What a Twinkie!

So, tonight I gave Lacey a Twinkie since she ate her dinner so well and turned my head for a few seconds and found her enjoying herself!!

I'm not the kind of mom that gives my kids a lot of treats but maybe it's a sign she needs them a little more often! :)

1 st Days of Kindergarten

It was such an exciting day for Bryce getting to wear new school clothes, new backpack, ride the bus, meet the teacher, and to top it off he lost his second tooth minutes before we left for school!

Bryce enjoying his after school snack! Warm chocolate chip cookies! Mmmmmmmmmmm.

Bryce climbing on the bus.

Bryce is ready and waiting for it to be time to catch the bus!

Bryce started school officially on Wednesday. I still can't believe it! So he has been 3 days and loves it. He says his favorite part so far is recess (of coarse) and computers! His teacher is Mrs. Lucia. I was very impressed with her when we met. I am very glad Bryce is so excited about learning and having a great time.

Life is fragile

Rusty admitted to the hospital.

Rusty being monitored.

Here is Rusty and me going for a walk to help his lung expand.

Rusty with daddy too!

Bryce, Grandma, and Lacey. They couldn't be happier being in grandmas care! Thank you so much grandma.

Rusty wanted to show off his cool stickers! :)

Here's Rusty at home on his oxygen ready for bed. He is so happy to be home with his family. We are so glad you are doing so much better my little man. We love you!

Well, I am not sure where to even start. But last Thursday I woke up and and was able to go to the temple with the young women leaders that I am serving with. Kirby thankfully stayed home with the kids so I could. On our way to the temple Kirb called and said that Rusty had just woke up and was having a hard time breathing. He wondered if that was a normal thing for him in the mornings. I replied no, maybe you should get a doctors appointment and I could take him when I get home.

I came home from the temple and took one look at my little guy laying on the couch by his dad and knew he needed to be seen, NOW!

I called the doctor and we was on our way. We got their in 25 minutes. The doctor took one look at Rusty and hooked him up to see what his oxygen level was. It was 82 and your supposed to be at a minimum of 90.

He was then admitted to the hospital and quickly put on oxygen. We had chest x-rays taken and it showed fluid and junk in his lungs which came out to be walking pneumonia.

The first night I stayed with him in the hospital and let Kirby go home to be with Bryce and Lacey. I thought we would only see improvement. In the night around 2 a.m. the nurses could not keep his oxygen levels up even with steroids and other breathing treatments. 5:30 came and three doctors and nurses surrounded him to get an iv started and take blood and started talking about life flighting him to Primary children's.

I couldn't believe what they were saying. Little Rusty was working his hardest to breath. It was so scary to watch.

I got a hold of Kirby and he was on his way down. He had his oil and was ready to give Rusty a blessing with the help of a worker in the hospital.

It was a miracle! He immediately started to improve and his breathing started to slowly get better. It just testified once again that our Heavenly Father is in charge and will bless you in times of need. We all have a stronger testimony of the power of a priesthood blessing and know that the gospel is true.

Rusty was able to come home Saturday night. He has to sleep with oxygen for the next week and hopefully will be doing well enough to be done with it. He was also diagnosed with a mild case of asthma. So we will be working on getting that under control as well.

The day before this we were at the park playing and the next day we were in the hospital! Sometimes you forget how fragile life is and how quickly things can change. We are so grateful for our Rusty and are so glad to see the sparkle back in his eyes.

Thank you mom and dad for all your help and love. We truly could not have done it without you and the amazing friends and family we have. We are so blessed and appreciate everyone for the help. I can't thank you guys enough.

Fun in the Sun!

Here is the cousins, every one's having a great time except for little Lacey. :(

Lacey testing out the slide.

Rusty is playing with his big cousin Javen.

Bryce took his own picture inside the slide.

Here they are enjoying their lunch

Tyler, Kylee, Rusty, Millie, Bryce, and Javen.

So fun spending time with cousins. Hope we can do it more often.:)

Well we decided the days are winding down before Kindergarten and preschool starts for Bryce and Rusty. So we took advantage and had some fun at the park. We thought it would make a good cousin outing.. Here is the crew!

Looking back!

8 months pregnant.

Does it seem like everyone is either pregnant, just had a baby, or wants to have a baby? I have got a few good friends that are adding to their families and I was going threw some pictures and thought it would be fun to post me when I was expecting Lacey. Wow, what a belly!

These are the pictures you dread taking but look back and wonder how your body could have possibly done that?! Then you realize it is a total miracle straight from our Heavenly Father that you get to experience this gift.. I am truly grateful for such an awesome experience and love each one of my little miracles!!!

P.S. Gina, You still have some growing to do to poke out like I did!!! Enjoy that belly it will be gone and in your arms before you know it.. :)

Carnival

Rusty and Bryce on the slide.

This is the only ride I rode, is that a sign I am getting old?

Rusty ran out of steam on the way up to his bed. He even made the stairs look cozy! :)

We couldn't resist going to the carnival on Thursday night. It's pretty fun to see the boys excitement before the ride starts. It is always like a reunion the 3 nights of the rodeo. Most people you are happy to run into but their is always the one that you could have went without seeing! (I mean that in the nicest way possible!)

Anyway we had a great time and headed back to our car and to our surprise someone had parked directly behind us so their was no way of getting out! Who would do that? So with 3 crying tired kids we finally called the cops to see if their was anything they could do. Just as the cops came so did the driver. So, the cop let him know he was very inconsiderate in a blunt sort of way. Thankfully we were able to get out and headed for home. I don't think we will be parking in that parking lot next year!!!

I Needa' Pea!!!

It was a family event shelling peas.

Mmmm, Mmmm Good!

Here's my flower bed.

And flower pots.

Can I just say I have a green thumb! This year we planted a garden and everything is going crazy. My flowers aren't looking to shabby either. I love to spend time in the dirt. Our peas are on, So this last week we have ate peas for a treat, in salads, and my favorite, peas and potatoes.

I didn't realize how much fun it would be to have your own garden and especially to enjoy the vegetables. It has been some good family time out picking weeds and playing in the dirt.

A week ago I made peas and potatoes for my first time and they were good but they weren't quite like grandmas. So it never hurts to try another recipe, right? Well This recipe is a keeper, not to mention easy. I was so proud I even had to take my grandpa some to try. He seemed to enjoy them too.

I guess I can't take all the credit for my green thumb, my dad gives me little tips like:

How to tell when you need to water.

When to fertilize.

How far apart to plant things.

How to grow good flower pots.

So I have followed his direction and just between you and me, my flowers are out doing his this year!!! So I guess I better give him some coaching next year!! :)

If your interested in the recipe for Creamed Peas and Potatoes here it is.

Ingredients:

1 lb. small new potatoes

1 1/2 cups fresh shelled peas

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1tablespoon flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1cup milk

Directions:

Peel potatoes and cut larger potatoes in half. Skins can be left on if desired. Place in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Boil until tender. Do not over over cook. When the potatoes are done, drain the water off and set them aside.

Boil the peas and drain them when finished cooking. Set aside with the potatoes.

In a saucepan, add the butter until melted. Add flour, salt, and pepper. Stir until mixed and then add in all the milk and stir into flour mixture until all ingredients are well blended.

Continue to stir and cook until the mixture has thickened and begins to bubble. Cook for 1 more minute.

Add the potatoes and peas to the cream sauce. Stir until well distributed and thoroughly heated.

Season to taste and serve while hot. Enjoy...

Family + Fun = Good times!

Family pics at Mesa Falls.

Here's another try!

Grandma and Grandpa with all the grand kids! (Their pride and joy!)

The boys in a cave at the the Bear and Wolf Wildlife.

Up close and personal with a bear!

Look at that Polar bear!

Sittin' in the tee pee.

Lacey posing at Big Springs.

Bryce feeding the fish.

Rusty feeding the birds.

Another family picture.

The crazy ones that swam in the freezing reservoir! Did I mention Kirby and Natalie?!

Luke, Rusty, Bryce. The 3 musketeers!

Leaving for Island Park.

We recently got back from our annual Foster family vacation. It was Kirby and my turn to pick were we went so we picked Island Park. We had such a great time. We stayed in a "sweet" cabin at the Pines. It was clean and new enough that I could even go bare foot! (that doesn't happen a lot, I'm kinda a germ freak!) We visited some cool sights. Big Springs is one of the kids favorites. You get to take bread and feed the fish, birds, and muskrat! It is so beautiful. Mesa Falls was also gorgeous. We even drove into west Yellowstone to eat and enjoy the Wolf and Bear Wildlife. The weather was so nice and toasty.

When I asked the boys what they enjoyed the most about our vacation they quickly said the cabin and hot tub. We had a hot tub on our deck at the cabin were the kids got in and out as they pleased and they loved it. I am not sure why I didn't get a picture of them swimming. We also went to a reservoir not far from where we were staying but the water was a bit to cold for most of us. We still had a great time on the dock watching the crazy ones swim!! :)

It was so nice to have a break from the demanding life we live in and just kick back and relax. Their is truly nothing better than spending a little more time with your family. Can't wait until next year for another fun adventure and great memories..

Parades, Parties, Pinata's

We are at the Lewiston parade.

Rusty and Bryce doing the Limbo! (how low can you go?)

Rusty trying to break the strong pinata' , Papa Lynn had to finally have a turn to get the job done.

Here is Madison, Skylee, and Lacey. They are all just a few weeks apart. This is the best picture of them out of about 15, Lacey kept getting off the step and running away! What a turkey!

I can't believe I am posting this picture! Everyone had to get their "Hawaiian Picture."

So I guess this is our most current family picture!!! Gotta love those coconuts!!!

What more do you need to have fun! We were able to have the famous 4th of July cookout at my moms house with the Checketts family. We decided to do a Hawaiian theme which was a hoot. We played games and had great food. Lacey found some new friends just her size! Bryce loved the limbo and Rusty was into whacking the pinata'.

It is tradition to have this get together every 4th and I think we all look forward to it! The older and more kids we get the more lively it is.

Idaho Days

Bryce attempting to climb the rock.

Mom and Lacey waiting for the parade.

Here's Bryce and Rusty in the famous Idaho days parade. Great times..

Summer is going by so fast like always. You wait and wait for summer and then wonder where it goes. We were able to enjoy Idaho days a little more this year because Kirby was not quite as involved. (Almost, but not quite!)

Bryce and Rusty were able to walk in the parade with the primary children. It was so exciting for them. Their were a lot of fun things to do, from face painting to dinner and fire works, and can't forget rock climbing. What a great day.