Good to be back

So...I can't/won't make any promises of being the most faithful blogger, but I have missed it SOOOO much!  Like we moved to the sticks and got entirely cut of or something:) 
Life in the sticks is pretty fabulous!  We are busy...isn't everyone?:)  We bought a house last July and have been working our tails off trying to get it put together and like home.  We were totally blessed with the market crash here and SCORED on a new house...it was finished in June and we closed in July.  It has 3 bed 2 bath and an unfinished basement.  It is on .26 acres and...perfect for us:)  We LOVE IT!!!!!  So far we have put in the posts for a fence, fruit trees, rasberries, blueberries, grapes, and a mongo garden.  We were given a bunch of sod, but as we don't have a sprinkler system put in yet it is... struggling:)  For some reason I thought I'd be able to chase 2 toddler-like people AND water all day long...not so apparently:)  We had planned on getting a sprinkler system in as well, but that was before we learned that T-town doesn't come with dirt...just rock upon rock upon rock...good for the soul...? Character building...?  Something. 
Part of my blogging issue is that since we are in a new development they don't have "wired" services yet and our old but very loved computer isn't hooked up with wireless...blah blah blah...we only have internet through work and I have to be very organized the download pics onto our other comp, transfer it onto a thumbdrive, and get it loaded onto the work computer when Alan isn't working...crazy times...I'm just not that good. 

Alan just completed SWAT training...NUTS!!!!  They really run them through the ringer, but he came home really excited about all the new things they taught him and the extra practice/training they did.  120 hours worked in 6 days.  NUTS!!!!! 

Jake is 3 1/2 and amazing as ever.  His reasoning skills are incredible.  He has picked up this terrible habit of putting his fingers in his mouth.  No matter what I say or do they seem to always end up there...We were driving home the other day and Alan handed him his Pooh Bear and said, "Jake, Pooh Bear keeps putting his fingers in his mouth and it's really gross.  Can you help him remember not to do that?"  Without skipping a beat Jake reached down and stuck PB's "fingers" in his mouth and said "But Pooh Bear wants to stick his fingers in there and I'm Grandpa Pooh Bear so I can let him do whatever he wants."  He wasn't snotty about it or anything...just very matter of fact:)  Sounds like I need to have some conversations with some grandparents:)

Sam is 18 months and following closely in his brother's footprints.  He says 30-40 words...some of which you have to know Sam-ese to get, but once you know the subject on which he is discertating it's relatively simple to keep up:)  He also loves to dance and has some kickin' moves:)  He is silly and loves to tease and be tickled.  When Jake was his age he loved to play chase.  We would growl and he would run away laughing hysterically.  Sam also loves to play chase, only when you growl and threaten to chase him he runs straight at you:)  Not afraid of anything...except maybe nursery and being more than 5 feet away from Mom and Dad:) 

I taught piano for awhile last year...it was a little much for me right now so I don't think I'll pick it up again this year...maybe when the kids are a little older.  I am working in the YW program...again...still... :)  Seems I have something to learn!  I love being back in the mountains and nearer to my side of the family. 

That is about all the comp time I get today:)  I love you all and hope you are well.

Family Pics 2011

This last year has been a wild and crazy time!!!!  We have now been here for a year and a half.  Sam is 18 months old, and Jake is 3 1/2.  We bought a house and are working to finish the backyard...good times. :)   I will try to update more later, but these pics turned out so cute I just had to throw them on here:)

Sam's blessing

We had a fabulous weekend. Lots of family and friends were able to attend. Sam was a little angel...the only time he's actually slept through sacrament meeting:) It's a good thing we didn't put off the blessing anymore because he was just about bustin' outta that little shirt:) I made the pants and selected a size 2 up from what I thought he would need...they were a little long, but nice and snug everywhere else:) Crazy little boy.
We had 15 people staying at our house...one bathroom...so we thought it was going to be a little out of control, but turned out to be great:) Not one throw down over turns or having to wait in line or anything:) We had a big breakfast Sunday morning and a luncheon after church.
We felt especially blessed to have my Grandparents come kind of last minute from out of state.
It was a magnificent weekend! Thanks to everyone who came and participated!!!

Brothers

It warms my little heart to see my boys start to be good friends. Jake tries really hard to watch out for his brother and Sam is always looking for Jake. As soon as he hears Jake's voice he looks for him and gets the biggest grin on his face.

Scoot, Scoot, Scoot

Jake LOVES to scoot. Up to this last weekend he has just been borrowing his cousins. So now he has his own and it is just about the CUTEST thing I've ever seen...He figured it out SOOOO quickly. And he's so little...

Giggling

Hair cut...

Business in the front......party in the back

Gave Sammy his first haircut and this (see above) is all I have to show for it...I have a little clipping of Jake's first haircut, but for some reason it didn't occur to me to save this one...of course, Jake was almost 1 before he NEEDED a haircut so I had more time to think about it...So on Sammy's 2 month birthday we decided the mullet HAD to go...

Dressing himself and other such fun

Jake has decided that dressing himself is a good time. I wish we would have gotten a better pic of this day because it was a DO-WHO-ZE-HE! Red baseball cap, hot pink heart sunglasses, yellow and blue horizontal striped shirt, green and brown jacket, grey with vertical orange stripe pants, yellow and brown giraffe galoshes. CLASSIC! I love this kid!!!






Recently Jake is really into building things and coming up with stories about them. Please note the baby blanket under the "house" he insisted on having because it makes it quieter when he knocks the blocks down:)









We got out the floor gym for Sam...and guess who jumped right in to "help" him play with it:)












Jake is fond of "reading" scriptures. It melted my little heart when I walked in one day to hear Jake saying, "Alma and Nephi were teaching people about Jesus. And then they went swimming." So...Sam is learning the Gospel according to Jake...and what a great place to start, right? :)








Yes...that is an overwhelming 7 inches of snow that fell on April 4th...and now on May 2 it is STILL SNOWING!!!!