B-E-A-UTIFUL!!!

I thought about titling this post "waiting on summer", then I realized how often I mention the weather.  This post will be no different but I'll leave the name of the season out anyway. 

Easter and Liz's wedding came and went since I posted last.  Easter Sunday we had mikelle hunt for eggs around the house and dressed everyone up for church.  Mikelle LOVED the dress she wore.  I bought it on- line dirt cheap but it is gorgeous.  She looked like a little Princess.

 Liz's wedding went well.  Just Chance and I drove down to Utah.  There we lots of babies to play with. Chance, Max, Lincoln, and Reagan all enjoyed each other's company.  Chance didn't seem to mind all the new people and places.  We had a really good. time. 



These pictures are blurry but Chance and Max were having a good chat



Outside Salt Lake Temple just after the sealing.



Jess sang and played his ukelele at Liz's bridal shower.
Chance couldn't take his eyes off him 

It's a beautiful day.  It's been rainy and cold but we are being patient.  We have a lot of hopes for this summer.  Mikelle loves to play outside and the yard is nicely fenced in.  That should help with all the canning I would like to get done this year.  I have finally gotten ahead with my flower beds thanks to Danny.  He came home early from work a couple of Saturdays ago and went to work weeding for me.  When the kids were napping he sent me to the greenhouse.  By the time I got back the beds were cleared and ready to be planted in.  Things look really nice and we even got some rose bushes for the back of the house.  Danny is great! 

I planted almost 40 tulips last Fall.  A nasty gopher got all but three...sad.

Mikelle is potty-training.  FINALLY.  She decided she would stop fighting me on it at the same time that I decided I was going to put my foot down.  She wears "big girl undies" all day now.  She can make it through naps, and through the night, but we're not quite ready to make to leap to undies at night yet.  She really likes it.  We still have some kinks to work out in the daily bathroom routine but we hope by her third birthday she should be pretty well set. 

Mikelle is wearing a princess tutu, carrying a pink patent leather purse
on one arm, a sunglasses carrying case is under the other arm, and she is
also wearing her favorite purple headband which makes her slightly resemble Rambo

Chance is walking along the furniture and gets into anything and everything he can.  He laughs a lot, very spontaneously at times.  He'll be playing by himself and just laugh out loud like he just remembered a good joke.  We find him very entertaining.  He is branching into new foods and will eat just about anything we...or Mikelle, give him.  He has grown out of the baby seats and swings and generally doesn't like to be stationary anyway.  He claps and kisses and is well on his way to waving...and Danny hopes...fishing and other father-son activities. 

That would be dirt around Chance's mouth.  Now that he is so mobile he
is also a detector of things he shouldn't have in his mouth.

I took these two photos after I realized that Mikelle had switched sandwiches
with him, taking his jam and giving him the peanut butter. No allergic reaction so we're good.

When chance started spending more time climbing on this than sitting in it
I knew it was time to put it away.

The kids get along great.  They play really well together.  Mikelle likes to play mommy with Chance.  She copies things I say telling him to "spit dat out Chancy...thas yucky" and "don't cry chancy...is a-wight".  She tries to be very helpful.  Chance is a very fast crawler and sometimes when I am a little distracted he disappears.  Mikelle always knows where he is.  I just ask her and she says it matter of fact, "oh chance is in da office" or "he's pwayin in my woom". 

Danny is very busy as usual.  He and Brad Feik have some plans for a good side job this Fall.  They've been offered some straw standing and their making plans to cut, bale, and sell it.  His business sense about these things never ceases to amaze me.  He has me making spread sheets for cost/profit analysis, he's got his feelers out for good deals on equipment, and he a Brad have been making contact with local dairies.  It will make the fall a little busier for him but it should be really good for us all around. 

I am still running everyday and trying to get in shape.  I'm not sure about the half marathon in September, that may depend on whether or not any of my sisters can run with me.  I am planning to run the 5K fun run in Haines on the 4th of July.  Beyond that I am not sure what my next goal will be.  Danny's is my coach.  He gets me up in the morning and even runs with me on days when I am not very motivated.  Things are good.  We hope to have our first family campout sometime this summer and now that Danny got a taste of hunting again I am sure there will be a bit of that too.  With the help of a kiddie pool and a lot of sun it should be a good summer. 

These are the blossoms on our biggest apple tree.  The smell wonderful.

Our Orchard, apple and plum trees are blossoming.

Almost Spring

Even though it dropped 3 inches of wet snow on monday Spring is really coming fast.  I expected a long and harsh winter and it really wasn't that bad.  The wheat is up in the field and just starting to green.  I am gearing up for another season of attempting to be a successful gardener.  Third time's the charm right?!

 Mikelle enjoyed playing in the snow with snow pants and boots that kept her dry for once.  We go to the library a couple times a month and las time Mikelle got on one of  the kid's computers and put the head phones on...her cheeks.  I couldn't stop giggling.  It was really cute.



My "chillins" are growing really fast but it's fun.  Mikelle's 2T pants are now "high-waters", and chance is already growing out of some of his 6-9 month clothes.  Mikelle is ennuciating better and better, it's easier to understand her.  She quotes her favorite movies all the time. (She is so my daughter!) She is getting along better with Chance.  She still thinks he is her personal stepping stool and thinks its fun to cover his head with blankets but we are making progress.  It helps that Chance can fight back a little.  If she gets too close she gets her hair pulled in that baby vice grip or she gets her eyes clawed at (unintentionally of course).

 Chance eats more baby food than he nurses and is just starting to feed himself.  He has been attempting to crawl for over a month now and is finally getting somewhere, literally.  He gets up on his hands and knees, sometimes toes, and launches himself forward.  It's pretty funny and he is really making progress.  He sleeps really well.  Both he and Mikelle will nap at the same time about 3 times a week.  It helps me keep my sanity. 

When Chance wakes from his morning nap Mikelle usually hears him before me and begs "go get him". Then she wants to play in his crib with him for a few minutes.  He loves it.  He really adores her.



 Danny wants it to be Spring as much as I do.  He brought some flowers home for me about a week ago.  He doesn't like to get me flowers at those predictable times like birthdays and stuff. Danny is happy as ever at work.  He should be going out to Durkee in the coming months to continue thinning Junipers out there. He is helping with some home renovating for Dale, and of course all the other normal ranch duties.  He now supervises another of Dale's employees and seems to be taking on the role of Ranch manager around there.  He is very valued for the work he does, he is a hard worker and I am very proud of him.  He's got a lot of plans for our own operation that may be coming to fruition in the next few years.  We'll see how things work out.  

 

Liz's wedding is coming up fast and all the sisters have been in planning mode for over a month now. It's fun and there is a lot to look forward to but it sure can be stressfull sometimes.  I don't miss being a bride in that regard.  Danny asked me the other day "so when the wedding is over are you going to start planning Christmas or are we gonna have break for a while?"  I tried to laugh at that one...

One of my visiting teachers loaned me her treadmill so I can train for the half marathon that I am planning to run in Sept. with my sisters.  I am not sure if I will be ready in time but I'm trying.  I can't wait for the warmer weather.  Although I am not looking forward to mowing the lawn!



sally taking a nap with one eye on mikelle playing nearby



"Sigh" and "Phew" the Holidays have come and gone

I have pretty much updated everyone on the latest and greatest of the past two months, but for the sake of blogging I'll re-hash a little.

Thanksgiving was spent with Mary, Luke, little Max and Liz.  We had way too much fun together.  Mikelle got more attention than she could ever pray for.  She adores her cousin Max and even Chance got a kick out of him.  The entire week revolved around when our kids were sleeping, but when does life not revolve around that. 



Helping Uncle Luke finish Max's bottle





We pulled off a pretty good Thanksgiving dinner.  There were five pies which we had no hope of finishing and we managed to forget to make any stuffing.  Nonetheless I still managed to put on three pounds, which I promptly lost by eating nothing but cereal and vitamins for a few days.



I am not wearing make-up...



Mary and Liz exercised their collective creative genious (which I am entirely lacking) and decorating my house and my Christmas tree.  It was all beautiful and I got lots of compliments. 

mason jars with ribbons and lights

Gingerbread house from a kit

My birthday/Christmas gift from Mary,
 the other side says Kerns

 

Christmas shopping wasn't too hard this year.  Danny isn't difficult to shop for and Mikelle is way to easy to shop for.  Thanks to Danny hitting a dear and the resulting insurance payout, we had a little extra cash for a decent, but not excessive, Christmas. 

Mikelle spent most of December redecorating the Christmas tree, removing any bells within her reach and putting many ornaments all on the same limb.  It was beautiful once I got over it. 

We overgifted Mikelle on Christmas.  She would have been content with her stocking contents which were all purchased from the Dollar Store.  We had to open most of her gifts for her.  She got some puzzles and some Disney Princess slippers. Her favorites were some mardi gras beads and a fireman hat, again both from the Dollar store. 



Her new table and chairs



Add caption





She insisted that she had to take off her PJ's to where her slippers



 Danny got more work clothes like always, and some Patrick F. McManis books that he finished in two days.  We are both enjoying the chess set we got and try to play evey chance we have when our grabby kids are sleeping.  I got a set of Pampered Chef pots and pans.  I love my husband for parting with the dough for these.

We drove to Rexburg for New Year's with Mary and Luke.  Liz and Jess drove up from Utah as well.  We had a great time doing pretty much nothing...ideal!! Chance has caught up to max a little more and they enjoyed staring at each other. 

Mikelle is all about full sentences now and is still rebeling against potty training.  Sigh.  We'll get there I am sure.  Chance grabs anything within reach, and he manages to make a lot of things within reach.  He uses his rolling as a mode of transportation and can get himself from one side of the livingroom to the other in no time. 



Danny reading a gun catalogue with Chance
showing him the gun he will buy him some day



Chance loves Mikelle and smiles and laughs at her more than Danny and I both.  Now that he is a little less fragile they play together much more and both have a great time.  Mikelle is very good at sharing, almost too good.  She gags Chance alot with her plastic food she got for Christmas. 

 

Now its January and things are getting back to normal.  The decorations are all down and I am trying to get organized.  I just finished filling a 3rd tote with the clothes Mikelle has grown out of and already have one half full from Chance.  Unbelievable. Next project is a closet of Danny's full of things he never uses but insists he needs for that one random day ten years down the road.  I love my life.  Really, I do.

Chance's Many Faces

Chance is laughing, smiling, cooing and interacting in all kinds of fun ways.  He even smiles and laughes at his crazy sister.  

He is beginning to gain some control over his hands and is reaching for things that catch his attention

Despite the fact that Mikelle has been a little rough he still loves to be hugged and kissed by her.  She can always make him stop crying when I can't get to him

He is rolling all over the place now and really enjoys being on his tummy...when he is awake.

 

 He holds his head up like a pro and can even reach for things when he is on his stomach.

I didn't think Mikelle developed this fast, so I checked my journal.  She was rolling over at three months also.

 

He is the sweetest little boy and we all adore him.