idol chat

this show was so boring to me tonight! thank heavens that adam, danny, and kris showed up.

going home tomorrow...my guess is megan...no, anoop...no,megan...hmmm.

happy birthday staci & rosanne!

this past weekend we had staci (and kyle) and rosanne come for a visit! and while they were here we had cake and ice cream to celebrate their birthdays...which land only a day apart.

so, happy birthday to staci (today) and rosanne (tomorrow)!

the birthday girls...staci and rosanne

staci is beautiful and has such a kind heart.

rosanne is beautiful, motivated, and very thoughtful.



we love you both! hope you enjoy your big day!

happy birthday emily!

my little sister, emily, turns 25 today! how can that be when i am only 25?! (... still feel like 25 anyway).


emily and brandon

emily exudes TALENT! she is good at doing hair, floral arrangement, decorating...anything, dancing, planning, and entertaining! and she always looks fabulous.

emily, we hope you have a fantastic day celebrating! look forward to the cake tonight.
we love you!

happy birthday grandma!

my sweet, sweet, grandma manwaring turns 91 today! happy birthday grandma!


family picture taken last summer (grandma is in the middle row)

thank you for being such a wonderful grandmother! i was just thinking about you the other day and how we used to LOVE to play jacks with you. i almost went out and bought some jacks and showed up on your doorstep. i should have! thank you for all the wonderful memories you have blessed me with. just looking at this family picture makes me SO THANKFUL for everything you have given. i hope you have a fabulous day celebrating you! you are admired by many!

we love you!

idol chat

another very enjoyable night of idol! motown tribute!

you had better believe that when i heard what song matt was singing (let's get it on) i was EXCITED! and boy did he deliver. i am glad he started at the piano, but even happier that he didn't sit there the whole time. i think he could picked a better outfit...but, i will forgive him.

kris...hmmm. i get bored with him. he just reminds me too much of ALL the college guys that pull out their guitars for the ladies. he does have a cute quirkiness about him though.

scott is UBER talented! i don't know how long he will last on the show but, i do appreciate his talent.

okay. i think megan has a pretty original voice. but, don't you think all her songs kind of sound the same. could you really enjoy listening to a whole album of her?

oh anoop! and i thought i was bored listening to kris. anoop even looked a little bored while he sang...don't you think?

they sent the wrong person home last week. michael should have gone. i love his optimism but i really think his time is up on this show.

watching lil' rounds was kind of exhausting. i agree with randy and simon when they said that the song was just too fast for her and it sounded like she was having a hard time keeping up. BUT, let's not let her go home. she has mad vocals. RIGHT!!

now, one guy i could listen to a whole album of is ADAM! he is so versatile. i love it! he totally stole the show last night. and he looked fantastic (ps kara drives me nuts...and especially with what she said after adam performed).

danny did not disappoint me tonight. he really has got a sweet voice! and he is pretty entertaining to watch. i thought it was a little weird that they did that whole segment about taking smokey's advice and then he didn't even do it. that was kind of embarrassing...right?!

allison reminds me so much of the artist Pink. she really picked a perfect song tonight (papa was a rolling stone) and she rocked it.

so...good-bye michael. ward out!

happy birthday laura!

happy birthday to my sister-in-law, laura! she turns 24 today!


staci and laura

we have missed seeing laura since she moved to colorado springs, but rumor has it that she is coming back! hope it's true. laura is beautiful, talented, and soft-spoken, smart, and is GREAT with her niece and nephews!

we love you laura and hope you have a fantastic day celebrating!

yard work

thursday through saturday of last week were so BEAUTIFUL! we enjoyed walks outside and riding our bikes.

and all this sun got kevin all energized about working in the yard (thank heavens!). so first thing saturday he got the boys in their work boots (snow boots) and put them to work.

the task (it's hard to know where to start): filling the window wells with dirt. they were dug out REALLY low so we needed to fill a foot or so with dirt and next week we hope to fill the next foot with rock and cover them up.

owen and wesley almost seem to disappear in our yard of DIRT!

kevin got a MAJOR work out as he moved dirt via a wheelbarrow from one window to the other. and he usually had a small child as part of the load.

kevin barely making a dent in our MASSIVE dirt pile.

one of the MANY saturdays that will be dedicated to this yard.

idol chat

is it just me or are the contestants getting sassier and sassier?! i don't know what to think about it. i like that they are standing up for themselves...but, at the same time i think it's a little disrespectful. have you noticed? what do you think? and, i just have to say that i am not loving the new judge kara. i just find all of her feedback really repetitive/border line annoying.

and speaking of disrespectful...i had to laugh when paula told that blind guy (scott) she would like to see him move away from the piano. not quite sure what she wants this poor guy to do. my personal opinion: i like him behind the piano. it feels safe and comfortable. and, i think scott did a really great job last night with this performance.

now. i am a fan of adam. i really like his crazy style. but, last night was a little bit too freaky for me. i don't know...

alexis could have really blown everyone one away last night with it being country night but i wasn't impressed with her song choice (jolene). i thought it was a little boring. i am with the judges. bring back the dirty! (;

danny...oh i love danny! his awkward little hand and leg movements really make me smile. i love that he is just SO REAL. i feel like he's just a guy down the street. his white jacket was a little weird. but, i am with randy travis. he has got some kind of soul! i had to watch his performance twice. love him!

anoop...what!? last week i put him on the "go home" list. but, this week he was AWESOME! nice.

megan is so AWKWARD with her little waist twisting that it totally distracts me when i watch her. but, i do love her soulful voice and she did a great job on her song choice.

i love the piano man matt! he is such a perfect mix between michael bubble and justin timberlake. just a heart breaker. and he rocked the house last night!

allison...i love her smoky vocals!

kris...he is cute. sings well. a little boring though.

lil' rounds...not the best night for her. but, she is still great in my eyes!

and...i am going to predict that michael goes home tonight. he has a great smile when he sings and performs but he just isn't anywhere near the talent of the other contestants.

enjoy the show tonight! i know i will.

it's a...GIRL!

i had my ultrasound this afternoon and i am STILL in shock! we are having a baby girl!! and everything looks good so far.

we were supposed to have the ultrasound at 9am, but their machine broke and so we had to go home and wait until noon to go back in. you would think that waiting another three hours would be nothing...but, it felt like FOREVER!

we were so thrilled and shocked when she told us we were having a baby girl. we have a little "curse" on my side of the family with my sisters where...until now...the girls have only had one gender. it's either boys or girls. katie has 5 girls and melissa has 4 boys. so with my two boys i thought i was destined to continue the "curse". so this was a big deal! (;

anyway, since we had to come back in later they give us a free dvd of the ultrasound and then took some 3d pictures for us. my mom thinks they are a little scary looking, but i think they are SO PRECIOUS! i love seeing her little face and her hands cuddled next to her cheek. she looks like an angel.


our proof. no turtle here!

even though kevin has been brain washing the boys by telling them they wanted another brother they were ALL happy to hear a girl is on her way!

now the name search begins.

idol chat

american idol is back! i am not totally in love with all the changes they have made to the show but i am still a fan. and with a little reminder from elena i am ready to make predictions again.

first...i am guessing the final four standing will be.

he is a rocker! he knows how to work the stage and he has a range like nobody's business.

how can you not like danny! he has a great voice, great personality, and i love his awkward dancing!

she reminds me so much of pink and gwen stefani. she has a voice and knows how to use it.

she is just a little thing with a HUGE voice. and i love her tone.

as for last nights show i am afraid that it's time for anoop and jorge to say goodbye.

wanted: a pediatrician

wanted: a pediatrician

*with a friendly staff

*and one who won't send his nurse in to ask what is wrong with the kids and then come in and ask the same questions (why do we have to answer these twice)

*one who will walk/talk me through what he is checking and seeing

*one who won't ask me if i have any questions and then act like my questions are a waste of his time

is this too much to ask? i had the GREATEST pediatricians in pocatello (yost & yost). this was my first experience with pediatricians so i kind of compare everyone to them and everyone fails MISERABLY! in the nearly two years we have lived in idaho falls i have yet to find one i like.

i had to take both my boys in today and was LESS THAN impressed with the doc i saw. his nurse came in and asked me what was wrong with my boys so i tell her everything. she leaves. the doc comes in and asks the same thing. what is the point of this...really? i don't get it at all. so, with two very irritated little boys i have to tell the story over again. all of this happens as he makes no eye contact while sitting WAY across the room at a table.

so, then he comes over to examine the boys. he looks in their eyes, mouth, ears, and listens to their chest and back without speaking a single word. he rolls in his chair back over to his table and writes out a prescription, hands it to me and says "any questions?". umm...yeah!

me: so, what do you think?

doc: about what?

me: what do you think is wrong with them?

doc: ear infections.

me: what can i do for owen's coughing?

doc: nothing.

so glad i asked.

somebody help me. i really want to find a good pediatrician before i have this new baby. if you live in idaho falls let me know who you prefer and i will love you forever (unless you suggest the doc i just saw...(;)

all good things must come to an end

thursday night, after all the kiddos were asleep the adults gathered together for our family meeting that has become a tradition during this trip. i think we all look forward to this time to receive counsel from our parents and this year did not fail.

dad shared with us a family motto that he and mom tried to live by as a family. i love it will take it on as my own.

"to raise a righteous family so that our children would raise a righteous family and this would continue on through the generations with out becoming diluted."

dad and mom also talked to us about the economy and shared some of their life experiences that they felt would help us make wise decisions when life becomes challenging. a few things that i remember are:

be an evaluater. step back and look at your life often and the direction it is heading. if it's not heading in the direction you want then don't be afraid to start over. don't give up!

be where you should be. magnify your callings in life and busy yourself in the pure love of christ...charity/serving others.

hope i didn't share anything too personal. we had a great time being together. and i am always looking forward to the next time.

big springs

on thursday each cabin took turns making a trip to big springs (about a 14 mile drive round trip). wesley and i sat this one out and enjoyed a nap instead. i figured wesley would fall alseep instantly and then i would have to juggle a little boy around while trying to drive a snowmobile.

but, owen and kevin had a good time.


i love this picture of kevin and owen.

owen taking in the scenery. there were HUGE fish, ducks, and some kind of rodent.

kevin and owen

owen in his new helmet. hilarious i tell you!

annual snowmobile trip cont.

kevin was so ready for a vacation and always looks forward to this trip.


kevin on a snowmobile

kevin taking me for my first and only ride during the trip. i really just enjoyed watching everyone else. plus, being 22 weeks pregnant my snowpants weren't all that comfortable.

did i mention that wesley LOVED the snow?!

wes...having the time of his life!

snowman building

god bless uncle brandon! always willing to entertain the kids. and they love him for it!


brandon and micah

brandon, owen, micah, and ogden

frosty

annual snowmobile trip cont.

more pictures from the meadow.


jarom with his bandaged wound...which happened pre-trip.

keagen actually lost a tooth while riding on a tube...and the tooth fairy still was able to find him!

truman got the flu the second they arrived at the cabin and during the week it practically ran through their entire cabin. justin and amber were constantly doing laundry. bummer! poor cabin!

uncle brandon helped the boys build this great snowman. they were so proud.
ogden and owen

annual snowmobile trip cont.

more pictures from our fun at the meadow.


mom

snowmobiles have a magical power on wesley. he loves them, but it doesn't take long for them to lull him to sleep. we just threw him in a tube and let him rest while we finished playing. this year kevin bought us all our own helmets. the boys look so cute in their helmets. i didn't even put my on this trip...but it did get some use from others. next year!

blake and melissa

mom and emily

annual snowmobile trip

another successful snowmobile trip with no injuries! tuesday afternoon we packed up and headed to island park with my family for a three-night stay at The Pines. when we arrived the snow was a slushy mess but it didn't take long for it to freeze up again and for more snow to come. i think it snowed every day we were there. in fact, friday morning we woke up to about 6 inches of new snow. so much fun!

things that i LOVE about this trip:
for the four days we are there i only have to cook one meal
we eat LOTS of good food
we play lots of fun games
hot tubs
playing outside
being with my entire family
relaxing in beautiful cabins amongst beautiful scenery

this year we shared a cabin with my parents and the murdoch's. owen loved being in a cabin with melissa's four boys!

wednesday we played in the nearby meadow with the snowmobiles and sleds/tubes. this was the first and last time that i got on a snowmobile during our trip. i was just more comfortable inside this year!


wesley LOVED being outside and spent every second he could in the snow. every time we moved to a different cabin for a meal we knew we would have to TOTALLY bundle him up and plan on spending extra time outside on the way there and back. he really loved it. and he also enjoyed eating it!


elena

dad

natalie playing in the snow