheeler ride (in our pajamas) up in the wide open spaces behind our house:

It felt really good to be home, out in the fresh air, and doing something silly:

Credit for this photo goes to ShaNae :)

Hope everyone had a safe and happy hunting experience this year! Now that the wild game is quartered and hanging in our garage... the REAL fun begins. Yikes.

Weekend well spent

I waited and waited and waited all week for my younger sister ShaNae to finally arrive Friday night! We were over due for some fun times, and we were going to have them!

That very night the crafty craze began as we made some Christmas gifts for friends. I cannot elaborate or post pictures, because some of you might just be recipients of such gifts! I know we are kind of early on the Christmas cheer, but I admit that I am already completely excited for the holidays.

The following morning we took our sweet time getting out of bed. We had some cereal with fresh raspberries - the perfect mid morning snack.  Then had a quick cleaning spree! Don't really know what possessed us to do this... but ShaNae was even nice enough to tackle our bathroom -
dun dun dun! 

We had worked up an appetite at this point so we were off to our traditional meal location - WINGERS! Have I ever mentioned that I drool and dream over their wings?  So So SOOO good. In fact, I already want some more.

Anyway, after our succulent and satisfying lunch, it was back to the house for some Fall / Halloween decorating. We re-arranged my front room and transformed it into a marvelously relaxing Autumn haven.

 

Once my "Harvest" Yankee Candle was lit, all was right with the world. Every time I smell it I feel like I am in the most perfect cozy corner that ever was! I love the room and just want to hang out in there all the time.

That night we settled in downstairs and watched some Psych episodes - this was something my husband participated in. He had been on the outside most of the day, as we carried out our crafty and "non-manly" activities. But don't feel too bad for him,  I am pretty sure he enjoyed a whole Saturday to himself.

Sunday morning was bright and sunny! It has been extremely drizzly, snowy and cold all week - It was so nice to feel the sun coming through the windows as we had breakfast. I made crepes and everyone ate their fill. Then it was off to church to enjoy a great fast and testimony meeting.

Sunday afternoon was cookie making time!!!Sugar cookies are kind of a big deal...

Pumpkins, Ghosts, cats, bats, and candy corn!  I would estimate that we made between 40 and 50 cookie masterpieces. Here are a few close up:

It was maybe sort of a little past dark when we finished and ShaNae headed back to Provo. Woops! She made it back safely, but it was probably hard to keep her eyes open while driving ---

Hahaha! Aren't these candy corn eyeballs genius!? Cracks me up! We are very glad she was able to come down and spend the weekend. Thanks ShaNaedle and see you at Thanksgiving!!!

What a beautiful mess

My little sister is all grown up and buying a house! She's been shopping around for awhile, and it's been quite a  search, but she finally found it:

Before the big move,
she wanted to make a few changes.
I drove up to help her PAINT!

She had big color plans for nearly every room in the house. Because she let her renters/roommates/friends 

each pick a color they wanted  - 

we had a lot of painting to do!

As you can see by our wall art,
we had some fun on the job.
At least for the first few hours.....

We painted all through the night!
And as daylight showed itself
out the window
we felt the affects of sleepiness.

We took a quick nap on
plastic covered mattresses -
then it was back to work!
We were on a 3 day deadline
(August 12th - 15th)
and we were running behind schedule

It's a good thing we found
a tool for edging at the store,
or we never would have finished!

 Running on fumes the last day - paint fumes that is.
But in spite of the set backs,
and lots of silliness,
we managed to finish the masterpiece.

Since then, she has put in furniture and is working on the decorating.
She pretty much loves it!

Good Luck ShaNae -
Thanks for letting me help!