Jacob and Morgan Family

The Summer We Didn't Stay in Taos

2011-07-31T20:26:00.024-06:00

Wow! We have had such adventures this summer! We just got home from a fantastic family vacation: reunions in Idaho and Oregon and then a week of camping in Olympic National Park, WA. It was SO nice to be able to spend time with family. We loved seeing everyone. So here's a bunch of pictures, starting backwards.

While in Olympic Natl. Park, we were able to use our passports (a first for our marriage!) and take a day trip to Victoria, British Columbia. Here's a view of the harbor. We took a ferry from Port Angeles. Very neat to watch all the boats and sea planes. Victoria is a bustling, beautiful place!

My kids are so photogenic. You take this gorgeous picture spot and...well, just look at them. Good thing they're so lovable. They did so well on our Victoria day. We had to leave camp early to catch the ferry. The boys especially loved walking around outside the ferry. We had the most beautiful, sunny, warm day and all got red faces to prove it! We went to an undersea aquarium and then walked the kids all over downtown Victoria: souvenir shopping, waffles at "WannaWafel" (coolest restaurant ever! Can we get one here?), beautiful Beacon Hill park (Victoria has such gorgeous flowers EVERYWHERE. It's amazing), childrens' farm and petting zoo, and out to dinner. I can't believe we did so much in one day. You would think the kids would have crashed on the ferry ride back to Port Angeles. Nope. They were bouncing off the walls! Too fun. I hope we can go back someday. There's still so much to do there.

Keiger actually took this picture in front of the Parliament Building. Pretty impressive, eh? Does it look like we hadn't showered in days?

Hurricane Ridge, Olympic Natl. Park. We were so excited to be able to climb up here and see the Olympics--if only the weather would cooperate. From our campsite miles below, it looked as if all the mountains were socked in with clouds. Thankfully, we took a chance and drove up anyway. One corner before we reached the visitor center, we literally climbed above the clouds and had these amazing views. SO pretty, especially with all the wildflowers, which you can't see here. Sorry. The kids loved climbing the trails, especially since they got to play in snow! Everybody loved seeing the deer all over. It was so cool to be able to look down on the clouds. Wish the pictures did it more justice. Definitely a highlight of the trip.

This deer must have really liked our van.

Any trip to Washington wouldn't be complete without a stop in Forks. Time for the Twilight tribute! Here's Bella's truck, the one and only from the movie.

Had to wait for a chance to get this picture. Forks and Port Angeles were hiliarious with "Dazzled by Twilight" stores. Forks had a big black Twilight bus that took you on the Twilight tour. Should have got a picture. The visitor's center had life size pictures of the characters all over. Should have gotten the "TEAM JACOB" license plate.

Hoh Rainforest, Olympic Natl. Park. Mosses; ferns; huge, tall trees; slugs everywhere. But no Bigfoot. Next time.

Camped at Kalaloch Beach, WA for a couple of nights. The kids could not get enough of the beach. Good thing it was just a few minute's walk from our tent. And it pretty much only rained during the night, although if anything got wet, it took FOREVER to dry out. So much moisture in the air. Check out the boys' air. Nice.

Ruby Beach, WA. Finn was the only one who'd pose with me. Well, I made him.

Kids loved throwing rocks into the water and exploring around the sea stacks. Sage got trapped in a little sea cave. I looked in to find her standing on her tiptoes on the last wee bit of sand that wasn't covered by waves yet. Her shoe got wet while she escaped, and yes, it took two days to fully dry out.

Discovered tide pools full of sea stars and anemones. Too fun to explore.

Kalaloch, WA -- We love the beach!

Lincoln Beach with the cousins. Could not get Keiger and Talon to leave! All the kids got soaking wet and had a blast.

Berry picking outside of Salem, OR. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries....a dollar a pound! I'd move to Oregon just for that! We got to visit the Smiths during our time in OR. Great to see them and their darling girls. Thanks for the heads-up on happy hour for pie. Yum.

Island Park, ID Young Family Reunion. Sage knocked her head on the bottom of the hot tub, and her tooth fell out! I will write a book someday about the funniest ways to lose a tooth. Sage keeps coming up with them. Great to see everyone at the reunion. And that's just a few of the pictures we took. We had such a good time on this vacation. We're all so grateful we were able to go and see all the family and let the cousins play together. Great memories. We love our family.

More Lagoon fun with Luke and Logan this time.

Cars 2 party with friends. Painted a cars mural; played "pin the lightning bolt on McQueen;" the kids all got a car frozen in ice--they had to thaw it out (most kids just sucked on it) to get to the car. Then we all went to the movie. We all took up most of the theater too! We were quite the crew.

Boating with friends. Way fun swimming in the lake!

I LOVE SUMMER!

2011-06-26T15:32:00.013-06:00

Jacob ran his first marathon! Hurray!

It's official! Summer is finally here, and I am in heaven! Sleeping in (as much as Finn will let me), lazy mornings, nowhere we have to be, no packing school lunches or homework, lots of splashing in the kiddie pool out back...heaven! We are loving summer! Here's a hodge-podge of our goings-ons.

We enrolled Keiger in a British Soccer Camp this summer. He pretty much plays soccer with Jacob everyday, so he was pumped for his camp to start. The camp is run by a group of young British coaches who have fantastic accents. It was really cute, I mean cool. Keiger loved Coach Adam. I loved hearing his coach call out, "Good job, Kee-guh!" and, "put the balls in the socca-locka." Keiger did really well and is quite a good player already.

Sorry, I forgot to rotate the picture. Once school got out, I headed up to Utah with the kids for a little vacation. We went to the fish hatchery. This was Finn's first time fishing and you can imagine him flinging a fishing pole all around. It was pretty funny.

My mom and I had so much fun with the kids at the Lagoon. They were all over that park! Sage is a ride-maniac! By the end of the day, Keiger had become really brave, too, and tried all sorts of fun rides. We didn't leave until 10 p.m., and only because the park was closing. Too fun.

Riding Zip at Mackenzie and Lance's house in Boise. Sage did great riding all by herself. Baby Addy was born just a few days later!

Sage turned 7 at the end of May, and we celebrated at Grandma and Grandpa's. Sage was excited to get just what she wanted for her birthday: an electric pencil sharpener! She is so funny!

At the end of the school year, Sage had a Girl Scout dinner to bridge from being a "Daisy" to a "Brownie." She was so proud to get her new brown uniform, and she looks darling in it.

We camped at Pagosa Springs, CO again this year. I still can't believe how filthy the kids can get while camping. Finn was literally covered in dirt. Probably because he just rolled around in it. Jacob also ran his first trail marathon and finished 5th overall. Seriously, he makes it look easy. Heather and I ran the 1/2 marathon and had a fun time. We've discovered this run/walk method that is wonderful.

Denver

2011-04-03T13:33:00.015-06:00

Last week, Jacob had a training for work in Denver so the kids and I braved the busy freeways and joined him for a few days. I have no idea what we would have done without a GPS (a.ka. "Miss Yelley") to help us get around. I was pretty stressed by the crazy busy roads and was so thankful we made it everywhere we wanted to go safely. And we did get to explore some great places. Denver is a cool city.

The kids were fascinated by the Downtown Aquarium. Keiger was a bit nervous at first, but he summed up the guts to touch a starfish with Sage. Sage was so excited to see a macaw since her class has been studying rainforests. When we were resting in the lounge after going through the exhibits, a trainer walked by with the "Miss Molly," the macaw and had her perform some tricks. What a treat.

Just a short walk from the aquarium is the Denver Children's Museum. Too fun. The kids had a blast in the bubble exhibit and ran, climbed, and slid all over areas decorated like forests, only cushoined. They loved shopping in the pretend market. Finn did a great job painting and even stayed pretty clean. I was impressed.

We also got to visit the Museum of Nature and Science, which is GINORMOUS! The GPS took us on a crazy route right through downtown to get there. It was nerve-wracking, but really neat to see neat landmarks like the Mint and the Capital Building. I'd definitely like to go back and explore someday. Anyway, the museum was overwhelming with so much to see and do. The kids enjoyed the animal displays, dinosaur skeletons, and I think they were grossed out by the mummy exhibit (they sucked the brains of dead people out of their noses! Eww!). There is a great view of downtown from the back of the museum, as well as geese to chase and a fun playground (my kids' favorite).

Sage loves learning and has a memory like a sponge. She loved reading whatever she could about all the exhibits we saw. Several times she surprised me by telling me the names of different animals and facts about them, like how the Lionfish has poisonous spikes. How on earth does she know all this? From what she's learned at school and from reading "101 Freaky Animals." Who knew? She certainly taught us a lot about some of the animals we got to see.

I think Finn had the most fun of all playing in the bathtub at the hotel. He could have stayed in the water forever tinkering with plastic cups.

We were able to spend a night at Kent and Rolayne's house, which was very nice of them. They were darling with the kids. When we asked Sage and Keiger what their favorite part of trip was, they both agreed it was getting to go to the Sellers' house.

So it was a super-fun trip. Too bad Jacob had to spend so much of it at his training, but we're proud of his hard work and thankful for the chance we had have this little getaway.

Spring Fever

2011-03-20T20:41:00.006-06:00

Lots to catch up on. The last couple of months have been pretty busy with some neat activities. We've been able to have some wonderful trips to the temple for friends and family and have had chances to do some fun things with our kiddos.
Sage and I met my mom for a girls' weekend in Albuquerque to see "Wicked." Fabulous! We had such a good time--even stayed in a hotel that had a waterpark. Sage was super-brave and tried the wave rider!

Give Finn a paintbrush and look what happens! He loved having his hands painted and got such a kick out of smacking his face with his hands. He also ate a bit of paint. Big surprise.

We drove up to Twin Falls over Sage's spring break to see Mackenzie and Lance sealed. Wonderful day. I spent the rest of the week in Ogden. Sage and I went skiing at Snowbasin with my dad and had a great time. We did start off with a bit of an adventure--didn't exactly pick the easiest way down. Thankfully, Sage got over that trauma pretty quick and did so well. She says she learned how to go fast!

We also took Keiger skiing this year. Here he is at Sipapu, where he mastered the "magic carpet" treadmill thing that takes you to the top of the learning slope. He didn't want anybody to help him--he just wanted to go! He did a great job.

Firsts

2011-01-03T06:43:00.004-07:00

We’ve loved getting wonderful pictures and letters from friends and family. What great reminders of the remarkable people who have touched our lives. It’s been such a wonderful Christmas vacation, just the blessing I needed to help slow down, simplify, and just be with my family. So apologies that this letter is late in coming. Since it is our FIRST time writing a New Year’s Letter, we figured we’d dedicate it to our family’s…
“Famous FIRSTS!”

SAGE
-Lost her first teeth! Drama! Drama! Drama!
-Started first grade and has her first chance to do homework. Thankfully, she has yet to have her first bad day at school. She loves it, especially being the first one to get her work done and among the first to finish her lunch so she can go to recess early.
-First year in Girl Scouts. She is the cutest little Daisy and proudly recites the motto.
-First summer riding bike without training wheels and first time swimming by herself.

KEIGER
-Turned four and had his first birthday party with friends. He has got to be the first kid to have a Buzz-Lightyear/Motorcyle party. Pin Buzz on the motorcycle is quite the game.
-Probably the first little boy to use such delightful phrases as, “Oh, my goodness gracious!” and “Awesome Possum!” He’s also the first to ask me if “goodness sake” was another name for Santa Claus. “You better watch out for goodness sake!”

FINNEAS
-First of our children to show us what it really means to write on walls and get into EVERYTHING. He’s the first to discover that he can carry the bathroom stool around to be able to reach whatever he can get his hands on.
-First to scare Sage and Keiger (okay, me and Jacob too) just by throwing stuff at them. When he raises his hand to throw, all of our hands instinctively cover our heads to protect ourselves. He’s got a good arm. I often see Keiger or Sage running away from Finn and screaming, “He’s gonna throw that at me!” Finn’s also the first one-year old I know who likes to get hit by snowballs.

MORGAN
-Ran first half-marathon.

JACOB
-Took Keiger and Sage coyote hunting for the first time.
-First year without shooting an animal in 7 years. So sad.
-Ran his first half marathon trail races where he placed 4th and 13th overall.

THE WHOLE FAM
-First trip to Disneyland where Kei rode the Matterhorn for the first and probably last time. Traumatic.
-First broken well, boiler, refrigerator and toilet overflow/flood all in one week! Then the garage door broke for the first time 1 weeks later. We had to laugh about it.

Hope the first of 2011 is great for you! This has got to be the first time we’ve written such a cheesy letter! Much love, Jacob, Morgan, Sage, Keiger & Finn

A Mouse in the House! And some pumpkins, too!

2010-10-24T13:25:00.008-06:00

Aaack! Yes! I was watching a movie the other night when a mouse (ugh!) scurried out from behind the T.V. stand! It took a couple of nights to finally catch it. I was still in bed when this lovely picture was taken--I would never have let the kids near the thing! Keiger thought it was sooo cool the mouse's eyes were still open in the trap. Yuck!

Anyway, October has been full to the brim. Jacob's grandpa passed away last week so he has been in Oregon for the funeral. The Primary Program was this morning. We got through it with no injuries so we can all breath a bit easier. The kids did great.

We've been busy each weekend with some fun activities. Last week, we drove into the middle of nowhere New Mexico to McCall's Pumpkin Patch. It was so worth the drive. What a darling place! It was like barn amusement park: hayride to the pumpkin patch, bouncy houses, rubber ducky races, petting zoo, corn maze, a big ol' trampoline jump thingee that I want in my backyard, and more. We could have stayed so much longer. It was so fun.

We had an "It's the Great Pumpkin Pajama Party" last week--made yummy caramel apples and listened to "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." Kids had fun and it got them hyped up to ride the "It's the Great Pumpkin" train in Durango yesterday. We met my parents and all boarded the narrow guage train and rode for about 30 minutes to an area where there were all sorts of games, music, trick-or-treating, and a pumpkin patch maze. When Keiger saw Snoopy, he literally bolted from us and ran right over to him. He was so excited. We looked hard, but didn't see the Great Pumpkin. Maybe next year. Poor Linus.

Sage is dressed as a dalmation, by the way. Yes, their costumes are fairly hilarious this year.

So Jacob and I went to our first adult Halloween Costume party this year. The theme for the costumes was "famously dead." Think about that for a bit. Too fun. Anyway, I went as the scandalous Cleopatra and Jacob made a great Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter. There were some great costumes, but seriously, by 10 p.m. I was so ready for bed! I can't handle late-nighters anymore--could I ever? We've been lucky to have a good year with pumpkins in the garden. The kids, Sage particularly, were excited to pose with some of them.

Happy 1st Day of Autumn!!!

2010-09-22T20:52:00.004-06:00

Hurray for Autumn, our favorite time of year!

So I've been doing a preschool playday for Keiger and one of his friends twice a week, one day at our house, one day at the other mom's house. It's been great fun. Couldn't resist putting in this photo from "BUG" day.

Goings-On

2010-09-19T20:37:00.002-06:00

So I finally took the Hunger Games icon down, but, seriously, if you haven't read those books yet, you need to. Jacob even read them. And he liked them. Since our TV broke last July, and we just haven't really thought about fixing it, we've been doing a lot of reading at night. It's actually been really nice.

So about a month ago, I noticed a bottle of "no-scent" body wash in the shower and could only think one thing. Yep. Hunting season. The time of year Jacob lives for. He drew an elk and a deer archery tag this year, and, in a word, it's been...frustrating. "Lots of elk. No good shots," as Jacob says. He has until Wednesday before his season closes. We'll see. I keep telling it's going to be just fine if we have to get meat from the grocery store. He's not convinced.

We've decided to tear apart the yard again. Why not? No really, we've been wanting to get rid of some lilacs around the house that are just unwieldy and kinda ugly. It's turning into a big project, but once it's done, we're satisfied that the yard will finally be finished!!! Yippee!

Yesterday, we made our annual trip to the raspberry ranch. We've been waiting for the berries to come on, and I must say Sage and Keiger are good little pickers. They had a good time helping out, and we came home with plenty of berries to freeze and make jam. Yummy!

So Finn is completely unlike our other kids. He really is everywhere and into everything! Non-stop! I'm exercising in the family room the other morning, and I come into the kitchen to find that Finn discovered a measuring spoon and had been scooping dirt from an indoor plant and carrying it over to dump on the couch. So there's this trail of dirt across the kitchen floor and a lovely little pile of soil on the couch. He was so pleased. I have a feeling this little guy is going to keep us busy!

Finn's 1!

2010-08-23T14:25:00.003-06:00

Happy 1st Birthday, Finneas! Finn celebrated his first birthday last Friday. Too bad he’s had a cold and has been a bit grumpy. The kids made him a great cake, we played some fun games outside, and Finn watched as Sage & Keiger opened his gifts for him. Of course, he enjoyed smearing his cake all over. Too fun. Finny is seriously such a goofy little guy, but he is so endearing that you can’t help but love him, especially us. Ever since he started to walk, he disappears into another room for a while and usually reappears with the toy stethoscope around his neck (he really likes that) or somebody’s toothbrush that he’s probably swirled around in the toilet a few times. We are all so grateful for Finn in the family.
School started last week, so it’s back to early bedtimes, lunch-packing, and new this year: homework! Sage loves 1st grade already and says it’s even better than kindergarten.

We did manage to squeeze in a little adventure on Saturday. We all packed into the truck and drove up past Red River on this narrow, bumpy, bumpy, bumpy, long dirt road to Goose Lake. The lake was pretty, but we hiked up above it to the ridge of the mountains where we could look down onto Taos Ski Valley. It was beautiful and at 12,000 feet, the highest the kids have ever been. It’s also where Jacob wants to do his deer hunting this year. So is that why we want on this hike?

Trip

2010-07-30T06:42:00.006-06:00

So we’ve been out of town for what seems like forever…nearly all of July. We were able to go to Idaho for Jacob’s cousin, Kendra’s wedding. Very nice to see all the family there. Then we went with Jacob’s parents and Justin & Maile’s family to a cabin near Park City for a little reunion. The cousins had so much fun together, and Shawnee planned some really cute things for us all to do…for the kids of course, although I’m pretty sure Jacob really enjoyed crazy hair day and learning a dance for Hawaii day. He was into it. And we all saw plenty of moose on our 4-wheeler rides.

The following week, we left the kids with my mom and went with my dad on his annual backpacking (“extreme-hiking”) trip into the Wind Rivers. There were 14 of us in all, quite a fun crew. We hiked in nearly 16 miles to a beautiful area, way up high. The Winds really are spectacular, especially high above tree line where it’s just rock and snow here and there.

As you can imagine with Jacob around, we hiked a lot and fished. I hadn’t fly-fished in two years and it is still just as fun. We found some fun spots and caught quite a few. Jacob even tried his hand at bow-fishing (yes, he packed his bow in. Are you surprised?). You should have seen the boy scouts who were with us. He had quite an eager audience when he tried to skewer the fish with his arrows. No luck, unfortunately. Yet, the scouts are completely in awe of mountain-man Jacob, and I’m sure they want to grow up to be just like him. In the midst of all of this rugged, manly activity (there were only 2 of us girls on the trip—and seriously, I was most glad to get home so I could have a little privacy. Trying to find a private bathroom spot with 13 other people camping around you can be a wee bit stressful! Anyway…), I still found time to read...a lot. There was one rainy day that gave me plenty of time to relax and read some good books—among my latest favorites: The Hunger Games and The Beekeeper’s Apprentice. Both very good.

And even though one of the scouts prayed that we would see a bear, another year went by without a sighting. I’m okay with that.

Here is a picture for all the "wildlife" enthusiasts.

Doings

2010-06-28T11:20:00.007-06:00

Jake had another half marathon trail run a couple o’ weeks ago in Pagaso Springs, CO so we made a camping trip out of it. The kids had a blast. Amazing how quickly they can get filthy! Jake did well in the race, finishing 4th, a bit behind Brad, who got 3rd. Seriously, they make this look too easy.

Williams Lake

We took a hike up to Williams Lake last weekend. It turned into an entire day trip we had so much fun. The weather is so much cooler up there, and the kids could have played forever by the water. Finn loved being in the back-pack. Surprising, I know, but he thought it was the best to be in there as long as he could find something to suck on. Sage also made friends with the Camp Robbers. Maybe she really will be a vet someday.

Wheeler Peak - highest peak in New Mexico 13,161

Bless his little heart. Keiger came running out into the garage the other day to help me bring in the groceries, and he stumbled and fell, smacking his nose into the edge of the toolbox—so he has been sporting two black eyes for the past 2 weeks. They’ve gone from black, to purple, to greenish, to yellowish. Now it’s nearly gone, but I’m used to people staring at him and then whispering to me, “What happened to Keiger?” We forgot to get a picture when it really looked "good."

Can I tell you how much I love summer? I am having so much fun just being able to be at home without worry over getting to and from school at certain times. We are so mellow and loving it. Jacob’s soccer league has begun again, the garden’s going good, the library’s summer reading program is in full swing (Sage is totally into it), the plastic pool’s up in the backyard, and I’m usually am not even ready for the day until 11 or so. Life is good. We have time to just play.

Friends invited us and the other young families in the ward over to their ranch. Horses, chickens, four-wheelers, dirt, and “root-beerd.” Hmm…I think the kids had fun.

Jacob's Half Marathon

2010-05-30T14:27:00.005-06:00

So Jacob had his half marathon last weekend. We camped at Bandalier since it was pretty close to the race site in Los Alamos. I think we all learned that our tent is a wee bit too small for our family--especially with Keiger rolling all over the place all night. It's a wonder we give him a sleeping bag and pad, because he doesn't seem to use them. Anyway, Bandalier's pretty cool, just like Mesa Verde, only smaller. The more I learned about this half marathon, the crazier it was. It was a trail run basically up Jemez Mountain (lots of elevation gain) and then back down a ways. So Jacob has been training by running up a trail up a ridge behind our house. For some strange reason, he thinks that's fun. The last bit of the course was this crazy steep uphill narrow track that was formed by water running down these rocks. Does that make any sense? Anyway, it was steep and knarly enough that I certainly would not want to run up it at the end of 13 miles. In fact, I think I only saw a couple of runners who were able to run it without walking--Jake said he was using his hands to pull himself up. The morning of the race, we woke up early and Jake downed his peanut butter sandwich on the drive to the start. Brad and Brooke from the ward also ran, and the Leishers came along, so the kids had lots of buddies to play with while we waited for them to finish the run. I was mighty surprised to see Jacob power up that last hill so early--neither of us had imagined he would finish that soon. He finished 15 minutes faster than he thought he would and ended up placing 11th or 13th (I can't remember) overall. There were 280 runners. So I was pretty proud--and he was pretty tired. Brad and Brooke did awesome as well. I was quite impressed--that was a tough course and they are very good runners. One race down for Jacob. He has one more in a couple of weeks at Pagosa Springs--so we get another camping trip.

APOLOGIES for no pictures! I forgot to take the camera--horrid, I know. You probably won't be surprised to hear that Jacob just wore an old soccer jersey and shorts--no shorty running shorts for him. Although, his ankles have become super skinny from all this running! You have to see them. I couldn't convince him to let me make him a t-shirt to run in, so we cheerleaders made shirts for ourselves to show some support for Jacob, Brad, and Brooke. Those shirts deserve a picture, because I think they're pretty cool.

Here are some pictures from the run's website (Jacob)
The bottom of the mountian (looking downhill, around 3 miles into the race)

Starting the climb (around 4 miles in)

about 5 miles in

from the top looking down to Los Alamos 6.4 miles in

Sage turned 6 yesterday if you can believe it. I can't. She had a dog birthday party earlier this week before school let out. Lots of doggie fun there. What do you get a girl for her birthday when all she wants is a dog? And we're not getting a dog. Oh well. I think she's pretty happy with the alternatives she got. Sage did finish school this week. The kindergarten class had a sweet awards ceremony, complete with puppet shows and a performance on recorders. Sage received the award for "Best at Drawing Chickens." We're so proud.

We're in Utah right now to play, and Jacob is spending his free time in Taos searching for antlers. Must be summer.

Morgan, the Half Marathon Runner

2010-04-21T06:30:00.002-06:00

So we headed down to Albuquerque this past weekend for the long-awaited half marathon. Honestly, I was so ready to just run the thing and get it over with! The training over the past few months has been pretty crazy, especially since I couldn’t even run 2 miles around Thanksgiving. So I am pretty excited to know I don’t have to go running tomorrow and I don’t have to go on a long run…unless I want to, which may not be for a little bit. We’ll see. Anyway, the morning of the race finally arrived! It had rained during the night, so part of the course was muddy, which I thought was appropriate. We are from Taos after all: land of springtime mud and wind. But, best of all, the course was FLAT!! I couldn’t get over it! Seriously, there is pretty much nowhere to run in Taos that doesn’t have hills, and I was tired of them! I cannot emphasize enough the wonderfulness of running on FLATNESS. That made all the difference. That and I had a great buddy to run with. I really can’t imagine how anyone could do something like this alone, so I am very grateful for a friend who was willing to stick around by me through all this training and eventually the race. I won’t bore you with those minor details of how fast I ran or where I placed. Suffice it to say, we set out to run the whole thing, all 13.1 miles of it, and we did. I didn’t die, and the medical staff didn’t have to remove me from the race because I looked distressed (I was worried about that!). I am quite proud. And I’m Jacob’s hero. And I got a medal. Pretty good, eh? Thank you to all our cheerleaders, whether you were there or not, and even to those I didn’t even know. You really helped!
So now we look forward to Jacob’s crazy half marathon in the Jemez Mountains next month, which includes a lot of STEEPNESS. Not good. I am very excited to go, mostly because I don’t have to run it. Jacob is pumped, and I’m all about being a cheerleader. Any suggestions about what to write on his T-shirt for him to wear during the race? Yes, Jacob, you are getting one! Even if you say you aren’t going to wear it.
Sage has been losing teeth lately, which has pretty much freaked her out. You can imagine that she wouldn’t let anyone try to help pull them out—she would barely do it herself. It seems she would rather have the teeth dangle out of her mouth forever, as you can tell by the pictures. It was a little gross. Can you see her adult tooth already growing in? After a wee bit of drama, the teeth did finally come out, painlessly too. That was really important to Sage. And she has learned that the tooth fairy really does exist and pays a lot more than what I got when I was a kid.

Disneyland

2010-03-29T05:37:00.003-06:00

I am honestly going to try to be better at updating the blog. It’s been typical spring here in Taos: warm and sunny one day, snowy the next. On Saturday morning, the kids were outside in snow-pants and coats playing in fresh snow. By the afternoon, it had melted and the sun was shining. I think we’re all ready for spring. I put in a seed order for the garden and can’t wait for it arrive so I can start some stuff. The half marathon training continues. Jake is cruising right along. It makes me soooo proud and happy to see how easy this is for him. Just kidding. He really is a good runner. On the other hand, I seriously doubt my body was made for this running business…BUT, I will make it through the race in a few weeks…I hope!

We had a blast at Disneyland last week. Even Jacob admitted that he had more fun than he thought he would (that’s huge, by the way). The weather was perfect and our kids did so well. Finn was so good to just hang out in the stroller or our arms—I think he liked having so many people around. I do think we’ve freaked Sage and Keiger out about going on rides. After taking him on the Matterhorn, Keiger was afraid to go on anything, even the train. I kinda forgot about the abominable snow monster with glowing red eyes that pops out at you on the Matterhorn. We couldn’t have traumatized him for life, right? Sage put on a brave face, and went on pretty much all the rides she was tall enough for. It was pretty funny to watch her face. She’d be so nervous during the rides, but as soon as it was over, she would talk about how “awesome” it was. But if you asked her if she wanted to go on it again…no way!

So, if you had to get stuck on one ride at Disneyland, what wouldn’t you want it to be? Yep, we got stuck on “It’s a Small World.” Poor Lance. He told us he’d never go on that ride, but we dragged if along, and, or course, something went wrong with the ride and we were stuck. At least they turned off the music! Oh, and Keiger had to go to the bathroom too! It was pretty funny.
By the way, Keiger has just learned to pee standing up. I never thought I’d be so proud, but I am!

Ever since we got home, Sage has been coloring birds and hanging them up all over our bedroom wall to turn the room into “The Tiki Room.” I got them a CD that has the music from all of the rides at Disneyland, and they’ve been listening to “The Tiki Room” over and over again, along with the yo-ho-ho song from Pirates of the Carri-BEAN as Keiger says. Anyway, if anyone wants to take a trip to Disneyland, I’m up for it.

Sage as we were headed up the climb for Space Mt

After it was all said and done.

Finally a semi-post

2010-03-01T06:47:00.006-07:00

Believe it or not, we’re finally updating the blog - kind of. I guess things have been a bit busy. So…um…since we last wrote a few things have happened. We had a baby. Finneas. He’s really cute. Chubby. Drools a lot and loves to stick out his tongue. Finn is adorable & Sage and Kei just love him. Sage started kindergarten. She completely thrives on it and has such a great time. She has made sweet new friends and knows more Spanish than I do. Keiger continues to amuse us with his silliness. We got the kiddos new underwear the other day. You would have thought it was Christmas they were SOO excited. So, if you ever want to send them a gift you know what to get! Jacob and I continue to train for the half marathon. We hit the 8 mile run this weekend. This sure seems easy for Jake; I’m just a wee bit sore, but I am really amazed and proud that we’ve made it this far. I just posted a bunch of pictures to catch up on all our comings-and-goings.

Sage's Birthday and Mesa Verde

2009-06-10T06:33:00.003-06:00

For a while now, Sage has had her heart set on a chicken-themed birthday party, so as May rolled around, I found myself trying to figure out how to create a chicken birthday cake and a chicken piñata for her party. One of the sweetest and craftiest ladies in the ward volunteered to help me make invitations, so she popped over one morning and created the funniest rolling chicken cards. I still can’t get over them. Another friend owns the Baskin Robbins in town and invited me over to the store so she could help me with decorating the cake, which turned out pretty cool. We found pictures of chickens from coloring books, put a sheet of wax paper over them, and then traced them with buttercream frosting. Then you put the frosting pieces in the freezer. When the cake was frosted and ready, I just took out the frozen chickens, flipped them over onto the cake, and peeled off the wax paper. I think I had the most fun of all with that cake.

Bright and early on the morning of Sage’s party, I heard some rustling in her bedroom. When I finally got of bed, I came into the kitchen to find Sage ready for the big day, dressed in her homemade chicken shirt and a tiara on her head. While we were planting the garden a few days earlier, Sage had disappeared into the house. Come to find out, she was creating her own chicken shirt. If you look closely, you can tell she has glued or taped chickens onto the shirt out of macaroni noodles, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, anything she found on the craft shelves. She even wrote “chick” on the top of the shirt. Too bad the shirt was pretty thrashed by the end of the day. I’m glad she hasn’t asked anything about where it has disappeared to.

Sage’s party turned out to be really fun. The kids got into the chicken theme. It was hilarious to watch this row of 10 or so kids doing the chicken dance and shaking their tail feathers. We made chicken bags out of paper plates for the piñata loot and had a chicken egg hunt in the yard. Whenever anyone asked Sage what she wanted for her birthday, she would reply, “Two cotton balls glued together to look like a chicken.” Well, her request was taken seriously, and she received quite a few cotton ball chickens from friends at the party, as well as chicken cards, chicken stuffed animals, even a chicken-shaped sucker. Funny, I know, but I was actually really touched by the thoughtfulness and kindness of everybody. We’ve been blessed with really good friends here.

We spent Sage’s actual fifth birthday camping in Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado with Grandma and Grandpa. What a cool, new place to explore. The park is full of ancient cliff dwellings formed by the Anasazi and later inhabited by the Pueblo Indians. We saw all sorts of ruins and took a neat hike to some petroglyphs, where Jacob saved Keiger from stomping over a baby rattlesnake. Keiger insisted that some an old cliff dwelling was actually a sandbox and was not happy when we made him leave. Sage had a great birthday. There was one “stuffed animal chicken falling off a REALLY steep cliff and getting lost forever even though we warned her not to dangle it off the edge” incident, but I don’t think she’s ready to talk about that yet. And we did get poured on as we hiked out of one site, which was pretty funny. Both kids did great camping, and I had to go the bathroom all the time, but what’s new?
Justin and Maile’s family came for a visit from Arizona this weekend. I LOVE that the cousins have so much fun playing together, so it’s great for them to have time to visit. We drove up to an Alpaca farm in Mora, which actually turned out to be really fun. The kids got to feed the alpacas and watch them get sheared. They got to take home a little baggie of the fur, and Sage is convinced that I’m somehow going to make a blanket out of it. We also explored a new state park and let the kids fish for a bit, but no luck. We had a really good time with them visiting and are excited for the family reunion in just a couple of weeks.

P.S. I think we have a new little pet living with the chickens!

Spring activites

2009-04-20T06:54:00.003-06:00

Sage has started her first season of soccer! It was cute to see how anxious she was about her first practice. “But I don’t know how to play,” she said. “I won’t know anyone on the team!” Well, that’s why you go to practice, we told her, to learn and meet the other kids. She has had a very fun time at practices, probably because she gets such yummy snacks. Her first game was on the Saturday before Easter, and it was sooo cold. It was a bit funny to watch her team play. Basically, wherever the ball was, Sage wasn’t. Except for kick-ins, when her coach put her in front of the ball and said, “Kick.” She was a bit timid, but she liked frolicking (that’s the best way I can describe her little jog/skip) across the field. It is fun to watch how easily the kids on the team have made friends.

Easter time has come to mean chick time around our house. Once again, we got three baby chicks, and they are pretty cute. The kids love to harass them. I think we’ve trained Keiger to quit picking them up by their necks. Our big chicken is still laying eggs, so if all these chicks survive, we should be good to go on eggs.

So Jacob finished his famous stint as a Roman Soldier in the stake’s Easter pageant. I took the kids down to Espanola to watch him in it one night. Apparently, they paid very good attention because the other night Sage comes running into the family room wearing a football helmet and a blanket draped over her shoulders. She’s carrying a tee-ball stand. Keiger prances in with underwear pulled over his head, a blanket over his shoulders, and a baseball bat. They had dressed up as Roman soldiers with helmets, cloaks, and spears. “Roman soldier, Roman soldier,” cried Keiger. Pretty funny.

I still cannot get over this next story. It is the hand of the Lord in our lives so evidently. I have been very anxious about Sage starting kindergarten in August, particularly since the baby is due August 15, so that is probably going to be a crazy time for all of us with lots of changes. And Taos does not have the greatest reputation for its public schools, especially in the higher grades where it gets a little scary. Sage is such a sweet, bright kid, I wanted her to be in a positive, nurturing environment where she’d be helped to grow and reach her full potential. So I was a concerned about where she would attend school. Anyway, there are 2 charter schools in Taos where admission is based on a lottery. Sage did not make it into the first school’s lottery held last week and was placed on a waiting list. I’d been praying about this a lot and just trusting that whatever happened, the Lord would help it work out best for Sage. So I was prepared for whatever may come, though still concerned that I would not be able to help at the school as much as I’d like if she ended up in the public school since we’d have barely had a newborn. Well, Friday was the lottery for Taos Charter School, and I called that afternoon to see how it went. I got a call back from the sweetest lady who was so glad to tell me the good news that Sage got in. Apparently, siblings of students already attending the school get some sort of priority in the lottery, so after that was taken care of, there was only one spot left and 54 applicants. And Sage’s name was drawn. I cannot express how overwhelmed with gratitude I was and still am. It’s just amazing, and I am so thankful to the Lord for providing us with this opportunity. I know He loves Sage and our family and knows our needs. This charter school is just minutes up the road from us, and I believe there is just one class for each grade. And now Keiger will receive a sibling priority when he gets old enough for school. I just can’t get over it. It’s amazing, and I’m so thankful.

Here’s a picture of what we woke up to Friday morning! Happy Spring! I had to pull out the snow gear that I had packed away. Sage went straight to the snow angels! And last of all, check out the sweet sandbox Jacob constructed in the backyard. I know this thing is going to get endless hours of use from the kids, especially our little digger, Kei, this summer, so I’m super-grateful to have it. Best of all, it didn’t cost anything to build! We just have to buy a permit from the BLM to go get some sand from somewhere by Dixon. A ten-dollar sandbox! I’m all about it.

Sorry

2009-04-07T06:19:00.003-06:00

Just thought we would tell you all, since no one really seemed to know we were pregnant, that no one really knew - except family. In fact I was cussed out - well not cussed, but you get the point - for not telling some friends in our ward just last Sunday. We just kind of told people if something came up, so needless to say if you didn't know, sorry, but neither did anyone else. ;-)

Funny kids

2009-04-06T06:26:00.002-06:00

As I write this, the kids are currently “hunting” around the house. They are shooting wild chickens and dogs with pencils. And they have emptied all of Sage’s toy boxes to make grinders to grind up all the meat. Lovely. Jacob has taught them well.

We headed in for our ultrasound this week. The kids were excited to go see “pictures of the baby in mommy’s tummy.” Sage has been expecting a baby sister for a while now, claiming that if it was a boy, she wouldn’t play with it. So after some searching, it was pretty obvious that we are having a boy. When the technician told Sage that the baby was a boy (she wouldn’t believe us), she was the picture of dejection. I wish I had a camera to capture the way her face fell and how she dragged herself out of the hospital. On the drive home, we decided to make pancakes for dinner since it was late. Sage remarked that when the baby is born, he could never have breakfast for dinner. She’s gotten used to the idea of a baby brother now, though. We’re just thankful that everything is healthy and well. The due date is still August 15th, right as Sage starts kindergarten and just before hunting season. I can’t imagine how crazy all that is going to be! Any suggestions for boy names?
Here’s a little Easter story. So the kids have been playing with their stuffed animal dogs a lot lately. Sage’s is named Emily, and Kei’s is named Puppy. One morning last week, they were playing vet with their dogs while I was getting ready in the bathroom. Keiger walked down the hall holding Puppy and said very somberly, “Puppy dead.” Sage then emptied a toy box, and they put Puppy inside and took him onto my bed. I then overheard Sage pull out some gadget that she said measures heartbeats. She told Keiger, “This will measure Puppy’s heartbeats, and when they come back, he will be resurrected.” Intrigued, I go into the bedroom to see what would unfold. Unfortunately, Emily, who had been keeping watch over Puppy, died too. So she was placed in a toy box as well, and we had two dead dogs on my bed. Suddenly, Sage grabbed both dogs and raised them above her head saying that they were lifted up to heaven. She then tossed onto the ground and said that we would see them again sometime. So funny. From the mouths of babes.

Oh, big step for Keiger this weekend. We took him to the store and let him pick out a new toy: a Mater book and a Lightning McQueen race car. When we got home, we threw his binkee in the trash. Keiger was pretty excited about this until we put him down for his nap. He pretty much cried all afternoon. And he cried for a good while before going to sleep last night too. We’ll see how today goes. As tough as it may be, I’ll be so glad to be rid of the binkee!

Ok, I can’t resist adding this. Right now, Sage is playing with a stuffed animal cat that moves and meows. She’s saying stuff like, “Ok girl, tell me about your universe and how you had kittens on Sunday.” Honestly, these kids crack me up.

I almost forgot! Exploding MILK! You’ve gotta try it (Don’t worry—nothing really explodes)! Pour a little bit of milk into a cookie sheet, just enough to cover the sheet. Then put a few drops of food coloring around on the sheet. Then put a drop of liquid dish soap onto a drop of food coloring and watch what happens. It’s so cool—you can see how different colors combine to make new colors. Way fun.

Lately...

2009-03-23T06:25:00.004-06:00

We are so loving this spring weather! It’s been nice and warm, and the kids have been sleeping in, probably because they’ve been running around outside so much! I love it! Jacob did drive up to meet us in Utah last week. We went with Grandma & Grandpa and Mackenzie & Lance to Salt Lake to see Disney on Ice. Ever since we got the tickets, Sage and Keiger have been quite excited to see Mickey Mouse ice skate. They were both a bit overwhelmed to walk into the huge arena with all the lights and people.

Sage loved every minute. She insisted that we stay in our seats so we wouldn’t miss the any minute of the show. Keiger pretty much cowered in Jacob’s lap the whole time. He did perk up when he saw Mickey Mouse and Peter Pan.

He’s remarked several times since the show that the monkeys from the Lion King segment “scare me.” I don’t blame him; they were spooky-looking. He’s such a goofy kid. The stuff he comes up with is crazy. We seriously need to make him a t-shirt that says, “HUH?” in huge letters right across the front of it because that is his trademark saying. One day while we were in the car, Sage started singing the words to “Mama Mia.” So now every once in a while Kei will sing what he knows of the song and ask, “Good song, Mama? Good song?” Yes, good song.
We also rode the Railrunner from Ogden to Salt Lake so the kids could have their first train ride. They loved it.

We also drove up to Idaho Falls to see Jacob’s Grandma and Grandpa for a couple of days. The kids had a great time playing with Alan and Mary’s kids. Who wouldn’t? Jacob and I still can’t get over how much those kids have grown!

Yesterday we went hiking with some friends down the bank of the Rio Grande where there are some natural hot springs. Both kids did a great job hiking. Sage is a wonderful, uncomplaining hiker as long as you tell her stories, so she knows just about every story Jake and I could come up with about our childhood pets. Anyway, Kei hiked down and rode the backpack up. The hot springs were so neat; I’d never been to one before. One pool was comfortably warm so we stripped the kids down to their undies and plopped them in. They had a ball! Kei, on the other hand, didn’t want to get in. Next time we definitely need to pack swimsuits and towels. We had a fun picnic lunch and even tried to fish for a bit. All of those kids were beat by the end of the day. It was soo nice to get outside! We’ve been trying to figure out what we want to attempt to garden this year. Jacob is planning to construct a greenhouse—there always seems to be a project to do!

Chicken Songs and Bunk Beds

2009-03-08T15:27:00.002-06:00

Sorry, no pics to post right now. I'm actually in Utah with the kids for a few days until Jacob comes up to meet us next week. You can tell I'm used to small towns because I was so stressed driving the busy freeway from Orem to Ogden. So stressed. I like little roads, even if they are dusty and full of potholes. One of the reasons we were shying away from the mini-van was because we weren't sure if it would be able to make it over all the roads in Taos. I still need 4-wheel drive to do my visiting teaching until all the snow and mud goes away...even then I'm a bit unsure. Anyway, Nani & Papa and Shayla came for a visit last week, and we had lots of fun exploring the town and hanging out. Dave and Jacob put up the new bunk bed, which has become the best new toy for the kids. They play all over it, and Kei has only fallen from the ladder once...so far! Sage is truly growing up. I can't believe she's sleeping on the top bunk. The other night, I was trying to come up with some ideas for storytime at the library the next day. The theme was on chickens, I asked at dinner if anyone knew any poems or songs about chickens. Sage came up with this great song about a chicken. It went something like this, "A chicken was jumping on the trampoline. She fell off!" The kids laugh. Then Kei adds, "Bump head!!" The kids laugh even harder. So the next morning, as I'm starting storytime, Sage jumps up in front of all these people and sings her chicken song, with Keiger's addition. All those cute storytime kids thought it was funny. We have been able to meet some really nice people through storytime. So that's what's new with us, unless Jacob has anything else to add from Taos.

Our fun

2009-02-09T06:27:00.003-07:00

Ok- so it’s been a little bit since we’ve updated this blog. It hasn’t snowed for a while and the weather’s been warm—I was so hoping for spring! Then it snowed 4 inches today, and more to come this week! We were able to take a little trip to Arizona in January to see Justin and Maile’s family. Jake had actually been planning this for a while since he wanted to be able to hunt with Justin, and the kids and I were more than happy to go! The other day, Sage told me it must be warm in Arizona and that if she were in Arizona right then, she would probably be jumping on the trampoline with Kelai. It was a really fun trip.

So we have been on the hunt for a larger vehicle. And from the get-go, I have been adamant that I am not a mini-van person. I have the mini-van stigma. So we have been looking into the crossovers, which are very nice, but also pretty spendy. And, seriously, all this car shopping has been giving me such anxiety! I worry too much. Anyway, we finally did find a great deal on a very nice new car, but I figured the Prizm needed a little tribute. I’ve driven that car since high school, and it has been a great little car for us. As I was driving it over to the dealership to trade it in, I thought about all the crazy stuff we’ve driven it through, and I was almost sad to see it go…almost. I will miss the 38 miles per gallon though!

So we ended our search for the new Young family car by getting a….mini-van. Yep, a Town & Country….mini-van. I can hardly believe it myself. And no one who noticed the car at church today would let me forget it and told me to start slicing oranges for the soccer games. What can I say? We decided to just test drive the van simply because they were so much more affordable than the crossovers, and the van actually grew on me, especially after we figured the price. So I told Jake I’d be happy with the van since now we’re able to save enough for Disneyland so he doesn’t have any excuse for us not to go! And the kids think it’s so cool that we could all sleep in the big black car if we needed to! And through all of this crazy car stuff, we are really just grateful we were able to get a larger vehicle that will fit our family’s needs.

Jake and I had actually had a date night this past week—our first in a while! We decided to try our hand at homemade sushi rolls. I heard they could be pretty tricky, especially the rice, but things worked out pretty good. I was surprised. This is what we called our sushi burrito since it turned out so big!
So I got the family to help me make a volcano just for kicks. The kids were freaked out of it at first—can you see it in their eyes? It took them a while to figure out what on earth was going on when the thing started fizzing.

Sage had a tea party with some of her friends the other day. They had a great time—any excuse for cupcakes and Jello!

Chistmas/Winter Fun

2009-01-05T06:51:00.004-07:00

What a fun Christmas we had! And we have loved receiving the darling Christmas cards and updates! I was too lazy to send any cards out this year. December seemed to be sooo busy, that I was so grateful for the holiday to come so we could just be at home. I stayed in pajamas for most of the time following Christmas, and it was heaven! We loved having a white Christmas, and have had plenty of fun in the snow already. We’ve received about a foot of snow today! It’s going to be hard to get back into the swing of things after the holidays and having family around.

Jake attempted to make tamales for Christmas Eve, and for a first try, they weren’t half bad. We’re almost real New Mexicans! And, yes, Sage did get a stuffed animal chicken from Santa. In fact, she ended up with 3, so there’s enough to share with Keiger. Here they are hugging their “chickee-bawks.”

We took Sage skiing again this year. On New Year’s Eve, we took her up to the practice hill at Sipapu where me, Jake, and my Dad just jogged beside her while she learned her balance and how to turn…sort of.

Then on New Year’s Day, we all headed up to Angel Fire and took Sage up the quad to the top of the mountain. The lift made her nervous at first, but she got used to it. She skied in between our skis since she hasn’t figured out the whole stopping thing yet. We had to keep close tabs on her! But we had so much fun! Sage loved it and kept asking to go faster and faster. I think we’ll hook her up to one of those ski leashes next time we go.

We got made fun of for missing out on the ward New Year’s Eve party, since I was half-asleep by 8:30 pm, but what’s new? Oh, Jake and my dad did end up finishing gate for the new fence. It looks great!

2009

2008-12-30T06:33:00.005-07:00

Thanksgiving, Keiger's B-Day & more

2008-12-08T12:09:00.008-07:00

Even though we weren’t able to visit any family, we still had a great Thanksgiving this year. We ate with some friends and their family, and it was fancy! All of the food definitely had a southwestern flair. I’ve never had such spicy mashed potatoes! I guess I should be getting used to hot food by now.

Once again, we ventured out into the woods to cut our Christmas tree. Thankfully, we had a wee bit of a snowstorm this week so there was enough snow in the mountains to be able to play. The kids got tired of looking for a tree pretty quick, so we sledded while Jake tromped around the forest. I don’t think he minded that, and he ended up finding a fantastic tree. Sage got pretty brave while we were sledding and decided to go solo. She had a few good runs…and a few good biffs. Jake managed to capture this sweet sequence on photo.

We were able to meet up with the Glecklers while they were visiting family in Albuquerque for Thanksgiving. It was really nice to see them. Jacob is seriously very cute, and such a good baby.

Ski season has opened here in Taos, so I’m super anxious to go. Even Sage says she’s ready to try again this year. Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

Keiger celebrated his 2nd birthday this week. I can’t believe we have two-year-old! Kei was basically afraid of everything during his b-day. He was totally scared to unwrap presents, and there was no way he was going to blow out the candles on his front-loader cake. I’m glad we have a boy so I could finally create that cake!

Jake had meetings in Albuquerque this week so we stayed with him in the hotel and had a great time swimming and playing at the children’s museum. We also got to hang out with the Munns, which was very fun. Bailey is getting sooo big, and so pretty! She has such gorgeous eyes! We went to the River of Lights Christmas show at the Botanical Garden. Sage was so excited to lead us all around. She was running all over the place! And Beth and Chance were super kind to watch the kids so we could go to the temple which was really nice.

Oh, and if anyone cares, Chicken has finally started laying eggs. We just happened to look into the nest on Sunday and low and behold 3 eggs! It must be a combination of more food, light during the night (we rigged a heat lap up to keep the water from freezing) and the kids not torturing her.

Twilight

2008-11-22T15:00:00.002-07:00

So I went to see Twilight last night with some friends, and yes, there were a lot of "oohs" and sighs from the audience. A couple who went with us who hadn't read the book, kept asking why everyone was chuckling and oohing when a new character appeared in the movie. I thought it was well cast. Jacob and the husband of one of the ladies I went with kindly refused to go. I don't think they were interested in a vampire movie that a bunch of girls wanted to go see. Anyway, it's crazy how this series has reached so many people, young & old. It's been so fun to be able to connect with so many people at church or around town because I've seen them reading the Twilight books. Who'd have thought that Sage's speech teacher, the manager at my gym, a friend from storytime, sisters from Relief Society, me and my mom, and so many others, would all go ga-ga over a vampire book? I love it. So thanks to Katyanne for introducing me to Stephenie Meyers way back in our Moscow book club. And if you see the movie, let me know what you think!

Happy Halloween

2008-11-02T20:47:00.006-07:00

You can’t imagine all the comments we got when people saw Sage’s stylin’ Halloween costume while we trick or treated. Things like, “Oh, what a…cute costume.” Or, “What are you? A pumpkin? No, a fairy!” So imagine our surprise when one nice young lady looked at Sage in her planetary get-up and said, “You must be Jupiter.” Jaws dropped, and I asked how on earth she knew. She replied, “I saw the big red spot.” Good for her. So all of our planning and effort paid off, and I think we made a pretty convincing Jupiter costume for Sage. And she played it up big time. She loved how bouncy the costume was. And during the costume parade at the ward Halloween party, Sage marched down the runway and rotated on her axis by spinning around. We were so proud. Next year she’s convinced she wants to be a chicken. Sage did say to my mom one night, “You could be a ghost for Halloween, instead of an old woman!” We love grandma and grandpa!

Keiger loved his football costume. He insisted on wearing the jersey around (night and day) for days. Although he was not too sure of the big helmet. At least Daddy made use of it.

It was balloon festival time again in Taos. This year we managed to get up early enough to go over to the mass ascension, which was well worth it, although it was chilly! It was crazy to see so many balloons go up at once.

My family came to visit, and we put my dad to work building a new fence for us. Our old one was falling over. So we took it down, threw out the rotting posts, and cemented in new posts. Now we have to wire all the latilla poles back on. That may be a bit time-consuming, but already it looks so nice. I’m anxious to get it finished so we can let the kids out to play in an enclosed area again. The house feels so naked without the fence!

We also celebrated Jacob's 29th birthday on the 30th. I think his best present was that he ended up getting an elk tag, so he's off hunting again this weekend.

(Hey, who said you can't eat the antlers!-)

And, lastly, here’s a picture of a four-year-old’s attempt to reach the Halloween candy hidden on the top of the fridge - and one of here with her beloved "flufferbelly".

Random Chicken Stories

2008-10-12T21:31:00.004-06:00

Honestly, I think it is so funny. Whenever we start to write a post, we have to ask, "What have we done lately?" Jacob: "Uh, I don't know." I love it. That's our life. Really, though, we've been pretty busy lately. We're trying to enjoy the fall while it lasts. The mountains got their first bit of snow last week! We took a hike up Ski Valley last Monday for FHE. And we finally finished up the canning yesterday. Lots of yummy applesauce and salsa. Wendy seriously has the tastiest salsa recipe. General Conference weekend was wonderful--our family just played happily together, and Jake and I thought, "So this is what it must be like to have harmony in your home." Then Monday came. At least we know what to work for. It must be all the football books. Kei has been reading a lot of football books lately (it's great to hear him say 'quar...ter...back'), so our kids are a little obsessed with tackling. Sage wants to be the linebacker so she can do all the tackles. I'm in the kitchen the other day while the kids were out back playing. I see Sage stumble up to the screen door window, lugging the chicken in her arms. She yells, "This chicken is heavy!" But that didn't stop her. I then watch her take the chicken with her down the slide and tote it all over the yard. No wonder the poor animal has yet to lay an egg. She's seriously stressed with this 4 year old chasing her around all day. Sage does love her, though. This weekend, she has been consumed with birthday party plans for Chicky. Apparently, tomorrow is Chicky's birthday, so Sage has made chickens out of paper plates and salt dough to decorate with and little signs that say "Happy Birthday" written on a birthday cake. Even today in Primary Sage stood up and told everyone that tomorrow is Chicky's birthday and she is having a party at 1:30. That was news to me. Oh, the fun we have in Primary. Honestly, though, I love it in there and am so excited for the sacrament program coming up. One other chicken story. Sage has been lugging around these little chicks she made out of cotton balls so many months ago (she just discovered them in a the bottom of a pair of tights a couple days ago). Anyway, she had them with her on our latest trip to Walmart and lost one while we were in the store. I refused to go back through the store looking for it and all the while Sage was lamenting, "But what if we come back and find that the chick has been run over by a cart! We can't let a cart run it over!" Sage was so full of despair, I almost felt a bit sorry for the chick myself too. But we still didn't go back. So enough with the chicken stories. And yes, Sage still wants to be Jupiter for Halloween. Any ideas on how to create that costume?

Fall

2008-09-22T09:02:00.004-06:00

I just love the fall, especially here in Taos! On Saturday, while Jake was cutting up his deer in the garage, I dragged the kids (they were really into petting the deer head...gross) to the annual Trade Fair at the Martinez Hacienda. It really is like a step back in time walking around the beautiful autumn grounds of this old adobe fortress. There were mountain men re-enactments, vendors, and entertainment. Sage loved watching the Spanish dancers because of their frilly dresses with the big skirts—I looked into getting her into classes, but unfortunately the dance troupe was out of Sante Fe. Too bad. We got fresh bread from the kiva again this year. The ladies from the Pueblo who baked it were super nice. They said to look them up on the San Geronimo Feast Day later this month, and they would feed us. Anyway, it was a fun way to pass the time while Jacob was carving away. I took this picture just because I liked that guy’s hat.
So Jacob was able to shoot a buck with his bow this year. He got it on his last day of hunting. For a full and incredibly intense account of his hunt, go to the hunting blog, www.moscowhunting.blogspot.com. We are all very happy for him.

The town had a “Touch-A-Truck” event a week or so ago. They had all sorts of vehicles: fire trucks, police cars, construction trucks, garbage trucks, tractors, even a Zamboni. The kids could climb in and honk the horns. You can imagine how my super sensitive kids enjoyed it. I think the picture pretty much says it. Yeah, we weren’t there for too long.

Earlier that morning, I did take the kids over to the Harwood Museum for these African dance and drumming workshops that they’re doing this month. It was hilarious to watch Sage AND Keiger learning the harvest dance. These kids can move!
I’ve got the canning bug. We went to the raspberry ranch last week and picked a ton of raspberries so I made a bunch of jam and froze the rest. I’ve been going to the Farmer’s Market to get a handle on prices so now I’m just waiting for our tomatoes in the garden to ripen enough to can salsa. I think we’ll tackle applesauce this week. I’m reading this book by Christ Stewart called “Driving Over Lemons.” It is the story of how he and his wife moved to this remote farm in the mountains of Spain. I am so enjoying it because it is very engaging and humorous in a friendly way, but mostly because it feels so much like northern New Mexico. Things aren’t nearly as primitive here as the way they live in this Spanish farming valley, but the people he describes and the way they act are so similar to here. I never thought I would like reading about acequias so much either. It has been a fun read.
And last of all, I guess it’s never too cold to run through the sprinklers. My kids still love it!

VACATION

2008-08-29T08:32:00.006-06:00

We’ve been on vacation to Oregon for the past two weeks. Our little family took a few days to camp on the coast, which was completely fun. We got to spend a day with the Laus around Coos Bay. Their little girls are so cute and such good babies. Jeff and Lea are amazing parents. We also spent time with all of Jake’s siblings and their kids for a family reunion. I’m really glad Sage and Kei got this time to play with their cousins and grandparents. Finally, we spent some time with the Smiths in Silverton. Sage thought having a sleepover with Miley and Addison was the best. And baby Payton is just precious. After our flight home, we got to stop over at the Munns’ apartment in Albuquerque and see baby Bailey, who is too cute. Beth is doing such a great job being a mom. These past weeks were jam-packed, so we figured we’d just post a lot of pictures to show the fun memories we are grateful to have made.
Playing dress up with Macie at Gilbert House Children’s Museum
Rolling in the sand at Honeyman State Park
Haceta Head Lighthouse
The Laus
Trying to get the kids to smile at botanical gardens in North Bend
The coast at North Bend near Laus home. Looks like Sage is afraid she’s going to fall in!
Jeff showed us how to crab. You can tell how much Keiger liked them!
Beach-combing at Newport Beach. We all loved gathering interesting shells. We got into our campsite at 10 pm the night before!
All of the cousins on Grandpa-great’s six-wheeler
Sage on the tire swing at Grandpa-great’s where we had a family photo shoot
Stayed a few days with all the family at a condo near Redmond. Went on a little hike to a waterfall.
Our day at OMSI in Portland
Sage, Miley & Addison as cute as ever

Fishing at Minto Brown

The petting zoo at the Fair

Wind Rivers

2008-08-04T07:12:00.007-06:00

Where is the summer going? We got back last week from my dad’s annual backpacking trip to the Wind Rivers. This was the first year I was able to go since Sage was born, so you can imagine I was sucking air on the hikes Jacob led. He has this way of picking out the craziest route possible to the top or bottom of things. Anyway, we all had a lot of fun. Thankfully, we all had good tents since one night it dumped on us for a good two hours straight—it even hailed on and off for the whole storm. I made a break for the tent while Jake stuck it out under the kitchen sun shade thingee. Our camp was a puddle of mud. Jake named the camp “Moose Haven” since we would wake up to moose munching around the tent. We also saw a few deer and four “nice bucks” (according to Jacob) on our hike up Sky Pilot Pass. My mom watched our kids for the week, so I spent most of my spare time reading a book (heaven) and we fished. It had been a LONG time since I’d picked up a fly rod, so I am happy to know I can still catch some, even though Jake does it far better than I do. Here’s a pic of me with my dad and Vern, my dad’s 80 year old cousin. He’s in better shape than I am…probably Jake too. Maybe. We drilled him on what he has done to stay so fit. He’s always been pretty active and eats healthy. In fact, Jake was eating some peanut M&M’s (he was eating the whole trip) during this discussion and asked Vern, “So I probably shouldn’t be eating these, should I?” Vern leaned in a little closer and said, “You haven’t seen me eat any of those, have you?”
The lake we camped next to.

The moose that "camped" 20 yards from our tent.
Peak Lake cirque

While we were in Utah, we were able to meet up with friends from Moscow and Ricks, even high school, who are living on the Wasatch Front. It was really nice to see what everyone is up to and to see how cute their little kids are growing up. It was sweltering HOT, though! So it was a fun visit, though I feel bad that with such a large group we weren’t able to visit with everyone more. Hopefully, there will be other times. Thanks everybody for coming!

Sage had a pajama party the other night before one of her little preschool friend moves to Colorado. Watching the pillow fight was pretty funny.
I get my copy of the next Twilight book tomorrow, and I can’t wait. I warned Jacob that I’m going to disappear for the rest of the week until I finish it. One last note from Jacob: If anyone wants to come visit us in New Mexico from August 31st thru September 22nd, that would be great so Jake won’t feel so guilty about being gone for hunting season. It has begun! Hey, you’d be impressed. Jacob actually planned a surprise date for my birthday. Jaws are dropping everywhere, I know. He hired a babysitter—this is only the second time we’ve had a sitter since we had Sage. We’re cheap. We went to a movie and then out to a fancy dinner at Taos’ “most romantic” and “best restaurant.” I can probably find the receipts for proof that this actually happened, if you’re still skeptical. Too fun.

Camping

2008-07-14T06:12:00.003-06:00

We had a fun camping trip this weekend. Jacob took us up to Lagunitas campground on the border of the Cruces Basin Wilderness, where it was just beautiful. The kids had a great time roasting mallows. Keiger could definitely win that contest where you stuff a bunch of marshmallows in your mouth. We took a really nice hike through the meadows, and Sage was totally entertained by collecting wildflowers. She sure says some funny things. The other morning, Keiger was throwing a little fuss while I was making breakfast, and Sage said, “Honestly, Keiger! What are you crying about?” Later that night in the tent, she turns to Keiger and says, “Quit your whining!”
On a more sobering note, we had a little accident with one of our chickens while we were camping. We came home to a note on our front door from our neighbor saying that our chickens had gotten out of the yard, and a dog from down the street had eaten one. Sage is dealing with the loss fairly well. I asked her if she was doing ok, and she mumbled, “Yes.” Then I asked her if she needed a hug, and she came right over to snuggle. Then we were munching on pie a bit later and I asked her if she wanted a second bite. At first she said no, but then she said she wanted a second bite to remind her of the second chicken we lost. Poor girl! She has also changed the name of the remaining chicken from Dotey to Chick-Chick, because she “liked that one best.”
The other day, Keiger insisted on wearing this get-up before he would head into the backyard. And last night (I’m laughing as I write this), we were in Sage’s room ready for family prayer when Keiger comes booking down the hallway wearing Sage’s silver sparkle shoes and a shiny black purse draped over his shoulder. I do worry about that kid sometimes.

4th

2008-07-07T09:23:00.003-06:00

Hot and no rain yet! We’re ready for it! We had a great 4th of July weekend. The Munns and the Lloyds came up to visit from Albuquerque, and we went up to the festivities at Taos Ski Valley. They had a mini parade and some other crazy non-traditional stuff that’s fun for here. Sage and Isaac did get to ride horses, which was such a special treat. Sage has been into horses lately. In fact, we had just watched “Flicka” that morning. Anyway, can you guess what the name of the horse Sage got to ride was? Fancy. Is that too perfect, or what? Sage and Fancy had a ball. Anyway, we had a nice dinner and were able to watch the fireworks from the driveway again. Somehow we crammed everybody into the house. Hopefully, everyone was comfortable. And we checked out some popular sites the next day. My kids were beat. They’ve taken great naps today! It was so much fun to see old friends again and catch up. I think we’ll try to convince Beth and Chance to just move next door to us up here. Chance could handle the commute, couldn’t he? It’s crazy to think that pretty much anywhere we go, we will most likely know someone from Moscow. Pretty neat.

Crazy June

2008-06-30T09:35:00.002-06:00

June has been really busy. We just got back from Oregon for the funeral of Jacob’s Grandma. It was really nice to see all the family. We are grateful to have been able to go. On the car ride there, Sage was pretty funny. She noticed some train tracks outside her window, so she said, “Look Keiger…train tracks.” But of course, with Sage’s little voice it sounded more like “twain twacks.” So Sage continues to say to Keiger, “Can you say twain twacks?” Since Kei adores attention from Sage, he obediently responds, “Tu-Tuh!” The rest of the conversation went as follows:
Sage: “No…twain twacks.”
Keiger: “Tu-Tuh!”
Sage: “Twain twacks.”
Keiger: “Tu-Tuh!”
Sage: “Twain twacks!!”
Keiger: “Tu-Tuh!”
This hilarious exchange went on for a while. I was laughing pretty good! Keiger is actually saying a lot more lately. It’s pretty funny to hear him count to three. It sounds like, “ buh, boo, whee!” Funny kid. I’m a little worried that he has anger issues, though. If we tell him he can’t do something, he has to throw something as a way to vent, or else he shakes his pointer finger back and forth, like he is saying, “no, no, no.”
We had a “Fancy Nancy” night over the weekend, since we (Sage and I) adore the “Fancy Nancy” children’s books. Anyway, we had some fancy lessons and got all dressed up to go to Wendy’s for frosties. Sage was simply elegant with all her jewelry and high heels. The best part of the night was watching Keiger prance around in the high heels before bedtime. I couldn’t stop laughing!
Here’s a picture of Sage getting attacked by the hose. Crazy the things she comes up with! That had me laughing pretty hard too!
Okay, so here’s the latest little project we’ve discovered. You can make your own sun hat, and actually, they’re pretty cute! You just take 2 sheets of newspaper and cut them into big squares. Then you make a paste with equal parts flour and water. Using a paintbrush, cover one of the newspaper sheets with the paste, then put the other newspaper square over it like you’re gluing them together. Here’s the funny part. You put the newspaper over your head and tie a string around your head to mold the paper to your head. You have to leave it there for 10 minutes, so I just sat Sage in front of the TV since she was not excited to have anything on her head. After the 10 minutes, take off the paper and put if on a flat surface to let it dry completely, just don’t disturb its shape. When it’s all dry, you trim the paper to form the circular brim around the hat. Kinda fun, and not messy at all! One last thing…Just finished reading Stephenie Meyer’s “The Host.” Very good. I sure like her. And I’m in the middle of “I Capture the Castle” by Dodie Smith. I’m really into it. It’s like Jane Austen, but a bit more modern—I’m into it. We’ll see how it ends.
Oh, Jacob ended drawing a deer tag for the fall, but no elk. We’re both a little bummed. I really don’t like deer meet, and Jacob just wanted to shoot an elk, but at least he gets to go hunting (I can’t believe I wrote that), so he needs to start shooting his bow. He volunteered to shoot prairie dogs out of the yard of some friends and to shoot coyotes at the missionaries house, but that’s not too surprising is it?

Catch Up

2008-06-06T21:40:00.005-06:00

Lots to catch up on. Sorry no pics yet--check again in a couple of days because they're cute. I'm in Utah and Jake has the camera at home, so he'll put them up on Monday. Sage celebrated her 4th birthday on the 29th. None of us can believe she is that old already. She was soooo excited for her big day. Exactly two weeks before her birthday, we were at the library doing the storytime craft, and Sage went around the room getting everyone's attention to tell them that we would not be at storytime in two weeks because it would be her birthday. Anyway, both of Sage's grandparents and Shayla came to her birthday party. She really wanted a pinata, purely for the candy, and I made her a pony castle cake. We were finally able to give her the "FurReal" Cat she wanted for Christmas. I got it on clearance in January, and we hid it in the laundry room closet. So for the past few months, we've heard these little "meows" coming from the toy every once in a while! Nani and Papa and Shayla were able to visit for a few days. It was great to see them. We went on a few adventure hikes. I had to carry Keiger in the backpack up one of the hikes and about died. That kid is built...and I need to work out more! Jake's soccer league started up again, so he's happy to get some exercise. Sage makes a great cheerleader, and Keiger just wants the ball.
We've, okay Jacob, has been doing a lot of yard work, and things are looking great. We've made a few trips to the nursery for plants. Jake is into the perennial flowers, but I can't get enough of the grasses. They're just too fun. I want Jake to take pics of the yard to post--it's a dramatic change since we moved in. I headed up to Utah while Jacob was working in the field this week, and we took the kids to Lagoon the other day. Sage showed a bunch of brave and went on nearly all the kiddie rides. And, of course, she chose to ride the chicken on the carousel. She really didn't like the "Tilt-A-Whirl," but then I didn't either. Ugh. She went on one ride where you ride in a rocket and have a little gun to shoot. Naturally, she doesn't even touch the gun. She probably had no idea what it was, yet she was surrounded on the ride by all these little boys who are all about shooting each other. And then there's my dad yelling at her, "Shoot the gun, Sage! Shoot the gun!" Oh boy. Then it was pretty hilarious to see her on the bumper cars. She was so proud to figure out how to steer it, and then to see the look on her face when she got bumped and stuck in a traffic jam was pretty funny. We ended up spending all day at Lagoon; the kids had a great time. It makes me more confident that we'll be able to handle Disneyland. What do you think, Jake?
Oh, just before Sage blew out her bithday candles, she made her wish and said solemnly, "I wish that I could fly." So at Lagoon she and my mom rode on the tram/chairlift thingee that takes you across the park. While they were high up in the air, Sage said out of the blue, "My wish came true!" Honestly, she remembers everything!
We experienced a bit more Taos culture the other day when we got invited to a reception for a kid who was graduating from high school in our ward. It was crazy! Tons....Tons...TONS of food and all out decorations at the church. It was huge. And then I was told that this reception was pretty mellow in comparison to others who actually rent out reception halls for their graduate. Families here like to have get togethers.
And, BIG HAPPY NEWS! We have new neighbors! Heather is back to the Los Alamos for the summer. The Munns have moved into Alburqurque (the big town with the temple that I always spell wrong), and the Lloyds will be there for the summer too! Yippee! Who would have thought so many would end up in New Mexico for a bit. Pretty crazy, but I'm happy.

Temple Trauma

2008-05-14T08:02:00.002-06:00

Something always seems to come up whenever we try to go to the temple. Last attempt, we realized, after we had packed everything up and were driving out of town, that our recommends had expired. This Saturday, we had everything in the car and ready to go, even the kids, when we realized we had locked both our keys in the house. Jacob scrambled to try to get in through the screen door in the back. No luck. Finally, he was able to take off one of the small, square screens on the greenhouse window in the kitchen. There was no way Jake or I could fit through that window, so we recruited Sage. Jacob stuffed her through the window and onto the kitchen counter by the sink. This was all very dramatic, mind you. Sage was crying the whole time, wondering what on earth we were doing to her. After a lot of persuasion and reassurance, which really didn’t work, Jacob was able to lower Sage off the counter and onto the floor. Sage was fairly emotional by now and fled into the safety of her room. So then we were yelling at her through the window to come open the door into the garage. Through her sobs, Sage yelled, “But I don’t know where the keys are!” Finally, we convinced her to just come turn the lock on the doorknob, and she did it wonderfully. After the ordeal was over, Sage was quite proud knowing that she had saved the day. Our little hero. We wouldn’t have made it to the temple without her.

We were not sure if we should think that we are good parents or horrible parents when we saw this, but we knew we had to take a picture. (She must have been in the 2 Nephi, Isaiah chapters :o)

Whenever we go to Alburqurque (I can never spell it right), I realize how small a town we live in. I am definitely not used to all the cars and “busy-ness,” but it sure is nice to get my Target fix. I got the kids all their summer clothes. Taos is coming to life, though. Consistent warm weather has finally arrived. The other day as we drove the main drag through town, we passed the park that was hosting an arts and crafts festival, there were tourists all over walking the streets, and all the trees are in bloom. So the off season is over, and Taos is hopping again. I can’t believe that it has now been a year since we’ve moved here. It sure has gone by fast. Things have come full circle for us now as we’ve seen all the seasons of Taos. It has been an adventure.
Anyway, after the temple last Saturday we headed to the Alburquerque (whatever) zoo. It was really fun. We got to see the sea lions and seals get fed. Sage saw all the animals see had hoped to see and then some. The mountain lion sure stared Keiger down too. It was pretty funny. So after all we saw, what do you think was everyone’s favorite attraction? Lions, tigers, bears? Nope…the baby ducklings. The kids got a kick out of watching them dive under the water. I learned a good lesson from this too. Sage was so fascinated by watching these ducklings, but I was anxious for her to see all the other big animals that I thought would be so cool, so I scooted everyone along. Lesson learned: Don’t throw off a good thing. If the kids want to watch ducks the whole day, let them watch ducks.
Case in point. Last Friday, I drove the kids to the fish hatchery. It’s pretty cool. You can take a walking tour off the entire facility and see the development of the fish from fry on up. There is a pond area full of trout that you can feed with fish food from a dispenser. We had a picnic lunch (as soon as I mentioned the word ‘lunch,’ Keiger ran for the car where the food was) and fed the fish. Sage and Kei were entertained for nearly two hours. It was kind of relaxing for me! I should have brought a book. The kids fell asleep on the car ride home, and we all smelled like fish for the rest of the day!
We celebrated our 6th anniversary on the 1st. It was a REALLY windy day. I was in my bedroom playing on the bed with the kids when we heard this loud sound like thunder. Turns out, it was our roof peeling off. We have what is called a brie roof, which is kind-of like a heavy tarp thingee burned onto the top of the house. Weird, I know, but we’re in Taos, what do you expect? So thank goodness we have homeowner’s insurance. We toyed with the idea of just putting a new roof on, but it’s a bit too expensive, so I guess we’ll just save and repair it for now.
One last update on the chickens. They aren’t that ugly anymore since nearly all of their feathers have grown in (No, that is a peacock at the Zoo:o). They spend the days outside now, so the kids go out to check on them a lot. Come to find out, one of our hens isn’t really a hen. Just our luck, we’ve got a rooster. Too bad for him. I think Sage has been influenced by some of my rooster comments. The other day she said she wanted to pet the “ugly rooster,” and she asked Jacob what was with the “funky red stuff” growing on its head. That’s Sage. Every now and then she whips out the funniest things, like “holy moley” or “oh my stars.” And then she uses words like “indeed” or “of course.” Too funny. And Keiger is really growing up too. He is really into “singing” and loves doing the actions to “Popcorn, Popping,” and “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” He also has perfected his use of the word, “uh-oh.”

Visit

2008-04-28T08:22:00.002-06:00

So the other morning, Sage had gotten up pretty early and pulled out a bunch of toys in her room to play with. When I went into her later on and told her to clean things up before she could have breakfast, we got into quite a debate over who cleaned the house more, me or Sage. I should have kept my mouth shut. Anyway, when we finally got to breakfast, Sage said the blessing and asked, “And please bless Mommy so she won’t be so mean.” This parenting stuff is pretty crazy—new challenges and funny moments like that one every day. Sage was also doing something silly with her food the other day, and I asked her what she was doing. She replied, “Oh, just being my little self.” I love it.

Oh, the chicks are still alive, if you can believe. They’re ugly and mangy with their feathers growing in right now, but the kids still love them.

Jacob’s brother and his wife came to visit from Arizona this past week with their 3 cute kids. Kalei is Sage’s age so they had a blast playing with each other. They really wore each other out, I think. One night they had an all-out pillow fight. Pretty funny to watch. And Talon is Kei’s age, and they just followed each other around. I sure wish we lived closer to all the cousins so they could play more together. Anyway, it was a really fun visit. We did the Pueblo, drove the Enchanted Circle (where we discovered the fish hatchery which was great fun—the kids thought it was the neatest to feed the trout), saw the big old Rio Grande bridge, and Jacob and Justin went out hiking around for antlers one morning. Maile and I took the girls over to Twirl for storytime and craft one afternoon and came home to find all the boys sitting on the couch watching a hunting video. It made me laugh. In an effort to catch the culture of this crazy place, Jacob whipped up some really good fry bread, and we attempted to make tortillas again. They were a little bit better than our first attempt a few months ago, but we still have a lot of room for improvement. I guess that means we’ve got to stick around here for a while longer. Anway, I think everyone had a good time. So, start planning your trips to Taos. We’re all about visitors.

Ok—So here’s the skinny on the preschool stuff. Since we’ve moved here, I have been doing a “preschool” with 2 other moms who have 5 year old daughters. We rotate each week, so every 3rd Tuesday, I have the girls from 9:30 to 12:30. Everyone brings their own lunch, and we have a different theme each week. For example, I’ve got preschool this week, and we’re doing “Cinco de Mayo.” We’re going to read some short books about the history of the holiday, make piñatas, guitars from boxes and elastics (our own little Mariachi band), Mexican flags from gluing colored rice, and try to make homemade tortillas yet again since they won’t care if they don’t taste that good! We’re going to also learn a few Spanish words, maybe counting to five or something like that, mainly because I just want to learn Spanish! So this preschool set-up has been really good for us, especially since formal preschools around here are so costly. Sage has a great time just playing with friends and learning a few things too. And I don’t mind a few hours with just Keiger. The bummer is that we’ll lose the other two girls in the fall to kindergarten, so I’d like to continue if we find some other kids Sage’s age who are interested.

A few weeks ago, we had water day. Here are some of the other activities we did. They all come from the book, “Water Wonders.” It is part of a “Fun Projects for Kids to Do” series by Better Homes and Gardens. They’re really cute. The “Dandy Dinosaurs” gave me super fun craft ideas for crafts for storytime at the library last week. You can make darling…I mean scary, T-Rex snouts to tie around your face from a paper cup. Who’d a thought? I have this goal of compiling all of these cute activities into one big resource book since they are all just stuffed in file folder.

Anyway, here comes our tried and tested fun water fun:

“Rainbow Goop”

¾ c. water
1 package unflavored gelatin (inexpensive)
3 custard cups or bowls
Red, yellow, and blue food coloring

“In small saucepan, stir together water and gelatin. Let stand for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin. Cook and stir over low heat about 3 minutes or till gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat. Divide the mixture evenly among the 3 custard cups (about ¼ cup each). Add 3 to 5 drops red food coloring to 1 of the custard cups. Stir to mix well. Repeat with remaining gelatin with yellow and blue food coloring. Chill in the refrigerator 5 minutes or till partially set, stirring mixture during chilling.”

Now you can put some of each color of good into a plastic baggie and let the kids squeeze it all around, or you can experiment with mixing colors. For example, put a little red and a little blue in a baggie and let the kids see what color it makes when they squish it around. Very fun.

Paper Boats
You’re just going to have to look on page 20 of the book to see the easy directions for folding papers boats that float just long enough for the kids to have fun.

Drip-Dry Pictures
Fill up some small bowls with water. Add food coloring to the bowls to make whatever colors you want. Fold up a paper towel or square piece of scrap fabric several times till it is small and manageable. Dampen the towel or material, but squeeze out extra water. Dip one corner of the material into a color and repeat with each corner into a different color. When you unfold the towel, there will be a fun tye-dye pattern. We thankfully got through this project with no one getting dye on their clothes!

Bubbling Bubble Machines
Fill a small cup with ½ c. water and 1 T. liquid soap. Cover the cup with tin foil. Put two small holes in the tin foil, and put a straw through one of the holes. Blow into the straw and bubbles with ooze out of the other hole. Just be careful not to suck! I learned that one from experience!

Chicks and water day

2008-04-17T07:04:00.007-06:00

So a few weeks ago, Jacob went out with the missionaries, and he came home so excited. I thought something had gone really well with one of the lessons. Truth be told, he had been talking with one of the sisters in the ward about chickens. This sister had just bought some chicks to raise as egg-layers. Apparently, Jacob thought this was the coolest idea ever, so this week we purchased 3 of our own little chicks, which Sage has lovingly named: Spotty, Chick-Chick, and Dotey (I actually thought of that one). Right now, they are living in the garage under a heat lamp until it’s warm enough to put them outside in a coop that Jacob is constructing. In about 4 months, they should start laying eggs. Oh, the adventures we get into! Who knows how this will work out, but for now the kids are having great fun with their new little pets. They are cute, but a bit stinky. In fact, Jacob is just showing me this home video he took of Sage doing her “Welcome Chick” song and dance in the garage. Wish you could see it, it’s pretty funny.
I had preschool at my house this week which was sooo fun because we discovered this book, “Water Wonders” that had the neatest ideas of stuff to do with water. We had all sorts of fun experiments that kept us busy all morning. The “Bubbling Bubble Machine” was particularly fantastic. Just add a tablespoon liquid soap into ½ cup water in a cup. Cover the cup with tin foil. Punch a straw through the foil, then punch out another hole. Blow through the straw and tons of bubbles come out the hole. I know I had more fun than the kids did during this preschool morning. Let me know if you want any of the other cute ideas in the book. It’s crazy how much more fun I have with my kids if I just take the time to do some creative activities with them. It keeps us from getting bored, and I know Sage really thrives on it. She’s been a bit restless lately, anxious to learn new things and grow, I think. Grandma actually discovered some computer games for her. It’s remarkable how computer savvy these little guys are. It took me a few minutes to teach Sage how to use the mouse and navigate this Sesame Street art workshop program, and she was off! I can’t believe how quickly she picked up using the computer.
Jacob was out of town for work a few days this week riding horses somewhere, so the kids and I had plenty of time to play together. Here’s a great pic of Keiger with the paper wings Sage wanted to make. I love his belly-rub. I really think she believed in her cute little heart that those wings would make her fly. Keiger’s saying some more words now. He just added “ear” and “eye” to his vocabulary today. Most of the time though, he says, “azab, azab, abadaba.” Pretty funny to listen to.
We were ready to get some stuff done in the yard yesterday, but woke up to a couple inches of snow. I love it. It did melt off by the afternoon.

Got wussy kids???

2008-03-31T08:23:00.005-06:00

Oh, where to begin? This has been an eventful week. First of all…Easter. This cute little nursery in town put on a darling Easter activity. The kids were able to plant seeds in egg cartons (biodegradable so you can just pop them in the soil-what a clever idea) and dye eggs in dye made from veggies (the beets worked best for a bright pink). There was also an egg hunt for gladiolus bulbs, and Sage got her face painted. She was very proud.
Easter was really nice. We had Easter dinner with the Bishop’s whole family. No pig’s feet this time, just the traditional ham, but there were tamales. We had dinner with friends earlier in the week and played the candy bar game. It was fun, but nothing like the Moscow tradition. The game was a bit too friendly.
Spring has come quickly to Taos. We’ve been outside working in the yard quite a bit. Jacob is slaving away, still moving rock to create his visionary flower bed in the front yard. It should be really something. And we got a garden plot cleared in the back, and a nice little spot for wildflowers. I’m quite excited to plant in a few weeks. I wish we had taken before and after pictures of this yard. It has undergone a big transformation. Just having the grass makes it look so much nicer. I think the kids are sick of going outside because they know we’re just going to weed something or move rock.

Friday was free skiing day at Angel Fire for NM residents, so I went up for the afternoon while Jake watched the kids (good man). It was definitely spring skiing, slushy and warm, but free! Good times. Jacob said that while I was gone, he asked Sage what she wanted to do. She replied, “Oh, whatever I want to….What are my options?” That girl. The other day, she was tying a rope from one of her bikes to a tricycle so she could tow it. She said she was “translating” the tricycle. Maybe she meant “transporting,” but I really don’t know.

So yesterday, we had prepared everything to go the temple in Albuquerque and then stop in Sante Fe on the way home to go to the carousel for Sage. I had packed lunches, stuff to entertain the kids; we were ready. We had just driven out of town when we realized our recommends expired last month. That’s so like us, isn’t it? So we headed home and worked in the yard. Sage got to ride the teeny merry-go-round that takes quarters at the Youth & Family Center.
This picture needs a little explaining. Keiger has one of Sage’s paintbrushes that is covered in glitter glue and he’s smearing it in katsup and eating it. Tasty. I truly can’t believe Kei has not gotten sick more often because of all the crazy stuff he puts in his mouth.
Do you think you have wussy kids? Take our survey and find out.
1. Does your child sob uncontrollably when she receives a small scrape on her knee?
2. Does she then limp for the rest of the day?
3. Does she refuse to take a bath for fear that the water will hurt her scrape?
4. Do your kids freak out when they see the toy mule that is a part of a “Buckin’ Buckaroo” game?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, Sage and Keiger are probably yours. Okay, so that really wasn’t that funny, but it’s true. Those kids would not set foot near that game once we opened. Kei started crying, and Sage said she was tired and headed for her room. I really thought we were going to have a great family fun game night. So, if anyone is interested in a Buckaroo game, give us a call. It’s really not that scary. Jake and I played a few rounds. And we really do love our kids, even though we make fun of them. They are really quite sweet.
And lastly, I have finally worked myself up to starting a book club in the ward. I don’t know why it takes me so long to do stuff I want to do. Anyway, I’m up for any suggestions on good reads.

Fun Stuff

2008-03-17T06:47:00.007-06:00

Fun things have happened lately. There was an Easter egg hunt in the swimming pool last week. Sage was sooo excited to go. She didn’t even mind that she had to take a shower before she got in the pool. She said she could “handle it.” Anyway, all these little kids sat around the kiddie pool while the lifeguards dumped eggs into the water. Then the kids went for it. It was great. Sage had such a good time, and she loved all the prizes she got in her eggs. Most of all, though, she loved the eggs and spent an entire day (I’m not kidding) painting them. She is such an artist. The other day she colored from 7am till noon when she finally got dressed, went to the bathroom, and brushed teeth. She’s quite proud of all the coloring books she has filled. You should have seen her eyes boggle when she saw the mega pack of 96 crayons that my mom got her. She’s been coloring ever since. Her favorite colors are asparagus (even though that one broke in half, but “that’s ok” as Sage says) and macaroni and cheese.
My parents came to visit last week. My dad was anxious to install a new door into our garage. He likes his projects. Keiger was fascinated by it all. He loved hanging out by the door as Grandpa was working. He even brought his little toy hammer over and started to pound. It was really cute; I wish I had gotten a picture. Kei is pretty funny. Lately, he’s big into wearing shoes…anyone’s. As soon as he gets some on, he thinks it’s time to head out to play. He’s also really into playing with Sage’s Polly Pocket toys. He hides them all over the house.
Speaking of cute, it was our turn for preschool last week and Sage wanted to have a tea party, so I tried to make it real fancy. I pulled out Sage’s little play table, put it in the kitchen, then left the room for something. When I looked back in the kitchen, Keiger had gone into Sage’s room, taken out her play dishes, brought them into the kitchen, and set the table! He was ready! The girls dressed in fancy dresses for the tea party. The Jello was the hit. Even Keiger sat at a chair at the table and ate. You could only see the top half of his face poke above the table, but he was loving it. He’s such an observant little guy. Too smart. Anyway, the girls decorated lion and lamb cupcakes (I’m such a bad sugar influence!). I thought they turned out so cute, I had to take a picture. What would we do without Family Fun? They also had fun making shamrock wands and leprechaun finger puppets. Good times. I’m bummed that Sage will lose her preschool friends to kindergarten next fall. I’ve been looking into preschools around here, but they are all super expensive, so I’m trying to work up the energy to start a co-op or something. I’m sure something will work out over the summer.

It was very nice to have my parents here, and it’s always a weird couple of days after they leave to get used to being on our own again. My dad and I did get to ski one afternoon. We went over to Angel Fire Resort, which was really nice--big, wide runs. I think it’s my favorite place to ski of all the places we’ve tried up here this year. And my dad can still ski. He really is a beautiful skier. I tried to learn some more from him.

I am so happy we’ve been able to ski this year. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy it, since we really haven’t been able to ski that often since we’ve been married. So I’m grateful we’ve had some chances to ski mountains that are so close. I think one of the best things for me about moving here has been that we’ve gotten outside so much more. We have some friends here who are bit older than us with 3 kids that have taught me that just because you’re married and have kids, doesn’t mean you can’t make time and create opportunities to do the things you enjoy. So I’m thankful Jake and I have been able to take a couple of hours and go cross-country skiing or that we have all these fun trails to explore with the kids. It’s really fun, although everything is a bit muddy right now. Taos turns to mud in the spring. It’s pretty funny. Even the local newspaper is running a competition for readers to photograph the biggest pothole in the county. There are some real doozies.

Jacob's 2 cents - I went to the Sabinoso Wilderness Study Area to look at an allotment. That place is really neat, two huge canyons. This one is the Mora River canyon

Sunny days...

2008-03-04T07:03:00.010-07:00

We haven’t done much these past weeks, but this past weekend we were lulled into a sense of spring when Saturday was 61 degrees! It was beautiful, not to mention that Thursday and Friday were in the mid 50s as well. Needless to say we took full advantage and went to the park. We really enjoyed ourselves. Sage and Keiger both enjoyed the swings, Sage more so. Keiger has this feeling that when the shoes go on and we leave the house that means that he gets to wander. So, Keiger spent much of his time exploring anything and everywhere.
Sage’s preschool last week was focused around princesses so we had to make an ‘enchanted castle,’ lights and all. And not to mention the dance ribbon that must accompany this castle. She had a good evening.
Keiger had a first this week also – painting, with a paintbrush. I think the pictures speak for themselves.

Don’t paint what?

Oh, and Sunday we got to drive to Santa Fe for our Stake conference. When we arrived back in Taos we were reminded what season it really is…winter…and we love it.

Keiger, Keiger, Keiger

2008-02-26T07:34:00.003-07:00

So things are a little different here in Taos. There are all sorts. I was having lunch with some friends on Friday, and we got to talking about nutrition and how much we’ve learned about food since we’ve come to Taos because there are some very health-conscious people here. Anyway, these gals started talking about food stuff that I had never heard of before so now I am totally paranoid about all the hydrogenated oils I’ve been feeding my kids, because apparently they are very bad for you. And to top it off, the next day I find Keiger with all this white stuff oozing out of his mouth and discover that he’s eating clay. Wonderful. Oh, Keiger. Sometimes I don’t know what to do with this kid. Lately, he has discovered climbing. It’s so not a good thing. I was doing dishes the other day and turn around to see him on top of the kitchen table playing with markers. Then one morning as I was getting out of the shower, I hear this huge crash and Sage comes trotting into the bathroom to tell me Keiger had fallen. He had climbed up on the computer desk and fallen down while trying to reach the phone. He brought the laptop and the phone down with him. You’d think all this falling would deter him, but he’s relentless. So if you happen to stop by the house and see all the chairs turned upside down, you’ll know why. I’m just trying to protect our crazy, but lovable Keiger.

Oh, and on President's Day we went for a hike on the Pueblo River a tributary to the Rio Grande. Keiger actually "hiked" half of it himself - about 1/2 mile. He would have nothing to do with the backpack until he got tired. It was a cool but beautiful day.

Jane Austen Fun

2008-02-17T21:15:00.002-07:00

Ok, so I found this quiz from the Call's blog. It is hilarious. Jake thinks it's ridiculous and rolled his eyes the whole time I did it (deep down he thought it was funny). Anyway, don't ask me how I ended up as Lizzie. Must be the bright eyes and brilliant teeth. You Austen fans better give it a go.

Take the Quiz here!

More snow

2008-02-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

The kids and I finally made it back to Taos last week. It took us two full days of driving because of the snowy roads. We’re glad to have made it. Thanks, Dad for bringing us. It snowed a couple of days earlier this week and all the schools and public stuff closed. Even Jake got the day off, so we spent the afternoon starting seeds for flowers we want to plant in the yard this spring. Our little bathroom has been converted into a toasty warm greenhouse. It’s funny to think about landscaping and flowers when it’s still cold out.
Sage has been on a Valentine-making frenzy ever since last Saturday when we went to a Valentine workshop at her favorite art museum.
Keiger is such a goof. He is having some serious sharing issues with his sister (toys, attention, or anything really). He’s such a little squealer! (Hence the girly, but cute picture) We’re a little worried that he’s starting to act this way already. But how do you teach a one year-old to share? It’s pretty funny. Keiger has also been in to book more lately. Here is a picture that I just had to take with everyone doing there bedtime reading.
We got to go skiing again to Sipapu. That is where I (Jacob) tried to fly through the trees, but this time Morgan had some fun and had a good enough wreck that she had a yard sale (lost skis and poles). I missed it, which is unfortunate because she doesn’t crash often; in fact that was the first crash since our marriage. (Morgan has come in and told me I need to explain that she hasn’t crash because she is such a “beautiful skier” – OK, I consent.
Anyway here is a better picture of the Latir Wilderness from the west side of the Rio Grande.

Crazy Hike

2008-01-27T14:38:00.000-07:00

So I come to the office to make a post and see these two slide shows...wow. All I can say is - hey, I worked in the sun and the sagebrush all summer:o) I miss you dear, despite the scandalous pic, and can't wait to see you guys in a few days. - Here was my original post

With Morgan and the kids gone it has been quite, too quite but I have been able to get a few more things down around the house. I also went for a hike into the Latir Wilderness yesterday. The hike was nice but very steep and the snow a little deeper than I expected – waist deep in some places, even with snowshoes. I think that Erich would have been the only one who wouldn’t have complained about that hike (over 2,000 feet in just over a mile). I had a good time but was a little disappointed that I didn’t get to timberline for some great views. So these pictures are all you get, sorry.

As for Morgan, Sage and Keiger, all I know is that they have been having fun…maybe she will fill you in sometime.

This is the road that leads to El Rito the little town at the base of the wilderness on the west side. The red was my route since I was tired and by myself, and wanted to come down while it was still light the top will have to come another time. You can just make out Cabresto Peak in the center of the photo. A view back on to the 'Taos Plateau' or Rio Grande Valley centered on Ute MountainThis aerial photo gives you an idea of where I wanted to go (Cabresto Peak, bottom left and Venado Peak, top right with Virgin Canyon between them)...can't wait 'till summer

Evening glow on the Wheeler Peak Wilderness

We love Jake!

2008-01-26T23:14:00.001-07:00

Ok, so not to be a tease or anything, but here's a college photo of Jacob. Take a look at his face and arms. Now glance down at those white little legs. Nice. Just kidding you, Jake. Going to the wedding today made me love you even more. Nell and I got to chatting about anything we would change about our weddings, and I don't think I'd change a thing, except my poofy veil. I miss you!

Ahh, to be in college again!

2008-01-26T22:51:00.001-07:00

So, I've been in Utah for the past week while Jake's been a bachelor at home. It's been nice to visit family, and I was able to go to the wedding of an old college roommate, Jen. It was one of the few weddings of my friends I was able to attend since we've lived so far away. Anyway, it was really nice. Jen looked gorgeous. Just like a princess. And her new husband is a cute guy. And, of course, I forgot a camera, so sorry, no pics. BUT, I did happen to come across some old pics from college that brought back a lot of great memories of good times in Rexburg. And I got to visit with Mel and Nellie (more old roommates) at the wedding too, so I've had a lot of nostalgia about those Ricks College days where we (well mostly me) were such goofs. So instead of wedding pics, you get Moe's old college pics...even better! And I must warn you that I post these pictures without permission from anyone in them. Sorry guys! Just think of the fun we had, though. Remember the "CC?"

Finally, Taos Ski Valley

2008-01-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

Well, Morgan and the kids off to Utah for a while, I guess it is up to me to write the blog – sorry. We have been just plugging along with nothing really exciting going on. Morgan and I did finally make it up to the famed Taos Ski Valley for a gorgeous, but cold ski afternoon. I kept having to remind myself that we were in New Mexico. The above picture pointing out Morgan is looking down the Kachina Bowl and the next one is looking back in to the bowl from a different part of the mountain. Needless to say we had a blast.
Sage has just been enjoying her favorite activities as of late, ice skating and ballet. This time ice skating she even decided to try it without the little helper bar – sorry the picture is blurry. It didn’t last long but she sure enjoyed herself. Also, ballet has been so fun for her – I personally have not seen her, but is looks cute in the pictures and Morgan says she tries so hard to follow the teachers.
Keiger received some mega blocks for Christmas and he and Sage have been building away. We got the child-safety locks up so no more sweeping up dumped out crackers at least, but there is always something as he never holds still. His walking is great loves to be chased, or chase is sister when she doesn’t want him around. But they have been playing better together.
Like I said, nothing to exciting but at least there are some new pictures to look at :o)

Musings

2008-01-09T06:56:00.000-07:00

Ever have those days where you just call someone just so you can talk to a grown-up for a while? Yeah, today was one of those. This Christmas was so nice to just have time to do stuff together and to not have any commitments, but I think we’re ready to get back into the swing of things.
New Year’s is such a funny holiday. What do you do? We went up to Taos Ski Valley to watch a torchlight parade down the mountain and fireworks. We were late (big surprise), so we missed the parade, but caught the fireworks. Sage was afraid of the loud booms (another big surprise), so we just watched from the car. That was fine by me because it was COLD! Jacob and I put in a movie when we got home. I was asleep by 10:30. We spent New Year’s Day sledding. Sage discovered she like going down on her bum and tummy best of all. Why buy a sled?
Jacob and I finally got to ski the other day. It was the first time we have ever hired a baby-sitter, but worth it, for me at least. Jacob did remark that he’d rather be hiking. I told him he could just skip the lift and hike up the hill. He had a spooky fall—must have caught an edge just before he hit a cat track. Anyway, he ended up sliding off the cat track and flying off the edge of the hill into the trees. Luckily, he didn’t hit any trees, only stumps. No injuries, thankfully! We were thinking that that was the first time we’d been skiing since I was pregnant with Sage, about 4 years ago. Crazy.

I have had a bit of tooth trauma the past few months. It all started with a broken filling which boiled down to a dreaded root canal. I have heard such horror stories about those that you can imagine I was so nervous! And of course, I had to go to Sante Fe to get it done. I seriously had such anxiety. And then I met my dentist, Dr. Gavron. Quite a character. He really likes his root canals. Anyway, the whole experience, thankfully, went just fine. Totally painless—I don’t do well with teeth stuff—and really fascinating in a weird sort of educational way. I learned some new things about teeth. I got to use a mirror to see a lot of what was going on. I have become quite committed to pampering my pearly whites to hopefully avoid any extra dentist visits, nice as Dr. Gavron was.
We’ve put it off long enough, but the time has come to install the child locks. Not that I’m worried about Kei getting into the cleaning cabinets and finding something dangerous. It’s his getting into the food cabinets that has become my biggest pet peeve. He’ll open the cabinet where I keep the snack stuff, pull out a granola bar or a fruit snack, and follow you around wanting you to open it. Or he’ll pull out a box of crackers and dump them out as he munches. As cute as Keiger is, this is one habit we are going to stop. I’m sick of sweeping. But we still love him. He is able to this so well because he decided to start walking. After taking a few steps in Arizona – thanks Talon for showing him the way – he just started walking more and more each day. Now he is just acquiring new bumps and bruises – fun stuff.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-28T07:01:00.000-07:00

I think I’ve decided I could live in Taos forever…but I know that is just this awesome winter working on me. I had forgotten how much fun playing in the snow is until this past month where we’ve had great snow and lots of activities so close. I so have the itch to go skiing once we get baby-sitting coordinated. Christmas was great for us. This was the first year that we spent Christmas at home with just our little family, and we made the most of it. Sage was so excited to go ice skating, and it was hilarious to watch her.
The rink provided these walker-thingees that were awesome for her. She pushed it all over the ice. She didn’t even want us to skate near her. She is definitely a better skater than I am, although she did biff it a few times, especially when she tried to say hello to other skaters. Too fun.
We also went sledding one afternoon, and we decided to make our own track down the hill. So of course, Sage got pelted with snow all over the front of her. We just played in the snow after that. Keiger didn’t enjoy it too much either. Poor Keiger. He sure puts up with a lot from us as we drag him along on all these crazy adventures.
On Christmas Eve, we took Sage skiing for the first time. We took her to a practice run at Sipapu so we didn’t have to buy lift tickets and we could just walk beside her. She did pretty good. It’s a lot to get the hang off for such a little one, so we’ll probably call it good for this year and put her on some shorter skis next winter. And, of course, Keiger tagged along in the sled. He’s such a good sport. Sage got the most fun out of watching people load onto the chair lift. She’s so into stuff like that.
We got her this marble run for Christmas, and she sits in her room watching it. You can just see her mind working to try and figure it out. Anyway. Christmas was really nice. It’s been neat to think of the traditions that we want to have. Sage did say over breakfast, “Wait. Santa forgot my puppy!” What do you say to that?

Christmas afternoon we went to the Pueblo to watch the deer dance. There was chanting and drumming and it got a bit chilly as we waited for things to really get started. We saw the clowns (kind-of the authorities for the day) all painted black and white and wearing straw hats with turkey wings and feathers. They built a huge bonfire and ran all over. Yes, they scared Keiger. The Pueblo women danced, and then the deer came. I guess all the men had been hunting the week before, so they all dressed in the skins and heads of the deer and elk they killed. They held sticks in their hands to look like they had four legs. Then they started to dance. By that time all we could see were bobbing antlers over the crowd, and we headed home to get warm. There is so much culture. I wish I understood more. You can’t take pictures of any of the dances at the Pueblo. I wish you could because it is so cool to see the snow draped over the roofs of the old adobes up against the mountain. Speaking of culture, we headed to the Bishops for dinner, and we just don’t quite fit in yet. It’s so funny. So for dinner there was posole with pig’s feet, enchiladas, spoon bread, shrimp salsa stuff, chips and salsa, chili, tortillas, tamales, and lots of chilies. And what do we bring? …Rolls. Doesn’t quite fit, does it? I love it. We had a great time and heard alls sorts of funny stories about the ward, like the time they used tortilla chips for the Sacrament or the Sunday the mariachi band played during Sacrament meeting, now known as “Mariachi Sunday.” Too fun. I love Taos. Honestly, the people here are so real and sincere, just who they are.

Happenings

2007-12-19T07:17:00.000-07:00

This year, we continued our tree-cutting tradition and headed to the woods to find the perfect tree. (And we had the perfect weather for it; we’ve had snow ever since we returned from Phoenix.) After some searching, Sage wanted to cut this little tree. Jake found a different one that looks pretty good—better than some of the Charlie Brown trees we’ve had.
Sage made the ornaments for the tree and decorated a bit. She’s quite proud. All of the bottom branches of the tree are empty: the Keiger-zone.
Sage continues to play outside in the snow pretty much every day. This is the snowman she and Daddy made.
We had our ward Christmas party the other night. Pretty fun. Jacob and I were volunteered to play Mary and Joseph in the little play. I got some great looks from the primary kids when they saw my beach ball belly. We had tamales, posole, and tortillas for dinner. I so need to get used to hot food! The primary sang a few songs at the party. Sage was so excited to sing “Away in a Manger,” and she did a great job. Santa made an appearance. Sage asked him for a puppy. She might learn a bit about disappointment this Christmas.

Keiger lost a fight with the dresser this week. He was jumping on the bed and fell into the corner of the dresser. We sure thought his nose and eyes would look a lot worse, but he still looks a bit beat up. Sage prays for his bump to get better each night.

Happy Birthday Keiger!

2007-12-11T07:21:00.000-07:00

Well a little late in coming, but Keiger turned the big 1 on December 1st. We were in Phoenix during the past two weeks and Keiger enjoyed being with family for his birthday. When it came to the gifts, Sage and Kalei were probably more excited but Keiger actually did a good job of opening them. Morgan made cupcakes in icecream cones - an adventure - but they were fantastic. Phoenix was fun for Morgan and the kids, and the trainings weren’t too bad. Nani, Papa, Shayla and Bryan were able to come for a while and it was great to see all of them. Sage and Morgan went to the Nutcracker with Nani, Shayla, Maile and Kalei, they had a blast. Sage and Kalei danced the night away, but paused and posed for a few pictures.

Thanksgiving Snow

2007-11-23T22:15:00.000-07:00

The day after Thanksgiving, we woke up to quite a bit of snow. Yeah! We’ve been waiting for the snow to come! It made for a great holiday.

Sage loved playing outside, especially in her pink snow boots from Aunt Mackenzie. Too fun!

We also got to one of our favorite places, Twirl, for their holiday tree lighting. It was a little chilly, but beautiful with the fresh snow.

We Love Shayla!

2007-11-19T07:49:00.000-07:00

Today is Shayla Day! Everyday should be Shayla Day, because whenever I think about Shayla, I am happy. Shayla, you are someone I am honored to know. One of my most special days was when I got to go to your wedding. During the ceremony, there was this beautiful spirit about you that I knew came from the purity of your life, your worthiness and innocence, and just who you are. That left a very real impression on me, and I am still so grateful to remember being in the temple that day.

I also hope you know that you are quite famous. Whenever I visit my grandparents or connect with old friends, they always ask about you. I hope you know that you influenced so many people.

Sage colored in the “We Love You, Shayla!” poster for you. She has been taught that when you use an exclamation point, you are to say it with passion. So when we say we love you, we really mean it. And, you must know that Sage was adamant that we make a poster for Bryan too. So sorry! But, Bryan, we do love you. I am so glad you guys were married to be there for each other and to help each other.

Shayla, I love being around you. You have a way of just lifting people up and making others feel good that is so contagious. The spirit I felt from you on your wedding day still remains. It teaches me of everything that is good and right and what I want to be. You’re awesome. I know Heavenly Father and Jesus are so proud of you and that you are so close to them. I am so grateful to be in this family so I could know you. I love you, Morgan
_____

Hi, Shayla! I just looked at Daisha and Cole's blog spot for the first time and saw the photographs of new little Tessa in your arms. I thought how beautiful you both are!! Quite the miracle girl, that's you, Shayla! When I think back to that scary, scary time two years ago and realize all the tender mercies in your behalf and all the huge courage and incredibly hard work and commitment that you and those who love you have expended (especially Bryan and your mom), it's amazing! What a cherished example you have been for all of us who know and love you even though we're so far away.

Whenever I get bogged down, thinking something is really hard - I think of you and the days and days of difficult that you have tackled and conquered with such style and fortitude. You have accomplished so very, very much that I tell people about your story all the time and then your powerful influence for good is sent out from your life to the lives of others you don't even know about. The ripples of your strength and goodness just keep going on and on! I am so grateful for your beautiful smile, your soft, sweet voice that you have worked so hard to be able to express, your tender love for your dear family - especially the little ones, your sparkling eyes that really light up when you are happy, and the sweetest spirit that absolutely shines from within you, On the days of discouragement that sometimes come - be sure to remember all that is so very lovely and special about who you are! And remember too Moroni 7:29 - Have miracles ceased? Nay, and the work of angels is all about us! Here's to the next two years of mighty miracles!!

I'm sorry that all the real work is left to you all - but I hope it helps to know that our prayers and fasts and invisible hugs are continually sent your way from clear down here, and the power of your influence is being continually felt and shared far beyond what you might imagine. Best to you for a memorable Thanksgiving Day. We love you! Jayne, Steve, Mackenzie, and all our extended clan!
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Wow, two years since you where gifted back to us – and it is a true gift. It is too bad that we are so far apart so we can more fully appreciate the inspiring person you are. But, we are really excited that you and Bryan are coming to Phoenix, it will be a blast (at least for you guys – darn trainings ;-) Thank you for being our miracle sister, who has brought so much happiness and joy into our family for as long as I can remember (except that period of time that you wouldn’t eat anything that mom cooked for dinner and only wanted ’Cheerios’ – by the way I think you some how passed that on to Sage J).

So today I am grateful for you, Shayla, for the light you shine to all of those around you, for the fighter you are, the example, the embodiment of hope and courage in the face of adversity. You have no idea how much you mean to me and those around you. I LOVE YOU and am grateful for the privilege to be your brother. - Jacob

May each new day bring more light to our Sunshine on a Stick!

Not much happening

2007-11-15T08:24:00.000-07:00

We seem to be busy but can't really pinpoint why. It is probably due to the up coming Thanksgiving and trip to Phoenix (which we can't wait for and are pumped that Shayla and Bryan are now coming - Cole and Daisha, we wish you guys could be there too). Anyway we did make a spontaneous decision on Saturday to hike up to Williams Lake in the Wheeler Peak Wilderness. It was a little chilly, but not bad for 11,000 feet. We also finally finished the inside of the house, patching and painting the laundry room - so exciting. Also, with the time change it allows me to get back outside in the mornings before work to get more done in the yard (nothing like doing yard work in 20 degree temperatures :-)

Taos Festivities

2007-11-05T07:24:00.000-07:00

Taos really does have some cool stuff. Last weekend was the annual hot air balloon rally. These are pictures taken from our front yard during the Saturday morning mass ascension. We all were fascinated, especially Sage. We went to see the balloon shine that night, but it was cancelled because of the wind. Sage did get to meet one of the balloon pilots, though, and he gave her a card with a picture of balloons on it. She says she “will never lose it.” Too fun.

My family came to visit this week and to go to the Taos Storytelling Festival. The performers were very entertaining. My dad (Tim the Tool Man) decided to put in a new back door. He slaved over it for three days straight and made several trips to the hardware store. He loves that. Keiger spent most of his time in with the power tools. He really likes to play with the hammer. Anyway, the door looks great. We’re going to paint it turquoise to match the front door. (-:
Halloween here in Taos turned out to be so fun. Sage decided to wear her Snow White dress, and Keiger wore a Frankenstein shirt. That was costume enough for me. During the afternoon, we were able to trick-or-treat at the historic downtown plaza. One particular street of shops was decorated with huge spider webs and hanging orange globes that looked like pumpkins. And so many people dressed in fun costumes. It really was charming. Sage, of course, had a ball. Her Elmo bucket was so full of candy, she was too tired to carry it. We did convince her to stuff all her candy under her bed on Halloween night so the “Candy Fairy” could pick it up in exchange for a special surprise. In her case, a new Care Bear, which she adores. On Halloween night, we had a party for some of her little friends and the nursery kids in the ward. We had hot cider and made way too many donuts. Thankfully, Mom and Mackenzie were there to man the stove. The kids made balloon ghosts. It was pretty short and simple, but way fun. We made the milk jug ghosts from the Family Fun October issue. They looked so cool glowing on our front walkway.

I’m glad my family was here so my kids were so entertained because I have been pretty absorbed in the Twilight series of books by Stephenie Meyer. I know it sounds cheesy, but for books about vampires, these are actually very engaging.

Weekly update

2007-10-22T07:42:00.000-06:00

Sage and Keiger have been sick this week. Sage has a cold and Keiger has gone through A LOT of diapers. Fun. We went to a family in the ward for dinner and Keiger puked on Jacob several times. It was great. Wish we had a picture. Hopefully, the kids get well since we have preschool here this week and we are going with Jacob to Albuquerque to play while he goes to one of his trainings.

Sage continues to love preschool with her two little friends from the ward. They are both already four, so Sage is definitely the youngest and acts like it in a cute way. It is really sweet to see her shout things like, “Hip hip hooray!” when one of her friends accomplishes even the smallest task. She also has been so excited to create pictures for all of her cousins and her grandparents. As soon as we get stamps, I’ve promised her I’ll mail them. This girl goes through so much glue and tape it’s crazy. She’s really into Angelina Ballerina books right now, and she has decided to be a princess for Halloween. We had a pink princess dress for her, but she’s worn it around so much that it is pretty frayed.

Keiger has actually been pleasantly mellow since he’s been sick. He will sit still and let you read books to him, and since he doesn’t have much appetite, the kitchen has become a much quieter place. He has become so communicative as late. He loves to wave, clap, rub his hands, play peek-a-boo, share, and, of course, follow Sage around. His favorite word is, “ooh.” It’s his exploring word and his “look what I found” word.

I am staying pretty busy. Storytime is a bit time-consuming, but so fun. I know it is cheesy, but Dancing with the Stars has returned. I’m a bit into it. Sage asked if after Family Home Evening tomorrow night, we’d be able to watch Dancing with the Stars. Of course. Nursery is really fun for me, but I would love to hear any ideas on activities to do the kids. I’m having to get really creative. Oh, if you need something romantic to watch and you’re into Pride and Prejudice, I just watched North and South, done by the BBC. So good. Jacob said it was ok….but, he watched it. That says something. Actually, apparently it doesn’t. Jacob just said he watches everything.

Jacob continues to wake up early and putt around the house doing stuff before going to work. His latest project was to clean out the garage so we can park the car in it. Good thing too because we had our first snow today! We were able to find Jacob a nice, cheap pair of skis last week at a ski swap, so we’re excited for the season to come. Even Sage wants to learn to ski this year. This has been a wonderful autumn for us. We’ve really been able to get outside and enjoy how beautiful it is here. I’m still so impressed that there are so many hikes and neat places to play so close to home. And, best of all, we’ve had a backyard with grass and leaves to play in. We are all so grateful for that.

Elk Hunting

2007-10-18T08:09:00.000-06:00

Due to some great generosity I was able to get an elk tag. It is only a five day hunt (and one day was Sunday), so I was in the woods for four days (THANK YOU, Morgan) but it was beautiful and thankfully I was able to put some meat in the freezer.

What am I doing?

2007-10-13T06:05:00.000-06:00

Well, I guess I am doing it - creating a blog. It is probably the best way for you family and friends to 'see' us and hear what we are up to. Morgan will probably do the writing and I will probably watch...so we will see how things go. - Jacob