mY nEw EVIL FrIeNd

I am determined to lose my extra weight this year. My new friend here is going to help. As with all friends it will only help if I let it. Wish me luck!!!!

LOOK who has CONTACTS

I finally gave in and let Devin try contacts. He was going to get them on his 10th birthday in May, but I thought he needed them for Jr. Jazz Basketball that will be starting soon. He got them last Friday and I thought there was NO WAY he could ever put them in by himself. I just kind of thought Dean or I would stick them in for him. He has been so determined to do it himself. He practiced half the day Sunday and then on Monday morning he got the left one in by himself and I ended up sticking the right one in. Today, which is Tuesday, he put them both in by himself. He seems way too little for that. What a cutie.

He even does dishes

I walked into the house and what do I see. My HERO doing my dishes that I didn't do. I just had to take a picture (to his surprise). He is WONDERFUL!!!!

Valentine's Day

I have no pictures of our fun day. I forgot the camera. We decided to go to Provo and get a few things that we needed. My broken cooktop finally got replaced and I am the proud new owner of an elliptical. Trust me, I desperately need the elliptical. Dean has been wanting a pistol since he got his concealed weapons permit. He has justified it every way possible. "It feels good in your hands, huh?" "What if a bad guy breaks in?" "What about the bears?" It was absolutely fine by me, but I think he was trying to make it okay in his mind. We go hiking and camping quite a bit and the bears scare me so I was actually all for it. Everything I was getting ended up being on sale!! That was nice. We ate at Las Hermanos (sp?) with the boys. We were so miserably full.

After that we went to the final round of the state wrestling tournament. We had a wonderful day. I love my family. Dean is an angel sent from God to rescue me from myself. I would be a mess without him. Those of you who knew me in high school would attest to the fact that Dean is my angel. I am a happy and content person with him. He lifts me up when I'm down. He has great shoulders to cry on. Or just to lay on. He hugs me in a way that makes me feel like he is holding me together sometimes.

My boys are a whole other story. They bring fun and enjoyment and life everywhere we go. They are funny and loving. They bring a smile to my face every time I think about things they have said. Dylan and Devin think their sole purpose in life is to be tormenting each other. They don't fight mean a whole lot but they are constantly at each other. Dakoda is my mellow child that just goes with the flow.

I love my family and the things that I am learning as I grow up. Whether I want to learn these things or not. My dad having cancer has taught me to slow down and enjoy things. Relax, spend time with those that you love and who love you. Time on this earth is too short to lose a minute on wasteful things like hating people and being pissed off at the world. Most importantly to have fun and find some sort of enjoyment out of everything. One more thing I've learned is determination. I've learned that I have momma claws that come out when my family is threatened in any way. I have a great family and I can't wait to cook hotdogs this summer at my dad's house. We are just waiting for the snow to melt. I hope it hurries!!!

Old McDonald's Farm

All of my many animals were out and about enjoying the sunshine a few weeks ago. You can't see my duck and goose playing in the mud puddle though. My big, mean dogs were letting the chickens eat all around them while they stretched out and sunbathed. I thought it was so cute out my kitchen window. It is my very own little chicken farm. I know, I know, I am quite the chicken farmer. They are wonderful bug eaters too though. That is why I actually bought them, because of the year of the cutworms. You know those crazy little green catepillars. They were everywhere. The kids gathered a 5 gallon bucket of them out of the grass YUCK. I dumped them out on the driveway and poured gas on them and burned them. The boys also figured out that if you held the worm by one end and squeezed just right, the bug guts would shoot out the other end of the worm. That was gross!!! The worms ate my flower beds clear down to the roots, along with the grass and all the leaves off the trees. If you were quiet outside you could actually hear them munching, I SWEAR I AM NOT KIDDING. That is why I am a chicken farmer. I do need to get rid of a rooster though. Any takers? If not, Dean said that he would be happy to practice with his bow. Oh sad day.

The Fun Continues

Dakoda's basketball season is still going strong. At least for a few more weeks. I was thinking we would probably have a few weeks break before the next sport but it doesn't sound like it. The baseball coach talked to him the other day about baseball season. MORE BLEACHER BUTT. What to do? What to do?

Watching Dakoda this year has been very impressive. He has just come alive in every aspect of his life. He is maturing. scared AAHH. He turns 16 in a few weeks and then look out. What if he actually wants to date? I just want to protect these boys and never let them get their hearts broke. I keep telling him that I am going to make up an application that the girls will need to fill out before they can go out with him. He doesn't think so though. Why not? It sounds like a wonderful idea to me.

The End of Dylan's Season

Dylan's team had an exceptional year. We had weeks with 6 ballgames (between Dakoda's and Dylan's) in them. Every day except Sunday. These weeks, we consumed a lot of pizza. What else is there when you work all day and watch ball games all night. Don't even say crock pot... That would require planning ahead. haha I have GOT TO invest in the stadium seats of some sort though. My butt and back about kill me by the end of those weeks. But where else would we be. Home relaxing? I think not, we have DVR.

This is how Devin spends his nights. He loves... time-outs, quarter breaks and especially half-time. (Oh yeah, and hot dogs, pretzels and water) They get to shoot from the three-point line at half time and if they make it, they get a 2 liter pop. We brought home 3 the other night. Devin never complains or whines about getting drug to a million games, he just is there to have fun. I love his easy-going nature. It's kind of like his dad's.