Mom's Early Christmas

Tonight was Chance's Christmas Program at school. It was a cute little program. Chance's class were the Rockin' Reindeer. After the program a Mom came up to me and thanked me for teaching my little boy to be a gentlemen. She told me the other morning Chance was walking into the school and her little girl was walking behind him a ways. When Chance got to the door he waited for her and held the door open for her. I was so thankful to hear a story like this. I told Ray I didn't care if I got anything for Christmas. Hearing a story like that about my son was all I wanted. I am so thankful some of the things their dad tries to teach them sinks into their cute little heads. Thank you Chance for the early Christmas gift. I am very thankful that this mom took to time to find me tonight and thank me and tell me this wonderful story.

Remember Loved Ones!!

Guess Who's One..

I can't believe it's already time to do this post. Brings tears to Mommy's eyes to think Dakota is already one. This past year has gone by WAY to fast.
Dakota is sure a special little boy. He has been a good little baby. He sleeps through the night MOST of the time and is sleeping in his own bed. (Neither one of the older two slept in their own beds.) Usually if he does wake up he will take his pacifier and go back to sleep. I am enjoying my sleep and especially enjoying not being pushed out of MY bed. This is one active little boy! He has done most things earlier than the other two. For one he arrived two weeks early. I was stoked about that. He rolled over at 4 months, pulled self up to standing at 8 months, sat up at 7 months, crawled at 7 months,and the big whopper... he walked at just 10 1/2 months. I never had a kid walk this early. Chance was right at a year and Logan was over 13 months old. So Dakota seems to have done things earlier than the other boys and maybe that is what has made time go by so fast. Poor little guy spent most of September and October sick with ear infections they seem to have finally died off. Thankfully!!! I am thankful to have such a happy healthy little boy. He is truly a blessing to our family and we are very thankful for him. He is quite the mess maker he keeps me busy all day long. I can go from one mess to another. I have to make a slide show soon of "Dakota Messes." I am so proud of myself, I have finally gotten to the point I can grab the camera and not freak out over a mess and regret later not taking a picture. If I got mad every time Dakota made a mess I would live my life mad because he really is a mess. I have learned to mellow out a lot. I love that since he was about 9 months old he would give me a kiss. He loves to cuddle and will sit so still on your lap when he wants held and loved. When he wants to play there is no holding this kid still. He is a little sleep fighter. (which can be really frustrating) When he's tired he will fall a sleep anywhere. I have a picture of him crawling across the kitchen floor. About 1/2 there he stopped burried his face in the HARD floor and fall asleep. But if he don't want to go to sleep he'll do ANYTHING to stay awake. I am very thankful this day for my children. I am so thankful I have been blessed with the chance to be a Mommy. I love my children and I love being a Mommy. I want Dakota to know what a special little boy he is. I am going to do all I can to keep this one from being a daddy's boy. I finally have a kid that looks WAY more Hoover than Smith so I think that means I can make him a mommy's boy. He already loves to be outside so I don't know if I'll win that one. I am sure his daddy will have another tail when Dakota is big enough to follow the other two. Mommy and Daddy love you very much Dakota we are so thankful to have you as part of our family. Hope you had a good birthday.

Area 76 Hunt

Puttin' Food on The Table

I thought Ray would use this for his blog post but he didn't so I thought I should brag for him. Ray, his brothers, his dad, his cousin, and his "Uncle" Tom (not really his uncle but that's what they call him) have been putting in as a group for the area 76 hunt. They finally drew this year after 7 years worth of points. I was excited for him he deserves a bug bull! But at the same time was NOT looking forward to being a bachelorette for a entire week. At least when he hunts around here I see him some through out week. I knew this time it would be the full week. I survived!!! The boys were VERY good for me. I am glad Ray had the chance to go and spend some time with his family. He works so hard for me and the boys, it's good for him to have some time off and be able to do something he enjoys. After listening to his stories it sounds like he worked harder up there than he does when he is actually working at work. As you can see he ended up with a pretty nice bull. They were 7 for 7. (7 tags, 7 bulls) Cole killed his the last 45 minutes of the last day of the hunt. Leave it to Cole to wait till the last minute. Ray said everyone was so excited when Cole killed. He said there were bigger bulls killed but everyone was the most excited for Cole. I was pretty happy for Ray but even happier for him to get home. Good Job everyone on a successful hunt.

I have to laugh at this picture. I love how they all "strike a pose," maybe all the Smith Boys and Preston should take up modeling. I have been giving them a hard time about this picture since I first seen it. They had their own little photo shoot up there.

Remember Remember

Here is my monthly reminder to all the girls the mean so much to me in my life!!

Helping out

I just want to start off by saying ha ha to all you non-believers out there that thought this would never happen. I just needed some time and a good subject, so now I have one my wife. I got home from hunting and told Lori that I was going to go to N.M to help Carl move the cows to a different pasture on Saturday. She must of really missed me because she said if I could get a babysitter she would go help since we would be short on riders. Well this brought me much excitement since I love nothing more than riding horses with my wife. So I picked up my phone and called mom who said she would be happy to help out. So come Saturday we got up loaded the horses and were off. We were a little late after dropping off kids and I think Poppy was a little anxious since he was waiting in the truck when we arrived. We got started and She was a natural. I have to admit I was a little worried if she could handle the ride because she had not rode that far in a long time but she did excellent I never had to worry about her at all Carl and I both left her to get cows and she kept the herd moving all by herself even through tall grass where they wanted to stop. Lori I am so proud of you. You did an awesome job but beware now that I know you can do it ya just might get more riding than you want!!!

Good Times...Good Friends...Good Cause

I am sure a lot of you know I have been on a soap box since June about Breast Cancer awareness. I had a little scare in June that opened my eyes, and now I preach to everyone about yearly physicals and self exams. So when Candace called me and let me know about this walk that was going on Saturday I was gung-ho to do it. There needs to be a lot more of these in the valley to make people aware of the importance of getting checked and reality that is could happen here to anyone. So I have decided to do a post once a month as a reminder. I am going to simple post a picture of a the Pink Ribbon to remind everyone to do your monthly self exams. They are very important. I love the saying "Know Your Boobies" so if something is found you are able to communicate with you Dr about when it appeared and changes in it. I thought it would be neat to do like the nine news buddy check with in our family but I don't know where to start in getting that organized. So I had the bright idea of the blog post. Most of my family, friends and people I love read it so I thought this would work lovely. That's my goal and I plan to start it now in October and do it on or around the same day every month. It will just be the pink ribbon, so let it be a reminder to self exam each month.
The four of us had a wonderful time Saturday morning!(at least I did) Thanks dad for keeping my older boys! We went and walked the Stephanie Miner walk for Breast Cancer. We had a lot of good conversation, some good laughs and made a good memory to add to our little books of life. I am so thankful for these three wonderful people in my life. We are all becoming close and I love it. We were not always close and don't think any of us really know why but let the past be the past, right. I think and refer to Tiff all the time as one of my sisters. She is more of a sister to me than some. I am pretty sure any of us could hear anything from and other and not be offended (at least I could) I should try it out and see if I can offend any of them. LOL Serious girls I love all three of you! You have all helped me through some rough times at one point or another and I want to thank you for always having an ear to hear me and a shoulder for me to cry on. Love you crazy people. We need to play us a girls night soon!

New Calling

About 3 weeks ago I was called and asked to meet with my Bishop. I knew that was coming I was getting close to a year with no calling. I did appreciate the break with a new baby it was quite nice. Anyway I meet with him one night, he asked me if I would except the call to be the Second Sunday teacher in Relief Society. I am sure I had the deer in headlights look on my face. I FEARFULLY excepted the calling. I came home called one of my VERY good friends that had just gotten released from this very calling found out a lot of good information, and started preparing my lesson which I gave today. Even though this calling has stretched me FAR out of my comfort zone I am already very thankful for the time it has made me take to not only read the lessons but to truly study and pray for the guidance to present the lesson in a pleasing manner. I have spent a lot of time on my knees asking for guidance and comfort because I was so scared. I am one of those that likes to sit in the back and go unnoticed I NEVER speak up when someone else is giving the lesson it's always scared me to death I even hate reading scriptures in church. Plus with these braces I can't hardly talk I have too much extra junk in my mouth so that makes me uncomfortable. I guess as long as I don't get up there and have junk stuck in my teeth I'll be ok. Bishop set me apart for this calling the Sunday before General Conference, it really put my mind at ease. In that setting apart blessing he said some very thoughtful and wonderful things. I have never had a setting apart quite like that one. It meant so much to me. I knew after that this was a calling from my Heavenly Father. I had a feeling when they released Mindy that I was going to end of there and sure enough here I am. I asked Bishop today if he had issues with me he wanted to talk about because on top of this calling he asked me to speak in church on the 25th. I have been in that ward for 9 years and have NEVER had to talk in church. I guess I have learned one of two things: not to get too comfortable or that not all Bishop's can be paid off so they'll to let ya fall through the cracks. Ok I never paid any past Bishops off I was just LUCKY!

!!Koda Like Me!!

So I had to come home and post this. Candace has been potty training Bryson for the past week. Well as most boys have to he's learned about his "Boy Hood" is how I will refer to it. Today at dad's house I was changing Dakota. Bryson was standing there and he and I were in deep conversation about something. All of a sudden he gets so excited and started pointing to his "Boy Hood" and says to me VERY excited, " Koda like me Koda like me." and giggled thought it was the coolest thing that Dakota had some "Boy Hood" too. So I had to ask him is Brooklyn (hope I spelled that correctly sorry Ray if I didn't) any way I get this puzzled look from him and he says NO!! Like Aunt L0u Lou was some kind of fool to think such a thing. I wanted to make sure he was meaning what we thought me was meaning and not just happened that way. Well sure enough that's what me meant. It was a good laugh. I will use that against him the first time he brings a girl around. Love you Bryson you are such a sweet yet naughty little boy!! (what is it with the second child? Why are they so naughty and ornery?)

Sleeping Habits

I said in the previous post I would post about this. Logan is a tough kid when it comes to sleep. I think he hates to slow down long enough to go to sleep. When I was pregnant with Dakota, Logan was in our bed all the time. (not sure how I got pregnant with Dakota. Sorry too much info.) We would let him get to sleep and Ray would pick him up to take him to his bed and his little blue eyes would pop open and say NO DADDY I want to sleep in mommy's bed. Me being pregnant didn't care as long he slept. I was too tired to care. We finally broke him of that. Next he had to sleep in Ray's chair and loved it. You could take him to his bed after he was asleep and by morning he was back in daddy's chair with his monkey blanket and baby horse. No one could even sit in that chair if he was tired. It was war if he was tired. So we finally got him going to sleep in his own bed. And sleeping. One night he had a bad dream, I could hear him crying and talking about something I don't even remember what it was but I could tell he was scared. By the time I got to him he was getting up sobbing. So me being a softy told him "you had a bad dream you better come sleep with mommy." So now the little mess comes into my room about 5 AM every morning and pushes on me so I will move over. If I tell him to go back to his bed he looks at me with a sad little face and says "I haved a bad dream." So I am guilty I gave him that idea and now he has bad dreams all the time. What am I going to do with this kid? He is defiantly SMITH they are so hard headed. I do love when he comes in there in the morning and loves on his mommy. He really is a sweet little boy. Naughty but sweet!

NOT ALREADY!!!

Dakota is about 10 1/2 months old and starting to walk a lot. I honestly thought he would be walking at 10 months so I am grateful that he waited. He has been pulling himself up to things for over a month now. He would be brave and take a few steps then sit down. He walks along the furniture A LOT and is getting pretty brave when he gets to the end of the couch he takes off on his own. He has gotten to where he will take 5 or 6 steps on his own and puts his arms out to balance when he knows he's going to fall. He can stop and get his balance and take a few more steps so I am sure by the end of the week he will be walking pretty good. He is my little mess. I need to post pictures of some of his messes. He will crawl into every room of the house and tip the trash can over and leave it sometimes play in it. If I am folding laundry he thinks he has to turn the basket over and throw clothes all over. He loves to crawl into his big brothers room and dump their tubs full of cars and animals. He goes into his room and dumps his dirty clothes. The other night I was filling my sugar bowl up and he got into the cabinet and dumped an entire box of spaghetti out on the floor and played in it. He loves to go behind the wood stove which is going to be awful this winter! He loves to play under the computer desk in the trash. Just tonight I was bringing in groceries from the car and found him in the bathroom, he had taken everything out of the trash can and put it in the toilet (good thing I had just taken the trash out so there was not a lot in it) He loves to play in the fridge, if he sees the door open his head is down and crawling at full speed. If you close it before he gets there he does protest! Anyway I am sure you get the picture. He is going to be a hand full. I love him to pieces. He has been a good baby for the most part. Poor little guy is on his second round of med's for an ear infection. Hope this round will do it but he's still pulling on them and he's been on it since Wednesday. Not looking good. He's a happy little guy. Sleeps through the night which is awesome because Logan still gets up. ( I will have to do a post on that.) The down side of him sleeping through the night he's wide awake at 6 AM and that stinks I could sleep 30 more minutes if he would. He is a sweet little thing, already gives kisses which I love. He kisses me a thousand times a day and I love it. I am always kissing him. The time is going by too fast. I am so thankful that I am able to be home with my boys. They grow up too fast and I know I take them for granted but I am trying to be a better mom. I do miss working sometimes but I have a lot of time to do that when they are grown. I love my little mess. He was walked the earliest. Guess I am going to have to hold him more. Chance was 12 months old and I think Logan was about 13 1/2 months old. I know he was over a year old and it was so nice. I guess Dakota thinks he's got things to do. I wish all three of them would slow down they are growing too fast!

Parent Teacher Conference

We had parent teacher conference this past week. Chance is doing well, his teacher had no worries about him other than the fact that he likes to talk... no matter who he's sitting by. We have been working on this for a couple of weeks now. I talked to her one night after school and she let me know she was having a hard time keeping him quiet. He has been grounded, lost his bike, (which he loves) had to come home and do nothing after school but homework. I don't know what else to do. I remember my mom getting the same report about me from Jack Guymon. I guess that is a part of me that he has. He is doing better about it she said. The kid has been moved all over that classroom and nothing seems to help. I guess she is just going to have to sit him all alone but I am sure he would talk to himself. We love Chance and are so thankful that he loves school and does really well with it. Good Job Buddy keep up the good work.

Taking Over

So I guess it's time for me to take our blog back over. I was on strike as you remember for some sweet someone being critical. Ray failed to meet my challenge, (so sorry honey your time has expired.) The down side of ME WINNING, I have a list of things I have been wanting to post. He is away hunting so maybe, (hopefully) he will have a "Ray" post to do when he gets home. He left with high hopes to kill a monster bull and we all hope he does, he's been waiting for a long time to get a big bull. He was so cute before he left! It was hard for him to leave me and the boys for a week but I could tell he was so excited.

Proof Reading???

So Professor Ray sat here last night and read my post for Logan's birthday. And found it necessary to point out all my type o's. I guess most places that should have said his said him. I am very sorry! So I have challenged Ray to do our next blog post, we will see how he does. I am not sure what you will get... if you get anything at all. My fingers get going faster than my brain and I don't take the time to proof read so I am going to be better about that. So trash talk to Ray and we will see what he comes up with. By the way RAY, I love you!! But do NOT correct me I DO NOT make mistakes!!!

I Can't Believe You Are 4!!

What can I say about our Logan. There is a lot but where do I start. Over all he is a pretty good kid. He keeps me on my toes because I never know what he is going to say. He is 100% little cowboy! He is extremely hard to shop for, you can't just go to Wal-Mart and buy something cowboy. Everyday he has to wear his cowboy pants, cowboy shirt, (or a camo shirt will do because he seen Ray wear camo archery hunting a couple of weeks ago,) and he has to wear his cowboy boots. If Ray wears his lace up boots Logan has to, if he is wearing his pull on boots Logan has to wear his pull on's. I am sure you have figured out that Logan is a daddy's boy to the max!! Ray goes outside Logan has to go, so a few second walk to the trash dumpster may end up taking Ray 10 minutes by the time Logan gets his glad rags on to go with him. Ray is very patient with Logan and eats up the fact that he's a daddy's boy. I asked him what he wanted for him birthday and he replied with.. um I guess I will just have a real gun!! I think not. He got a barn instead which is right up him alley. Logan is a pretty good big brother. He gets pretty upset when Dakota ends up in the middle of his corral's. He and Chance are most of the time pretty good. When they fight they fight and when they are getting along they can play all day. Next year I am sure I am going to have a fight on my hands. Logan has 0 interest in school. He thinks it would be big of him to go but I am sure it is going to be a huge deal. I don't think he is going to take the separation thing very good. He is with mommy pretty much 24/7 so we will see. We "play" school here at home I have him enrolled in a program called HIPPY (home instruction for parents of preschool youngsters) they bring in materials to help you teach your preschooler so we will see how that goes and tackle pre K when the time comes. We have our primary program Sunday and Logan has him part memorized and ready to go but I am really scared to see what he does. I told him I would buy him a bottle of Pepsi and a candy bar if he says his part but the kid is soooo hard headed (also like his daddy) I don't know if my bribe will work. I am sure I could write some more but I will leave it at that. I like to do a post for the people I love on their birthday's so I figured I better get this done before the day got crazy! Happy Birthday Logan mommy and daddy love you and hope you have a happy birthday!! I will post pictures of him cake later. We are doing a family party on Friday night.

Happy Birthday Tiff

I just wanted to wish my wonderful sister in law a happy birthday. I am so thankful for Tiff. She keeps Robert in line and that alone in a full time job. I look up to her for her dedication in all that she does. I am so happy for her and her accomplishments in school. She is a RN holds a Bachelors of Science degree and graduated from ASC with high honors. She is a very smart and caring person. I am thankful my brother has someone like her to spend eternity with! Now if she (mainly Robert) would get with the program and start on those 7 kids they (mainly Robert) want everything would be good. LOL!! Love you Tiff, hope you have a happy birthday.

First Day of School

Chance all geared up and ready to start class. He kept telling me this morning he was a little creaped out but excited to start school. I can't believe he is in 1st grade. His teacher is Mrs. Niebel, this will be her 13th year teaching 1st grade so I think she may know a little bit about 1st graders. He has one of his best friends in his class and was really excited about that because they were split up last year. Chance is really excited about the new playground too maybe not so much school. I took some pictures of it this morning and will try and post a slideshow soon. Logan had a rough time this morning not sure he wanted Chance to go to school. They have done nothing but fight for two weeks so it's nice to see they still love each other. Every year it is so hard for me to let him go to school, I guess I like knowing what he is doing every second of everyday and knowing he is safe and no one is mean to him. I guess I need to learn to let go some? May as well get used to it there is no way I have the patience or drive to home school my kids.

Ride Em' Cowboy

Friday we were at a friends house and Logan was sitting on her little boy's bike. I told him you better get off of that you don't know how to ride it, and it can tip over. He looked at me with one of those looks and pedaled about 3 turns and put his feet down. In my state of shock my friend said maybe he does. We have never been able to get him to ride his bike with training wheels he just rides his trike with the bigger tires so he don't get stuck on rocks. Anyway we came home took the training wheels off his bike and off he went. He crashed A LOT and only cired the one time his head bounced off a rock. He's a pretty tough kid most of the time, untill you yell at him then the tears come. He's kind of a tender heart I guess. He's pretty proud of himself for riding a "big boy" bike. He's asked me several times "are you so proud of me" Yes Logan I am so proud of you for riding a "big boy" bike.

Teach Them Early

Ray already has the boys started shooting bows. By the time they are old enough to archery hunt they should be pretty good. Chance does pretty good, he's been shooting for a few years now. Santa brought him a new bow for christmas and he's doing pretty good with it. He used to have the red one and has now passed it down to Logan. Logan does not do bad at all. He hits the target, pretty good for an almost 4 year old. They both walk with a little hop in their steps after they hit the target especially Logan he tries to be modest but he's pretty proud. I am so thankful they have a dad that will take time and do things like this with them, I know it means a lot to them and they bug him every night till they go out and shoot.

Happy 9 Months

Where has the time gone? Dakota turned 9 months Saturday! He has not been feeling well the last few days but hope we are on the down hill side of that. He is growing so fast makes his mommy want to cry. He is a mama's boy and I am loving that up. I think I finally have a kid that looks like me too.

This Weather

This is a picture of our pumpkins after a freeze on August (yes August) 9th. I don't ever remember a freeze this early. The boys were a little bumbed (they do the pumpkins on their own, plant, water, pick everything) but seemed to get over it pretty fast when I told them we could buy some to carve for Halloween if this plant didn't make it. There is still a lot of green on it so it may pull out of it. It froze only a few (3 or 4) green bean plants, two leaves one one squash plant and nothing else. I am pretty thankful I know of a few that got wiped totally out. What kind of winter are we in for? I am NOT ready for the cold.

I'm Still A Good Mom

Well after 8 1/2 months, 6 teeth (yes I said 6 four top and two bottom,) and several bites to mommy later Dakota is weaned. It has been very hard and I felt so guilty for a while but think I have gotten past that. It does not make me a bad mom!! I had some health issues I had to address. Mommy has to be taken care of too. He is taking a sippy cup and is as happy as can be. I am so grateful to be blessed with these wonderful little boys, they are my everything (their dad is pretty wonderful too.) Anyway I didn't make it the year but I am pretty proud of myself. It was getting harder and harder to do and he was starting to know where dinner was and that bothers me. So I applaud those of you that can and have gone a full year. It has been about a week and I have not yet been engourged and miserable so maybe I was a short timer anyway. So there ya have it. Thank to all of you that posted your comments I really appreciate it.

So Close but yet so far...

Most people won't care to read this... I just have to vent and for those that have been there I would love love advice. I really thought I could make it a full year this time nursing. I don't know if I can make it I am so discouraged!!! 4 more months and I can be done I am getting a little tired of it, but part of me is not. I really don't nurse that often maybe 5 times a day on a good day. (he eats baby food really well) I don't feel like I have much milk, it is there but I don't get over loaded like you do when you first start nursing. I don't know what is going on maybe I am not a healthy enough person to produce milk. What should I do?? I hate to put Dakota on a bottle for 4 months and then have to take it away. Maybe this is how nursing goes after they start baby food and eating like big people I don't know this is the longest I have ever gone (yea me!!) I am pretty proud of myself. It usually helps me get the weight off but I am starting to gain some and I hear that is normal for breast feeding mothers to gain weight later. I am very frustrated for all you experts please lend your advice it is more than welcome. Please help.

My Garden

I took this picture of our garden three weeks or so ago and I am finally getting around to doing a post about it. (I would take another picture but I have not pulled weeds in a while) It has grown quite a lot since this picture. We got a late start this year due to all our wonderful weather. This first section has corn, cucumbers, tomato, and Zucchini. The second section has turn ups, radish, lettuce, carrots, broccoli, onion, peas, and squash. The end section is all green beans, we are a green bean eating family, except Dakota, he don't seem to be too big on them. In this nice hoop house (thanks Ray) is a watermelon. We thought we would try our hand at it, not going so good. I don't know what the deal is but this is the 2nd plant we had and have not had much luck with it. Maybe next year we can try again. On the other side of the hoop house is the boy's pumpkins they are doing really well. Chance and Logan love this part of the garden, and the peas they love the peas. My peas are now about stomach high and we don't have a single pod so I am not sure what's up with that, hopefully they will put on soon. Hopefully by next year we will have this area all fenced in and looking wonderful (you can see the fencing materials by the hoop house I am pretty sure that is as far as we will get this year.) I do enjoy my garden it is a lot of work but worth it in the long run. I have no idea how to can so I am keeping my fingers crossed that my dad with help me can my green beans. Kay helped me last year but she is working at the video store every day now so I am on my own. Wish me luck.

Happy Birthday Candace

I just wanted to do a post to wish Candace happy birthday. Through the years Candace and I have stayed close. We have always gotten along. Candace is a very quiet person (maybe that is why we get along so well.. lol.) She is very loving and caring person. She never wants to hurt anyone's feelings. She is the mom of 2 wonderful little kids which she is very good with. She is currently pregnant with another little girl in which she can't wait to get here. She is due anytime. Would be neat to have on her birthday so GET WITH IS MISSY! Anyway I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday little sister. Hope you have a good day.

Chopped

A couple of months ago when I had my little scare I was worried about loosing my hair. So I decided to cut my hair and send it to Locks Of Love. I finally got the courage and did it. I feel so sorry for these kids that have to deal with cancer and other sicknesses in the first place. So if hair will help them and make their trials easier I figured I had plenty to spare so I did it. My hair was a little over 12" long braded. Short hair is hard to get used to. It's been 4 days and I am starting to love it. I plan to grow it out and donate it again.

This is the before

These are the after


Here's what I lost.

Champions

Chance's team took the championship. They were some tired, and hot little boys & girls but they played hard and had a good time too. They won their 12:00 game by quite a ways. It was extremely hot so we pushed the water. They had a little break and played again at 4:30. They played Manassa and 16 runned them so they called the game. This was Manassa's 3rd game in a row so they were tired tired kids. La Jara had 3 teams this year. Chance played on La Jara A they did really well. La Jara C did have enough players to they didn't play Saturday at all. I am not sure how La Jara B did. Good Job Chance. We will post pictures later.

Baseball Update

Our Little Leaguer won again last night. They had a 8 or 9 point lead in the 4th inning and only ended up winning by 4 but it's a win. They were an excited bunch of little boys, it was a fun game to watch. A little hard on the heart at times but exciting. They will now be playing in Alamosa, Saturday. They play at 12 noon if they win they play again @ 4:30 and if they win that the championship game will be at 6:30. Would be neat to see them go all the way as long as they keep having a good time. Soooo if you don't have anything to do come join us for a day at the ball fields.

Baseball

We did the baseball thing this year. Chance is playing Coach Pitch and loves it. They have their first round of tournaments tonight. So far they have done really well. They lost one game and Chance didn't loose gracefully so we had to have a little chat about that. It has been fun and really good for him. And I have to admit it has not been as bad as I thought it would be either. Good Luck tonight Chance and remember to have a good time.

When You Feed A Tired Baby....

When you feed a tired baby he not only gets really MESSY he gives you "the look" when you take his picture. Thought this was too cute not to post.

Off N' Crawlin

Just within the few weeks around the 16th or so Dakota started sitting up really well. I sat alone some before that but no real well. Anyway not long after on June 24th to be exact he started crawling. I am not ready for this I want him to stay a baby. So watch out big brothers I am gunna to be right in the middle of you playing on the floor.

Happy Fathers Day

I wanted to do a post on Fathers Day to let Ray know how much I appreciate him. He is such a wonderful husband and a wonderful wonderful father. I could not ask for a better father for these three special little boys. Thank you Ray for all you do for us and especially working so hard so I can be home with our kido's it means a lot to me and I don't thank you enough. Our boys look up to you so much. (remeber that always) I love you Ray. Happy Fathers Day!

Also want to wish my dad a Happy Fathers Day. He is such a good example to us. I am thankful for you and all you do for us. You worked so hard your entire life and I am glad you can retire now and do the things you enjoy (fishing) Thank you dad. I hope you have a good day.

Also want to wish Steve a Happy Fathers Day. You raised a wonderful man and I want to thank you for that. I know you will never see this but it's the thought that counts. LOL

Happy Fathers Day to all Fathers.

Know Your Boobies

You'll have to excuse me while I get on my soap box. Breast Cancer has always been something that I have always feared. I am always good to get my yearly physical I have the attitude if I were to get breast cancer the sooner they find it the better off I would be . I see people with the pink ribbon plastered all over everything they own and sometimes wonder do you even check for it themselves? Maybe someday when I get a little bolder I can ask people when the last time they were checked. You want to be passionate about it with all the clutter but are we passionate enough about it to be checked??
On June 11th I was scheduled for my annual physical. Well the morning was crazy and the thought crossed my mind several times to cancel the appointment. I hate driving to Alamosa. For some reason I never called I knew I had to get it over with for another year. The news was not the best. They found a mass in my right breast. It was small but there it is 1/2 cm in diameter. Scared me to death. I have spent the last week an up side down basket case. I have spent a lot of time in tears and a lot of time on my knees. I have had several belssings. I look at my kids and cry, I didn't want them to have to go through this. I didn't want to go through this either, I really wanted to talk to my mom. You need a mom through times like this. I am thankful to have sisters and a sister in law I am very close to. My only comfort was I knew it had been found early. I had just had an exam 5 1/2 months ago at my 6 week check up after having Dakota and everything was good. I had had a untrasound that same day. Received a call later that evening that I needed to make an appoimtment with a surgen. That is about all the information I received which scared me even more. Called that day and they were able to get me in with the surgon on the 17th which ended up being cancled and rescheduled for the 18th. I went to see him today and from what he saw on the untrasound and from him exam all I had was a irritated milk duct. After I am done nursing Dakota he said he would be more than glad to check it out again for my own piece of mind which I am sure I will do. This last week has been so scary so many things run through your mind. So I really want to encourage everyone to Know Your Boobies and please please get your physical's. I do self exam's, (click here to download a card) I am not so sure that I would have found this one if was so small so it is important to get your physicals. I am so thankful that this ended up being nothing more than a milk duct. No needles had to be involved. It is so important to know your body. Like I said my comfort was knowing that is was found early. So please please take care of yourselves.

Milestones

I don’t know if it's just me but I have noticed something since I had Dakota. With Chance we really pushed him to his milestones like sitting up, crawling, eating baby food, walking and so on. With Logan I think I was still this way... like something was wrong with him is he didn’t do everything when Chance did them. I was a lot more layed back with Logan. He didn’t walk till he was 13 months old. And they were both sitting up by 6 months. With Dakota I am totally different. He is 6 months old and still not sitting up. He push’s up on his hands and knees a lot but does not sit. He sits in his jumper all the time, but he loves it. I was late getting him started on cereal and baby food. Almost like I didn't want it to happen. I don’t want him to grow up I want him to stay a baby. Is anyone else like this? I just think it is kind of funny. I think its true the more you have the more layed back we are.

9 Years & Counting

WOW I can’t believe it has been 9 years since Ray and I were married. The road has not always been a wonderful one but I am thankful for our trials because they have gotten us to where we are today. I could not ask for a better husband & father for my children. I love you Ray with all my heart, I can’t imagine myself with anyone else. You are so good to me, even when I am not easy to be good to. I hope you can handle eternity.
You are a wonderful Husband. I tend to think of other men as rude and disrespectful and then have to remind myself that not everyone is like Ray. I drop something and you are bent down getting it before it hits the floor. Not all men are like that. He is teaching our little boys to be that same way. You are also a wonderful daddy. Our boys love you to death. You are the patient one most of the time. You are hard on them when you have to be. I am so thankful you work so hard so I can stay home with our three wonderful little boys. When money is tight I always offer to go back to work but you would rather go without so I can be home with our boys. Again I want to thank you for all you do. I love you Raymond Wayne. You are my all. I am thankful for the three happy, healthy, rowdy, rambunctious, wild little boys that we have. The 4 of you are my life. I would do anything for any of you. Thank you for all your help, love and support the last 9 years, I am looking forward for 9 + more. I love you Ray!!! Happy Anniversary.

Fishing Trip

So we had big plans Saturday to get the garden in the ground and work on our yard. Well things changed. The boys wanted to go fishing so bad. They both really wanted to go on the boat but that is not going to happen for a few more weekends. Anyway we were just getting started on the garden and my dad showed up. The boys bugged and bugged and they finally left to go fishing. So much for the yard work. I was so frustrated but I got over it. Well they guys got to where they were going and Ray got Logan’s pole in the water so he would be content while he set Chance up. Ray said he didn’t get started helping Chance and Logan started crying. Ray said its ok I’ll be right there. He looked over and Logan’s pole was bent over. Ray hurried over to him and in a tear and fear filled voice he told Ray “its gunna pull me in da wader.” They are still laughing about that comment. Logan just got a new pole that he is quite proud of and he was not about to let go of it. That fish that about pulled him in da wader was the biggest fish caught that day. Way to go Logan. After Ray took care of that and got Chance set up he was able to do some fishing. Chance had a pretty neat story too. He had a fish and was riling it in and another fish jumped up and got his hook so he was able to catch two fish at one time. Ray’s mom and dad took off Sunday to go fish and Chance told me. “I guess Papa heard I caught two fish at one time and wants to go see if he can do it.” He’s 7 years old and already is a smack talker. They had a good time, made me feel bad for getting frustrated over my garden not getting planted. It’s been hard this year with Dakota. He is not big on being outside so when we are out he is fussy so I am getting anything done. I hope we do a garden. I am glad you guys had a good time.

6 Months Old

Dakota is 6 months old today. Time goes by so fast. The following is a slide show pictures from birth to just a few days ago. If you'll notice I think we finally have a child that looks more Hoover than Smith. Chance is pure Smith and Logan is a blonde Smith I guess. Maybe he's a good mix the blonde just throws everyone off. But Dakota is Hoover I think. One out of three not too bad. He is getting so big. He is starting to get up on his hands and knees, not sitting up too good yet. He will sit for a little bit but not long at all. I hold him a lot or keep him in his jumper don't want him to crawl. I just want him to stay a baby I am going to hold onto this baby stage as long as I can. He is a really really good baby makes me want one more.?. His brothers love him to pieces! They are both good helpers with Dakota. Let me know what ya think is he Smith or a Hoover??

Happy Mothers Day in Heaven

At first I wanted Mothers Day to just be another day. Then I realized there is so much to celebrate even though mom is gone. Life as a mother is wonderful!! I never thought I could live without my MOM but that is just what I have spent the last 2 ½ years doing. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about her. I am very grateful to have had such a wonderful person to call my MOM. Over those last few years of her life we were able to establish a wonderful friendship. For that I am very grateful. She was such a loving and caring person.

I guess we get used to life without a loved one; it is a long road and a road I hope not to have to travel again anytime soon. I can’t say that life gets easier but it gets better, that dark spot in your heart that hurt it does go away in a way. You learn to fill the space and hurt with happy memories and the knowledge that those loved ones are with a loving Heavenly Father. Life is not normal anymore you just learn to live with a new normal.

I think about my Mom often and wonder what she is doing. I know she is busy and looks down on us when she has the time. There is no doubt in my mind that she misses us just as much as we miss her. She does have an advantage because I know that she understands the plan and can see the full picture while we are still down here on earth trying to figure it all out. I know as a family we strive to live each day to be better so we can see our Mom again. I miss her terribly!! But when I look at this world today I am so glad she is in a safe place.

I am so grateful for the things that she taught me over the years. She taught me to be honest, to be trustworthy, forgiving, respectful, obedient, faithful, work hard in school, to do service, to be patient, work an honest day’s work, fill a church calling to its fullest, to love one another, to always be the bigger person, to be a good wife and mother, sometimes we have to turn the other cheek, respect not only for my elders but for myself, To be thrifty, to be modest, to be prayerful, just to name a few things. Some of these things were not always easy but I learned them and sometimes I learned the hard way. Mom always made sure we learned a lesson when we did something wrong. Not all of us chose the right path and I think mom took that personally but at the same time knew we had our free agency.

My goal on this Mothers Day is to be the kind of Mother my Mom was. She gave up so much so her kids could have. Just when she was in the possion to spend her hard earned money on none other than her, she was called back home. We still don’t understand why it had to happen of why it had to happen that way. We do know it was her time to go, so Heavenly Father called her home. I pray for comfort for those that were involved daily. I am grateful to my Heavenly Father that she was able to be on this earth long enough to get all but one of her kids married off. I feel like she made sure we were all going to be ok before she left, that is what mom always did. It is hard sometimes to believe she is gone. I miss our daily phone conversation. I called her daily for advice or to just chit chat I miss those phone calls a lot.

I hope with this post I have paid my Mom some justice. She was such a wonderful person whom I miss so much. I think about her often. Shortly after my mom passed away I discover I would write poems, I honestly feel like that is when I began to cope. I could write my feelings and thoughts down on paper. The following poem is one I wrote. I can still close my eyes and see my Mom’s Hands. I wrote a few but I will just post this one for now it is the most fitting.

Mom’s Hands

They are what I remember most
They showed her love the best

They could sew anything ya know
When asked “can you fix?” She never said no

They could quilt all day with no guilt
Each 6 of us have some to show. Moms Hands never quit

They could cook with no book
No lessons she took, but plenty she taught

They could clean. O could they clean
When she said clean, it had better gleam

They showed how smart she was
Only wrote as fast as she could think
Which was faster than a blink

They were smart with money
And money was tight

They worked both day and night
To make thinks just right

They practiced patience and patience she had
Cause 6 kids is what she had

They showed how much she cared
Only mean if kids dared

Her hands so small & distinct
I wonder what they think

Her mortal hands lay to rest
While her spiritual hands finish the test

Written by; Lori Smith

OK it's not award winning but it's my mom in a nut shell.

Before I was a Mom

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests, or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I would have never known the warmth,
the joy, the love, the heartache,
the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
Before I was a Mom!

Congrats Grad

Tiff we are so proud of you!! You did it! All your hard work has paid off. You are now the educated one of the bunch! Tiffanie graduated today with a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Nursing. I also want to mention that Tiffanie graduated with honors. Tiff’s diploma will read Summa Cum Laude which means she had a GPA of 3.9 – 4.0. Holy Moley she’s a SMARTY!! Way to go! We are so happy and proud of you. (is it ok to be proud??) Robert we are proud of you too, for all the love & support you gave Tiff. I am sure it was tough at times she worked and studied so hard. You were the rock she needed to keep her going.

Bed Time Prayer

I can't help but to post this story. Chance has such a big heart. He wants everyone to be OK. Yesterday at school they talked about the SWINE FLU. Last night in his prayers he asked Heavenly Father to "please bless all the people that have the SWINE FLU." It caught me off guard and he took offense to me chuckling during his prayer. Also in that prayer he asked Heavenly Father to "please bless school that is will get out like that" (as he snapped his fingers) It was too funny. Poor little guy is getting pretty burnt out. He has done really well this long, he just has to hang in there a few more weeks.

Road Trip

On the 29th Trisha, Candace & I all went to Pueblo, just like the good ol days with mom. We had a blast. Had some good talks about our times with mom. I miss her so much. I know she was there with us in spirit. We had some good laughs. We left as soon as Trisha and I got our boys off to school, I got home about 11:00. It is so nice to just laugh sometimes. In the mist of conversation we decided to have a retirement party for dad. (shhhh its a surprise) Not to sure what he is going to think about it but we are going to do it. He has been down lately and thought this would be a good pick me up. Nothing too big just some close friends and family. Anyway Trisha came up with this bright idea of "it's five o'clock somewhere" and doing a Hawaiian Theme. We are all going to wear Hawaiian Lai's and we hope all the little granddaughters will wear grass skirts, we are going to have the little boys in swimming trunks and no shirts. It sounds like fun we are going to have a good time we hope. Anyway we had a awesome time I am so thankful to have sister so close not only as close friends but close as in we all live within 30 min of each other.

Happy Birthday Chance

I can't believe Chance is already 7 years old. Chance gets to share his birthday with Aunt Kate (happy b day Aunt Kate) Funny story about Aunt Kate. I had a yard sale last summer and Aunt Kate put some luggage in it. In conversation Aunt Kate told Chance he could use it for his mission. Long story short. We sold the luggage. A few months ago I said something to Chance about his mission. He told me he could not go on a mission when asked why he looked at me and said "we sold my luggage." I thought it was pretty cute. This kid can remember anything and everything someone tells him. His Uncles have learned not to tell him they will do something because he will hold them to it. What a special little boy he is. He is a very kind hearted little boy. He is a loving big brother and is always jumping up to defend Logan when he gets in trouble. (quite often) Evey morning when he gives kisses, he kisses his brothers last and tells me he saves the best for last. He loves both of them very much.
He has learned a lot this year in school (more than I would like.) He has learned to smart off quite a lot too. He loves school and loves to play with his friends.
We are going to attempt a birthday party tonight after school. We will be sure and post some pictures of that. Instead of cake we are doing pizza and instead of having cup cakes at school he wanted me to bring Oreo's and Milk. I am glad he is does not have to be like everyone else he is not afraid to be different.
Here are a few of Chance's Likes
Color Blue
Penny (dog)
Super Hero's
Uncles Color
Playing @ the Park
Riding Bikes

fishing
Camping
Being on the Boat
Sleeping Outside
Being Outside
Spending the night w/ grandparents
Cars (thanks to Cole)
Horses

Oreo's

Some Dislikes

Dentist

Hamburger Helper

Riding in a Car

Salad

Bed Time

Sitting still

cleaning his room

Just to name a few. I am sure if I think long enough I could come up with a lot more. He is a pretty good kid most of the time. Most of the time I can tell you who he is playing with at school by the way he is acting. That is just normal but sometimes very hard wish I could pick his friends. We love you Chance! We are very thankful to have you in our family. You are a special little boy.

Happy 60th Dad

I will first off admit that my dad and I have not always been close. I was a mommy's girl. It don't however take a daddy's girl to realize what a wonderful person my dad is.
The last few years he has gone through the ultimate trial of loosing his spouse. A trial that would be quite hard to indure if you ask me. He has done it and done it well. Mom and Dad made it a point to attend the Temple at least once a month. Even though Mom is gone Dad still makes his monthly trips to the Temple. Some of those times he goes alone when one of us kids can't get away. I know he is living his life here to be worthy to have her in the here after. He is a strong person and I admire that most about him.
I want to post a few facts about my dad. He is very forgiving, he's a hard worker, willing to help people, he is a talented wood worker, good example, strong, and strong willed, faithful, posative (most of the time,) knowledgeable, oppenionated, he can be grouchy, and no matter what he is always there for his kids.
He loves all 13 (+ 1 on the way) grandchildren. He may not always be patient with them but he loves them. I am sure he loves to see us go Sunday nights. He adds meaning to the saying spoil them and send em home.
Here in a week he is going to be an old retired man. We are all excited and scared in many ways. Between the 6 of us we are going to have to keep him busy and his mind occupied. I am sure that he can find stuff to keep himself busy too. I just wanted my dad to know how thankful I am for him and that he is still here with us today.
I love you Dad and hope you have a wonderful birthday.

I Know The "F" Word

Yes it happened! Chance came home from school the other day and informed me he knew the 'F' word now. Not thinking I simply looked at him and said "O you do?" he then said yes it is freak and "_ _ _ _" Guess what.. he knew it. My almost 7 year old. I wanted to cry. I tried not to over react. I sat him down and we had a conversation. I hope he relaizes what a BAD word that is. Couple of days later Kay brought over this clipping out of the paper. I thought it was pretty cute. Chance and I had a similar conversation!! I guess I am lucky that we made it more than half way through the school year without him learning it. I don't think he will be saying it anymore, I should say I hope he won't be saying it anymore. Sad but true that Kindergarten kids hear it at home and say it at school. This is why I hate school and why I won't let Chance ride the bus. I hear they learn a lot on the bus. What do you do??? I hope you can read this.

Spring Fling

Just wanted to post a few of the pictures from Chance's Spring Fling Wednesday night. He did a wonderful job to spite the fact he was having asthma problems, poor littlt guy was tight through the entire thing. He was well behaved while the other classes did their thing and after watching some of those little kids I am very proud of him. Good Job Chance. He was a ARMY guy and the leader of the ARMY group. He made a very good leader.

Happy Birthday Jesse

Out of the five other kids in our family, I have to say I worry about Jesse the most. I really miss the good ol days.
Jesse is a wonderful Daddy to his two sweet little girls. I know that he would do just about anything for them.
Jesse's life has been full of trials some brought upon by none other than himself. He at time has not remained as strong as I know he could be but I love him anyway. We never had this wonderful relationship but learned a lot about him working with him at McDonalds. Something I wish I didn't know but never the less he is my brother and I love him dearly. At that same time we did have some fun times. He is a very hard worker.
I pray that someday he can find himself a good wife to settle down for and with. He deserves to have a good girl in his life, he just needs to look in "good girl" places.
I love you Jesse and I am so thankful to have you as my Big Brother. I keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

Happy Birthday Trisha

Through the years we have had our ups, Downs, In's and outs!! But have made it through it all. I am very thankful for our friendship and the closeness we share.
Trisha has a very special touch with small children. If you have a baby you can't calm down or get to take a nap hand them over to Trisha she'll get it done. She is a good mom to her boys. She has a ton of patience and that I am jealous of, I am not the most patient person around. She is always willing to help out when she can. Anytime I have needed a babysitter she is more than willing to help out even if she has something else going on. She is very talented, she is an artist, she can sing, she can sew, she is crafty, she is patient, she has an artistic eye, she can cook, she is very good at her job (bridal store owner,) she is easy to talk to, she is caring, she is a good photographer, she is thoughtful, she is compassionate just to name a few.
I want her to know how thankful I am for her in my life not only as a sister but also as a friend. I am so lucky to have her in my life. I love you Trisha!! Hope you have a wonderful birthday.

All By Myself

A Couple of weeks ago I was able to get out of the house to attend Enrichment Meeting. It was wonderful by the way, a lady came and spoke to us on Emma Smith's life, she did a really good job. The boys (all three) stayed home with their wonderful daddy. Ray is so good to keep the kids. Dakota is quite the mommy's boy so I know it is hard for Ray to keep him but he's a trooper and Chance is a good little helper. No kidding Dakota can look at Ray and start crying, so I am lucky Ray will tough through it for a few hours at a time, not many men would. Ray was awesome enough to have the boys all three asleep when I got home. The next morning when Logan woke up I had to laugh at him pajamas. Ray said he was so excited that he had gotten dressed all by himself he didn't have the heart to tell him not only were his pants inside out they were backwards which left this for a good chuckle. He does really good to get dressed but sometimes needs a little help as you can see. (By the time Chance was this age he was a pro at it. Guess we do tend to baby the younger kids.) Anyway just wanted to post his picture thought it was pretty cute. Logan did however get up set when it took his picture.

The Mom Song

I loved this. I am sure we can all relate to this as Mom's and as Kids.

Update

Chance has been working hard at school getting ready for the “Spring Fling” the theme this year is “Hurray for the USA” The kindergarten boys are divided up in three groups: Army, Air Force, and Marines. They are doing a obstacle course to the “Armed Forces” theme song. I am excited to watch the program. A couple of weeks ago Chance was sent home with another report card. He has been doing really good all year but this report card was his best yet. I am glad he likes school and hope that he will keep a good attitude toward it. I would be hard to see him struggle. He is getting burnt out here toward the end of the year but that's to be expected. It has not been too bad of a year. He has a really good teacher that takes her time with each kid. He sure is a special little boy. I am so thankful for him in our lives he is our little tender heart. He remindes me all the time to talk nice to and about people, he is always aware of other people and their feelings. I know he dosen't get that from his mom.

Logan is Logan. He’s gotten hooked on a new movie “Flash” is about a horse (what else) it’s an oldie but a goodie. He would watch it 10 times a day if he could. Grandma Kay gave it to him out of her video store, he was so excited; more so than at Christmas. He’s our little worker. He goes out with Ray every night to do chores come snow, rain, sleet, hail, light or dark he has to go with Ray. I guess he has to make sure daddy knows what he is doing. Last Sunday he managed to embarrass the holy heck out of me. We were at Ray’s parent’s house having lunch to celebrate Cole’s birthday. Dakota started to get fussy, I made the comment that it was getting time for him to eat too. Logan perked up and as loud and proud as can be announced that “Dakota gets to eat moms boobs!” not something you want said in front of you father and brother in laws. It was a good laugh but I turned every shade of red possible. I wonder what his primary teacher knows?? I am sure I don’t want to know. He is naughty but I am so thankful for him in our lives and that he is healthy.


Dakota is growing like a weed. On April 1st he rolled over for the first time. It did bring tears to my eyes! (What a baby) I want him to stay a baby I am not so sure we will have more. Earlier that afternoon he was getting close to rolling so I held him a lot but it happened anyway. Poor little guy has been so sick. He was at the Dr. again last Wednesday and we had chest x-rays first thing last Thursday morning. Thankfully the x-rays were clear. By Thursday night, after being medicated for just 24 hours he was feeling better. He is doing a lot better this week. I am so ready for warm weather so these kids can stay well. Just last night (8th) we had Dakota laughing. He had not laughed yet so it was quite a big deal for the boys they thought it was pretty cute. Chance and Logan are both very good big brothers. I know it won't be long and he will be running around with his big brothers. He is yet to get any teeth which it good. Chance and Logan both had a tooth maybe two teeth by the time they were 4 months old. Dakota is 4 1/2 months and no teeth. I am glad maybe his teeth will be better then his brothers. He sure is a sweet baby, don't know what we would do without him. Each child brings a special light to our family and we are thankful we have been blessed with 3 happy, health boys.

Rollin' and Talkin'

Dakota rolled over for the first time on the 1st. By the time I did this video he was getting pretty good at it. The two older boys would get ticked when they were on there tummy but Dakota loves his tummy.

A Day At The Ranch

Day At The Ranch

One day during Spring Break we went to the Ranch with Grandma Kay. The boys had a really good time. They love to spend time at the ranch. Logan is in a comfort zone there. Chance loves to be there too. I love this time of year with all the babies. The boys kept Uncle Carl busy while we were there. He is so paitent and good with the boys, answers all 100 questions they ask. We all had a good day.

Flu Bug

Logan woke up yesterday morning with the stomach flu. Puked off and on all day. It was all he could do to lay still all day. He was going nuts. He would get up and act fine and it would hit again. Thank goodness he made it to the bathroom or the trash can everytime. That is one thing this mom can't do it clean up throw up. Anyway the reason for this post it this morning Logan wanted to go outside at 7:00 AM and see the new twin goats. He said, "Mommy I feelin' better better my sickness runned away." It was pretty cute.

Stones

Here about a month ago, I had a sudden pain in the side of my back. Scared the heck out of me because it was all of a sudden there. I called my sister-in- law who is thankfully a RN. (Thank you Tiff for your patients will all my questions lately.) I am sure she could hear the panic in my voice while I was talking to her. Anyway she suggested I go to the ER. I was scared enough that I was willing. I thought I had appendicitis's. Thankfully it was not my appendix I had a kidney stone. WOW they HURT. When I was younger I remember my cousin getting them bad, my dad has had them, and my little sister has had a few, so I knew about them and that they hurt. I will have more pity on people now. I actually passed the stone in my urine sample in the ER. They went a head and did at CAT SCAN and it didn't show any so hopefully I am in the clear for a while. I had to follow up with my regular Dr. a few days later which was a good thing because I had not been feeling well for about 3 months or so. It gave me the chance to talk to him about the problems I have been having. Us mom's don't worry to much about ourselves but we should. I have been so down and tired, had some plumbing problems I don't care to discuss. (Thanks again Tiff for your advice, sorry you had to hear about it.) I was sent for some blood work and had some tests done. Heard from them last week that I have MONO. Again I had heard of this but didn't think much of it. Well it stinks. I can't sit down to nurse Dakota with out falling asleep most of the time. I am just soooo tired. But this to shall pass; hopefully sooner than later. I guess they can't do much for it.

Little Eyes Watchin'

The other night Chance and Logan were playing with their corrals and horses. This to no surprise I don't think Logie lets them be put away for more than a hour at time. First things out in the morning and the last to get picked up at night. Anyway I called the boys for dinner, Logan informed me he was fixing his stuff. In the middle of dinner I went to the living room to nurse Dakota and saw this. Logan had correctly placed his saddle over the fence. Ya know to keep it free from scuffs, scratched or being damaged by wild horses. These little guys sure keep their eyes on their daddy. I am sure Logan had witnessed Ray doing this more times than one. He love his daddy and follows him around most of the time. He loves to be in the corrals with Ray. I am pretty sure they make mental notes of all their daddy's moves. Just a few weeks ago he gave me the 411 on how to carry a saddle in the back of your pick up. Hence the following picture. I could tell Ray had explained to him why he did this. I don't recall all of what he said other than it keeps your saddle nice and from sliding around in the back of your pick up when you drive. I just have to laugh at most of the things these boys say. They are such a joy to have around and I am very thankful we have been blessed with three happy, healthy little boys.

Sloppy Corn

Chance and Logan spent the night with Grandma Kay Friday night. I guess in one conversation Grandma told Chance she was going to fix Sunday dinner. She asked Chance what do you want Grandma to fix? Chance says "I don't care as long as you make Sloppy Corn." Grandma chuckled and figured out later Sloppy Corn is Cream Corn. Chance is our little corn boy he loves any kind of corn. He really enjoys corn on the cob fresh from our garden in the summer. He's missing a front tooth and the other one is pretty loose so I don't know how he will fair this summer. Thought that was pretty cute so I had to share.

Spring Break

We are so excited for this week. SPRING BREAK. It's been a long time coming. Chance was getting kind of burnt out with school, so he deserves a week break. We have nothing big planned just hang out here at home. Hoping for some warm weather so we can all play outside. Needs to be pretty nice for Dakota to be able to enjoy sometime outside too. Logan is going to enjoy having someone to play with. I try to play with him but he just bosses me around. I guess I don't know how to play and he will tell me so. Hope everyone has a good break.

Take A Nap At Work

Logan has this habbit of going to bed really late and wanting to get up really really early. The kid hate's to sleep. At 10:00 last night he comes to the living room and asks me, "can I tell you sompin' " I said "yes Logan what is it," he said "mommy I hate to go to bed." And its true he hates to go to bed. Well he was up at 4 AM this morning wide awake. Told Ray he needed to frow up. Ray said get to the bathroom. Well he never frowed up. He layed in Ray's chair and never did go back to sleep. Don't think Daddy did either. Ray told him this mornig, "Logan you got me up too early. I have to work today and I'm going to be tired." Logan tells Ray well "take a nap there." DUH Daddy!! Just Take A Nap At Work.

A Little Off The Edges

Chance has class pictures tomorrow so I thought we should cut a “little off the edges.” He was looking pretty shaggy. I’m not too sure what it will look like by the time they get ready to take pictures. At least when it is short it doesn’t look quite so bad. He is so excited about the class pictures. He has asked me a million times if I am going to buy one. I have a big plan to start him a scrapbook with all his class pictures. Something he can have when he gets older. Look back at teachers and classmates. I want to note in the book his friends and interests. I think it will be neat to see how friends etc. change from year to year.
Last time we did haircuts Logan detested it. No way was he going to get a haircut. Tonight he was ready so I didn’t hesitate. I am pretty sure he thought he would get to take a bath in Mommy’s big bath tub. That didn’t happen. I usually make them shower not take a bath after a haircut, that way there is no "hair ring" in the tub. Logan has some pretty wild hair. It combs pretty good but as soon as it’s dry it sticks up EVERYWHERE. So we have to keep his short.
I am not a pro as you can tell. I refuse to pay someone to cut their hair. I’m a little rough around the ears but hope that gets better with time.