We are Vain and We Love Pics of Ourselves

When Kelby first opened his office he sent out a letter to all the patients and included the pic of us below. We look stunning in black and white in the letter, but I think we look even better in color. Thanks Laree, (Kelby's secretary and a fine gal if I ever met one), for taking the family pics!
After Laree left we decided to stick around a little longer and let the boys play. I tried to capture some shots of them, but I am no Brooke Clayton. Maybe I should take a class.

Our Ian Bug debating his jump and how to accomplish it without getting wet. He succeeded.

Taylor on the same rock just playing a round. This was one popular rock.

The boys together.

Ian being silly. He climbed the rocks next to the waterfall after this pic. He loves to climb, especially rocks.

*Written Nov 1, 2009 and will appear before a post I wrote on Oct 5, 2009. Kind of confusing order, but I am posting with the Sept date because that is when it happened. I am not trying to be confusing, just succeeding.

Moving to Saint Anthony

For most of the move from Cleveland to Idaho Taylor sat in the truck with his Dad or Grandpa Western. He was bitterly dissappointed to discover that when we moved our things from storage to Saint Anthony that he would be left behind with Grandma Olson. So in response to the sudden outraged outburst, we let two little boys in turn take a ride with Dad around the neighborhood.

Ian taking his turn with Dad. If only we drove a moving truck everyday. Our Dad rocks!

Ian's first day of preschool on September 23rd! When we walked up to Mrs. Lokey's house he said, "That's my school?" in a really dissappointed incredulous way, but when I picked him up he seemed to have recovered. He related that, "I have more friends!!!" To the heck with education, this is all about friends. Maybe by college he'll have a different outlook, or maybe not.

*Please note that this was written Nov 1, 2009, but dated as Sept 23rd. This puts the post at an accurate time, but places it before the moving notice previously posted as Oct. 5th. Try not to get confused at my craziness.

Camping

We set off Friday night at 6PM to go camping at Independence Lakes. It had been a long day and taken alot of work to get ready and we were finally on our way. Fifteen minutes from our destination the Forest Service stopped us to let us know that the road was blocked by a jack-knifed truck full of rocks, and wouldn't be clear for at least 3 hours. The only other ways in required over an hour drive. Back home again....until Grandma Olson had the fine idea of Bennet Springs. So we headed there instead.

Our greeting committee consisted of a cow trotting across the dirt road entrance. We were the sole campers that night at the campground. Kind of creepy if you ask me, but in a way serene too. Just after we got to camp Kelby busted out the tent and started the marathon of trying to set everything up before darkness crept in. Taylor was ecstatic about helping and Ian had just woken up from his nap in the car, and he cried for over an hour. I was ready to lock him in the van for the night. So much crying & whining! At bedtime we thought he would just fall asleep, but the excitement of sleeping in our tent and a flashlight from Dad made that dream die fast. Ian sang at the top of his lungs the alphabet, his own theme song, and whatever else came to his mind. Not to mention the intermittent growling. It was well over an hour and a half before we even dared climb in the tent ourselves.

At breakfast we realized we forgot the syrup so Taylor informed us that we didn't camp good and we needed to do better. I asked him what if we went again, would he come? He said maybe, but maybe he would just stay with grandma. Stinker. We had jam and peanut butter after all.
After breakfast the boys played in the tent for awhile, then we decided to take them on a small hike. Here the boys are hiking the under construction trail. Stopping to take a picture along the way. They are so cute when they put their arms around each other. I love it! The other night Ian ran up to Taylor and hugged him from behind and said, "Taylor is my best friend!" To bad they don't always treat each other that way. We found a track hoe at the end of our hike, and Ian climbed into the bucket and wanted his picture taken. Taylor followed suit and this is the result.

At the end of our hike we popped out at the Pommerelle Ski Resort.

Kelby with the boys on our way back to the campsite. Ian wanted to walk along the dry creek bed. We got to climb over and under fallen logs while we hopped from rock to rock. We learned about the word 'obstacle', what it meant, and how to use it in a sentence. Taylor kept nervously asking if we were sure this would lead us back. Yep, pretty sure and of course it did.
My big photo shoot with Kelby at the camera. Check out my big guns or lack thereof, and I can ponder stuff. Who knew?

The boys wanted to join me on the muscle show. Look at all those little muscles! We are tough stuff.

Some of what we saw along our hike. I love being outside! Ian loved it so much that he kept asking to go back and walk the rockies. Another time.

While Kelby & I were cleaning up the boys decided to climb up the hill by our campsite. Taylor made it up, but screaming from Ian alerted us that he was sliding uncontrollably down on his stomach. I ran and grabbed him and found that his stomach received some light scratching, but nothing that broke the skin. That crazy kid. When we finished packing we sat up there with the boys while they threw rocks down. They could have done it for hours, but we ended it after just minutes and put them in the van.

After our rock throwing extravaganza we headed up even higher to the top of Mount Harrison. On our way up Taylor declared that he could see forever even into another country. Not quite, but there is a good view of the magic valley. He also thought that when we passed Lake Cleveland that he was going back to Cleveland, and he told Kelby that he wished Kelby had gotten a job there. That took some explaining.

These are four shots of the views from up at the top. Just a wee bit deserty for me, but still pretty in its own way. I felt nervous the entire time because Ian wanted to climb down. No fences adorned the drop-offs and my kid is crazy! I couldn't wait to buckle him back in his car seat.

We took the boys in the look-out up there. From that vantage point you can see in all directions and easily spot a wildfire. Our lucky boys are now the proud new owners of a Smokey the Bear coloring book. It pays to stop in.

It doesn't matter where we go Ian always finds a way to get into trouble. He set off the buzzer on their oven in the look-out and it took a minute or two to get it off. I am not so embarrassed anymore, in fact I am surprised if we go somewhere unscathed from Ian's curiosity.

Adios to Brock's Fam, Taylor Starts School, & See You In Two Years Kyler!

It's been a busy week and it is only Tuesday night. So far this week we have had a missionary farewell for Kyler, said good bye to Brock's family, sent Taylor off to his first day of Kindergarten, and said good bye to Kyler this afternoon as he headed out to Utah.
This is the picture that appeared on the camera as if my head was cut off. It was really funny to look at, but you can see it better now on the computer and it isn't so silly anymore. Unfortunate really.

This is our second attempt in hopes I will have a head. I think I look better with a head. We had a good time with Brock's family here. I even got a couple of runs in with Kristina, a 4 and then a 6 miler. It was so good to have someone to run with again.

Back Row: Amy, Kelby, Brock holding Porter, Kristina

Front Row: Ian, Taylor, Taylee

Taylor had his first day of school today. He walked right in and didn't look back. I don't know why I expected any different. He did the same thing the last two years at the Cleveland Music School Settlement for preschool. I should have learned from past experiences and gotten my hug and kiss before we left the house.

He did get sent off with a full stomach. We couldn't have the first day of school with anything less than waffles. That must count as my good bye kiss. I wish he was in the afternoon, but we will make do.

His day went okay. He wasn't much for talking when he got home and what I did pry out of him he didn't sound to impressed. He did tell his Dad that he had fun though, and he was excited when Kelby picked him up. Maybe boys need their dads more than we moms like to admit.

This is our last picture with Kyler for two years. We snagged him just as he was heading out the door. He was set apart today as a missionary and will enter the MTC tomorrow. He has some last minute shopping to do in the morning before he arrives so they left for Utah today. We wonder how much Kyler will change, for example, will he still eat as much? It is weird to think that he could get married when he comes back, afterall, he is still Kelby's lil' brother who refused to wear his church clothes to the temple the day we got married.

City of Rocks & Birthdays!

Yay!!! It's City of Rocks day! I have been bludgeoned with stories of how fun this place is, but I couldn't really believe it until I saw it myself, (yep people, I have no faith). Finally after seven years in the making Kelby held true to his promise that we would go, and so we did. What a great day! We had so much fun with Kelby's cousins, Aunts, Uncles, Brothers, Sisters, and Mom. I couldn't even list all that attended, so let's just say it was a good turn-out.

Some of the most exciting events included Ian landing his knee in a cactus and our canopy flew away with an unexpected gust of wind. In fact I think it was the only wind we had that day. We got the canopy back and the best part of it all was watching Kelby's sister Tysi run after it 7 months pregnant. Fun times. I also stepped in a cactus while running after the canopy. Those spindles went right through my shoes! Dang cacti! I figured out real quick why Ian put up such a stink. Here Taylor, Ian, & I are with Kris (Kelby's bro Brock's wife), Taylee (Brock's lil' gal), and Jill (Kelby's sister). Kelby took this pic of us. We had just climbed up the back of the rock everyone was climbing on. No ropes needed for this ascent, just a sharp eye on the little ones. I can now understand why my dad was always so nervous when we went hiking. I was terrified that my kids would fall!
Kelby's niece Taylee & nephew Kade (Tysi's boy) attempting the climb from the front.
Ian wanted to try rock climbing with such fervor that he just couldn't wait. In an effort to get the harness on he succeeded in getting it around his neck. Not exactly the safe way to climb. Patience is a virtue....
Katie (Kelby's cousin) & Skyler (Katie's spouse) helping Ian with the harness and last minute instructions.
A big boost from his dad and a tug from the rope by Katie and Ian is on his way.
Skyler is the pro here so he went up with Ian. I don't think Ian worked his way up to much. Between Skyler and Katie they got him to the top.
Here he comes, a pic from the top. Kelby ran around and climbed the backside to get this shot of Ian finishing his climb.

Now Taylor gets a try. He looked concerned in the beginning, but turns out I didn't need to worry. The kid did fine and loved it.
Kyler (Kelby's lil' brother) helped Taylor up along the way and guided him when necessary.
Almost there....
Taylor with Kyler & Shane (Kelby's cousin). Shane worked all day helping haul people over the edge. He even helped me when it was my turn. I hate ledges and going back over to repel down was so terrifying to me that he held my hand while I did it. Thank you Shane! He even took the pic of Taylor coming up since I didn't have the guts to sit on the cliff and do it. I would have had Kelby do it except he was busy helping Ian after he landed in the cactus. All in a days work I guess.

Going down. Taylor was the only kid who descended correctly. All the others found difficulty in trusting the rope to support them. You can depend on Taylor to follow directions if safety is on the line. He even came up to me when it was my turn and told me to listen and do what Katie and Skyler said.

Kelby and I took a stab at the whole rock climbing too. Kelby chose the challenging side while I did the climb all the kids did. To set it into perspective, I climbed up, repelled down, went to the car and got the camera, and then made my way back to take pictures of Kelby while he went up. We started at about the same time. I'll take my climb any day!
Woohoo Kelby! You made it to the top and you thought there for a minute or two that you wouldn't do it. Good thing Skyler lent you his rock climbing shoes. What a difference they make.

Later that night we celebrated birthdays. We headed out to Blaine & Lora's (Kelby's Aunt & Uncle). What a crew we had there. Everybody from City of Rocks and even more had arrived since Kyler's mission farewell was the next day. Nada (Kelby's mom) turned the big old 55. She chose a German Chocolate Cake and I chose....
...a delectable spice cake with white frosting for my 30th. Holy cow time flies!!! I'm glad I got to spend it with family. Notice the 3 is backwards. How funny! I don't know who did it, but they sure gave me a laugh so thanks!

Because I wasn't in Utah with my crazy fam they all called and wished me well. What a fun filled day. I am such a lucky girl!

Nat Soo Pah

Hanging with the fam out at the pool. Best antidote for a summer day! Everybody in Kelby's family was able to make it except Chad, Fran, and their crew. We missed you guys!

Each year Kelby's family gets together and we do something fun. This year it is Nat Soo Pah and City of Rocks. If a missionary farewell counts as fun we'll do that too. Chad had training for work in Seattle Washington unfortunately and he was lucky enough to be able to take his fam with him. Maybe next year they can make it. It will be the first year in along time since we were all together as Kelby & I haven't been here for 4 years and Brock is in dental school with his fam in Boston for the past 2 1/2 years. It just gets harder and harder to get family together the older we get and the bigger our families get!

The only proof that I was there. Kristina says my goggles are, "Hot, hot, hot!" I would have worn them even if they weren't since they were to keep my contacts in. I hate losing contacts in the water and I really dislike blindness. Kind of makes goggles a must.
The boys loved having Daddy along. Ian insisted that Dad take him down the slide instead of Mom once Kelby arrived. I'm losing my Mama's boy! Taylor still has goggle eyes in this pic. Poor kid! Taylor could take the slide on his own and took great pride in carrying his mat up to the top and setting it up for his twirling decent into the pool.
Taylor at the high dive. He jumped over and over again. For the first little bit we had someone in the water to get him just in case, but he never needed us so we quit that and just kept a tight eye on him.
Taylor's leap into the watery abyss. His 3 year old cousin Taylee went before him and you can see her making her way to the edge of the pool with her dad. Those kids couldn't get enough! Ian freaked out the first jump of the day so I wouldn't let him jump again. He refused to be towed on his back, but he wouldn't help swim. At least he had the slide!

A Day in Rexburg & Saint Anthony, ID

If you are wondering what has happened to us since we left our Cleveland abode we are still staying at Kelby's mom's house, (much to my chagrin). I must admit I really want my stuff back and I really miss wandering about my house in my underwear. Such a liberating pass time if you ask me. If you have never done it you should really try it. The best times are late at night after the kids go to bed and early in the morning. Watching TV in your skippies or reading a book is also enjoyable and I highly recommend it.

When we first arrived in Idaho we scouted out a practice in Pocatello and one in Idaho Falls. The one in Idaho Falls went off the market the day after we looked at it and the one in Pocatello fell through because there wasn't enough cash flow. How frustrated I felt! But then the best thing ever happened, we found another practice for sale and we loved it. Not just liked it, but LOVED it! This is great and now we are in what feels like a never ending process of paperwork and bank underwriting. If this doesn't work out I guess we will have to work for somebody and try again in a few years to purchase a practice of our own.

Today we tagged along with Kelby when he went up to Saint Anthony's for a second visit to the dental practice he is trying to obtain. Chart audits, ughhh. Sounds boring to me, so I rounded up the kids and we headed out of Saint Anthony to Rexburg so I could take the boys to the park. What a park they have there! I want this to work out so badly! I hope the bank sees it my way. We would love to live in Saint Anthony. We are more the small-town-folk type and yet we like convenience. Saint Anthony would provide our small town life, while Rexburg the convenience.

Taylor & Ian posing at the FREE kid's water park in Rexburg, ID. Can you believe it? You just show up and get to use it. This is great! Yes, I know that they are skinny. Yes, I do feed them believe it or not.
Doesn't this place look awesome? Taylor told me I could take him back anytime I wanted to. Thanks for the permission Taylor.

Ian was scared for the first little bit, but I got him out there a little and in so doing I got caught in the downpour of the water bucket. Not a good idea if you are wearing anything white, (oops). I then took the have-your-big-brother-show-you-around-approach while I tried to hide so people couldn't see through my wet clothes. They were so cute walking hand in hand with Taylor gently coaxing Ian up the steps to the slides. Ian eventually loved it, but I didn't see him go without Taylor once. Maybe next time.
My boys laying out after many water adventures. Yes my white little boy is wearing sunscreen!
The boys riding the Idaho Centennial Carousel. Only $1 per child per ride. So I'm cheap and they only went once, but they loved it! Thank you Miriam Pope for showing us such fun last time we ventured this way. Because of you we knew just what to do and where to go for good times.
After the water park and a carousel ride I introduced the boys to cotton candy. They weren't to impressed so I was forced to eat most of it myself.
A pic of the Snake River near Kelby's future dental office, (or so we hope).

After the time spent playing at the park and shopping in Rexburg we returned to Saint Anthony to wait for Kelby to get done with his chart audits. We headed over to the Sand Bar to see what that was like since we'd been curious about it when we saw it earlier across the river from the park. It seemed like a great place to play with a little playground and a sandy area by the water to play in. The river was sectioned off for swimming. I hope we end up living there so we can try it out.

We took the opportunity to have a picnic at the end of the day at the park near the dental office. It was such a nice evening. I loved every minute of it. We then checked out the local grocery store so we could get stocked up on drinks for the ride home. It was small, but chuck full of food. I could definitely see myself shopping there.

Lucky for us it was an uneventful ride home. We enjoyed our day immensely with just our little family. I'd forgotten what it was like to do fun things together. I hope this works out soon so we can get back to life as usual. Sounds boring to some, but I miss it something terrible!