Sousley Family

Swiming Lessons

2011-07-12T12:08:00.001-07:00

Swimming Lessons is always so much fun for the kids. This year was no exception! Alex perfected her dive, and her swimming technique. I know I don't have to worry about her in the pool, cause she is a GREAT swimmer!

William is always a little more cautious but he finally went all in! He was so happy to be able to float on his back all by himself. The diving board is always fun to jump off even if a little scary.

Reagan has no fear. She jumps, dunks, and swims with no hesitation. The hardest part for her this year was waiting her turn...

No More Training Wheels....

2011-07-11T21:23:00.000-07:00

Who is that first ride harder on? Mom or Son? My heart was in my throat with each little wobble and wrong turn but in just a few minutes with Dad, he made it all the way around the block!!

That first ride takes a lot of courage from both sides.

4th of July

2011-07-07T20:36:00.000-07:00

Love the time we spend in Washington with the family! Always a good time...

This year was a little off, cause we had to come home early so we didnt get a big firework show. But we had enough fun to make up for the loss.

Alex decided she wanted to stay a bit longer, so we left her to Lesli's care for 10 days until we meet up in MossyRock Wa for the week long camping trip..More to come on that!

First Digital Scrap page!

2011-07-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

Note: The Disney trip is posted by the day,so if ya want to read them in order scroll down to Day One "Surprise" or ya can read it as is and backward! ;)
Enjoy! We sure DID!

Day 5

2011-06-12T18:05:00.000-07:00

Well its time to pack it up and head back to Idaho where it is sunny and warm, with lots of responsibilities and chores... We got up and packed up our stuff trying to fit all the Sand incrusted, sea water smelling clothes back into our little travel packs. (eeew!) Once all that was done anad the liquids were stowed safely into thier little baggies we were off to find something to do for the day. Our flight wasnt until 6:00 in the evening so we had all day to play. We found the science center and much to our amazment it was FREE addmission! (cant complain right?) Well the first part was kind of ghetto, the stations were under repair and wornout so we were thinking we got we paid for. Then we wondered around a bit more and found the Kelp forest....

It was amazing! I always wanted to go into one of these arch ways! The fish were fun to watch.

Then we found the Yucky Rot Room... the floor was all squishy and there was bugs and rotting animals, it was pretty gross, but the kids loved it!

There was the a room with giant ice block and fun things to explore,there was a Water table that Bob and Will played in for quite awhile...

I wish we had found this part of the building first to spend more time, but we had to leave to get to the airport. This was a bit rough for me and the kids, cause we were all runnning low on sleep, energy, and patentice. This is not a good combination to have with a 2 hour flight delay and very sleepy, tired kids. We made it home about 12:30 am and went straight to bed! Easiest bed time I ever had with the kids, and they even slept in! So here is the key to getting my kids to bed without a fight and get them to sleep in as well! Just 3 days of disneland, a day at the beach and the pool, and a flight delay in Salt lake City... Geeze if i knew it was that easy we would do it more often! *wink*

Day 4 Saturday

2011-06-11T16:32:00.000-07:00

We checked out of our nice hotel room at the Double Tree and drove about 45 min to check into our AMAZING hotel, The Hyatt. We were right across the street from the beach!

We were given a double suite so the kids had thier room and we had ours! Right outside our patio was the spa pools and a beautiful view! We just walked across the street to Huntington beach. We spent a few hours playing in the surf and picking shells up..

The weather on the beach was a little chilly so we headed back to the hotel to play on the 3 water slides and wading pools.

The kids had so much fun!

For dinner we headed back to the beach for more fun, They had a firepit to roast dogs on, and s'mores, the kids played in the sand and had a blast. The adults got some chit chating in and enjoyed watching the kids play.

We headed back to the hotel (all the way across the street) to shower off the sand and salt to put the kids to bed so Bob and I could step out onto the patio and into one of the 3 hot tubs outside our room!

Day 3 Friday

2011-06-10T18:06:00.000-07:00

Bob got up early to go "Buisness Golfing" this is where I am told they discuss all the buisness stuff while getting some excercise...
Its a tuff job! More pics to come...

My crazy kids have been dying to go swim in the hotel pool. But with all the travel and Disney going on we have yet to get there...until this morning. We have pretty much explored most of Disneyland and California Adventure, but there are tons left to see! But since I am a bit nervouse to take 3 kids into Disneyland all bymyself I give in. they were up at 6:30am with swimsuits on and towels ready. I warned them it was still too cold but they wouldnt give in so here we go...
It was a bit chilly, but they loved it, Ragan wasnt as thrilled with the big pool but was having a blast in the hot tub.

After a nice swim we dried off and got ready for our final day at the park. When I found out Bob wasnt going to be back for awhile, I just couldnt waist the day. I decided to put my mommy skills to the test and take 3 kids into Disneyland ALL BY MY SELF. ( Yeah there is a little bragging going on right now... I am quite proud of myself!) the whole time we had yet to meet any characters or even see Lightning Mcqueen so that was my goal. On the shuttle ride over I was told that I HAD to get my Fastpasss early (like NOW) if I wanted to see the World of color show tonight, so California Adventure first stop. We grab our FastPass and then off to track down Mcqueen. When we find him, we were a little early so the doors were just cracked and you could see McQueen's eyes peeking out, and William was so excited. We went off to a Bugs Land to burn some time before the Big Meet and Greet...

We enjoyed Bumper bugs, and the spinning Ladybugs, even a ride with flicks flying machine. Finally we head back to see McQueen and much to Willliam's disapointment he found that Mator and McQueen were not real! He was so sad, he thought that they were going to talk and drive around. I felt sooo bad for him. Reagan and Alex looked cool with the cars but poor Will just couldnt find his smile...

To cheer him up we went off to ride William's Faveorite ride "The Rocket" (again) and just as we were getting off I spotted Slpeeping beauty so we ran after to meet her. Reagan was so excited she was bouncing. When Princess Aurora finally turned to us Reagan got shy. But she got down to her level and had a little chat and then posed for the picture!

We went back to the hotel to meet up with Bob about 2:00 When I told him how devestated Will was about the Cars, he talked him into going and seeing him again and at least smiling for a picture so we can put it in his room. Sometimes Daddies know just what to do...

The rest of the day we spent in California adventure...

Then we went on the last ride before we got our seats for "World of Color" the giant ferris wheel on Paradise pier. Everone loved it except Alex. She went on Tower of Terror twice, the California Screamer, and the Haunted Mansion with barley a shudder, but this ride freaked her out. Will and Reagan Love to tell how Alex got scared on this ride but they were fine.

The world of Color show was amazing!! If you have the chance to see this show it is a MUST SEE... Blogger wont let me upload the video but Google it. It is very worth the time!

After the show it was a mad house trying to get back to the shuttles to take us to the hotel. We were only a mile away, so we figured we could walk it faster then waiting. The kiddos grumbled a bit, and we piggy backed for a little, but we made it to the hotel at the exact time the shuttle pulled up!We didnt save any time but we got some excersie in and wore the kids out even more!

Day 2

2011-06-09T20:59:00.000-07:00

We were up early and ready for Disny Day 2! We spent a little more time in Disneyland before heading over to California Adventure.

It was great! Even less lines and the rides were super fun! Bob took Alex and William on some of the bigger rides and Reagan and I went and played in Bug land!

We met up later and rode more rides...

Buzz Light Year...

Monsters INC...

Tower of Terror... My favorite ride!

Jummpng Jelly fish...

Reagan was the Map Queen! She wanted to hold the map everywhere we would go, and she had to have the path pointed out to her. This was very funny to watch except when she would forget to watch where she was going and run into EVERYTHING!!

There were a lot more rides, and tons of pictures, but I dont have the time to post them all. It was a good day!

Surprise!

2011-06-08T14:48:00.000-07:00

We are going to Disneyland!
This trip has been planned for months! The kids just found out about it today! It has been so hard to keep it secret. We even messed up a couple of time and let things slip, but kids are clueless. (I tried to upload the video, but blogger doesn't like it so I will just explain) We took the kids to the airport, thinking we were dropping Dad off for a work trip. They were all dressed up in their Disney shirts, Bob asked where they came from and where he could get one, finally after a few more probing questions they finally said "Disneyland" So we said "Lets GO" they kinda looked at us like we were crazy. We opened the truck up and they saw all their bags packed and we headed into the airport. They were just kinda following like they didn't get it. So while Bob was checking in the bags I sat them down and said, " We are going to DISNEYLAND!" then it hit....

They were finally getting excited! I'm not sure if it was because of the destination, or the fact they get to fly on a plane...

We landed and got our rental car, and headed off to the hotel. We had an awesome room facing Disneyland, and the pool. The kids were so excited, they got a little "care package" full of little snacks, a fan, hand sanitizer, and a Micky box with $10
for each of them!

Finally we are off to Disneyland!

We get in and head to the first ride we find. The Rocket,
William loved it. Next we headed to Small Small World, but we couldn't cross the road because the Disney parade started and blocked us in. i was excited to have front row but the kids had a mind set for rides and wasn't happy about having to wait. Until the princesses came out and then Reagan and Alex started waving!
Will was still upset...

After the parade it was Ride after ride after ride! The lines weren't bad at all and we had so much fun! The kids did pretty darn good, they walked all day and played hard. I think they were a Little jet lagged,
So we went back to the hotel about 9:30 just in time to watch the firework display from our hotel window!

Con-Graduation William!

2011-05-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

William Graduated from Spunkey Monkey Preschool! His teacher, Miss jennie was Great! She taught him so much and he loved going to school every Tuesday and Thursday. On the off days he would be sad and ask, " After this sleep and breakfast, and dinner, and tomorrow can I go to Miss Jennie's?" It was a count down till the next time he could go.

They celebrated with a Chucky Cheese Party! He told everyone how he wants to be a fireman. This is no surprise to me, ever since the 1st field trip to the fire house he has been obsessed! They had tons of fun running around playing all the games, eating pizza!

I just cant believe he is getting so BIG! He will actually be going to Kindergarten this year. I am so excited for him, yet kind of sad,cause he is my little boy!

Nature Center

2011-05-14T16:02:00.000-07:00

We spent the day at MK Nature Center I was surprised to find that today they were having all kinds of hands on learning booths! So the kids got their faces painted.

They painted feathers, and learned to draw birds. Willliam's favorite station was the Owl pellets. This is where they plop a regergitated blob on your plate and you pick through to find all the bones and guess what kind of rodent was served for dinner.Reagan wasn't into that so she was occupied playing with these cool owl eyes, they were magnified so she kept walking into everything, it was soo funny. She even drew a crowd when she started to hoot like an owl.
>

Everyone made binoculars to go bird watching. They had real (stuffed) birds perched all over the place so that the kids could go find them.

There was a little sheet with all the birds pictures you had to walk around and find, and Reagan was such a Hoot! She had a little finger pointed at all times to find the birds and to lead the guy around to show him what she found. He & I were having more fun watching her then finding all the birds!

It was such a fun day I love that it is finally getting warm and we can go play outside. To celebrate we grabbed an icecream cone on the way home! The kids are worn out from all the walking and the evening should be a nice and quite one.

Happy Mothers day!

2011-05-09T16:04:00.000-07:00

Mothers have to be THE most underpaid employees on the planet since our work is never ever done. We’re on duty from the time we open our eyes in the morning until we pass out at night and often even after we’re fast asleep. There is absolutely no such thing as a day off. And if you’re sick? Well, tough! You’ve gotta just suck it up and pretend like you’re not. Nobody, and I do mean nobody, is gonna wipe the snot off your nose.

And it’s not even like I expect something fabulous and grandiose to celebrate this occasion. (I’m not THAT naive, ya know!) Hell, I’d settle for everyone just being able to fend for themselves for an entire day. For example, if not one single person asked me to wipe his or her bottom or to pour a second cup of milk for 24 straight hours, I’d be as happy as a clam. I really don’t think that’s asking for too much — do you?

Well I gotta give credit where its due! My Hubby and the kids showed me the love! It all started the night before mothers day. I was basking in the glory of completing my 5K that day and contemplating whats for dinner. Bob comes home from a mothers day shopping trip to surprise me with a brand new Kitchen aide! ( he's not so good at keeping things a surprise.) So now I can toss the $3 blender and become a real chef! HAR HAR HAR!

I woke up to the smell of bacon, my absolute favorite smell as long as I'm not cooking it! Breakfast was served and presents were laid out amongst lots of handmade cards from the minions. I am now a proud owner of brand new running gear! I cant wait to get out and run in it!

Another unexpected but well loved gift came to me at church! I have a theory that if I stay out of the bishoprics view they cant get me right?! Well I got caught! Waiting for a few of my primary kids outside the bathroom Bro Badger snuck up behind me and asked to meet up with me after church. YIKES! Now we just got a new relif society pres so I was safe from THAT, but I really didnt know what was coming, Speaking in sacrement? My slacking in VT? or maybe someone sniped me out for all the sacrement meetings I kinda, sorta skip? SO I fret and worry the next couple hours and finally make my way to the office. He ushers me into a tiny, no windows, no escape room and... Released me from my 7, yes I said SEVEN years in primary!! Woo Hoo! I'm FREE!! Not quite, he did ask me to be an activities day leader for the young women and I gladly accepted! This will be a fun NEW experience.

After such wonderful news I though the day couldnt get any better. But what do ya know we had an evening planned with friends! Good food, good friends, BAD Basketball skills, and a LONG game of Settlers (no I didnt win, the day wasnt THAT perfect) but it was so fun!

Now I could write some sappy stuff about how much I love this life, my kids, my huusband, and my friends, but Im not so good at all that, so I just want to put it out there... I know that I am Loved and it feels great!

RACE FOR A CURE!

2011-05-09T15:37:00.000-07:00

Saturday I ran my first 5K! It was amazing!

Not a great picture of me, but that is SO not my color! One of the VERY few times anyone will see me in pink! But it was all for a good cause! This was my first race and I gotta say it was a lot of fun. We started at the front of the crowd and when the count down was done, we were off! I could not believe how many people were there! Over 17,000 people were out to donate and run for the cause!

Fire House #14

2011-05-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

William has been so excited for this, he asks every night if tomorrow is the day he gets to go to the fire engine house? Well today is the day! He got to meet with a real fire fighter and watch him slide down the pole, they taught him all about stop drop and roll, and he even got to get his heart tested with the paramedics!

I even got to try on all the fireman gear! It was super cool or should I say HOT!

Bountiful Baskets

2011-04-30T15:01:00.000-07:00

Recently I have started ordering from Bountiful Baskets ! I have never had so many healthy wonderful things to grab and snack. I LOVE IT! It has also made me branch out of my little cooking rut and try new things! I recommend this to everyone. My kids are so excited, its actually kind of embarrassing to see them get so excited over a pineapple or a bag of huge carrots. I don't usually have fresh pineapple on the weekly grocery list, and baby carrots are the only thing my kids have ever seen, so when these massive 6 inch carrots came about William though he was chowing on giant food! Broccoli, cucumbers, and strawberries OH MY!

Book Club

2011-04-29T14:44:00.000-07:00

Recently Alex has joined a Book Club. I Love the fact that she like to read, and I love that in her group of friends it is cool! Each month they pick a book and then get to have a " party" based on the book. This month we were hosting at our house the "Dripping Fang " it is a funny creepy book that takes place in the swamp. We decorated the kitchen with socks and snot rags (ya gotta go with the book)and then we made swamp juice...

And then we played catch the bugs. Where the kids had to grab for a bug like the game "spoons" It was so fun! The kids had a ton of fun!

EGGciting

2011-04-23T16:33:00.000-07:00

My favorite part of Easter ( besides those amazing) is the egg decorating. We always do a ton of eggs because it is so fun to watch my kids be so creative! Unfortunatly I had a brain fart and forgot to take a picture of the finished work of arts. so just believe me whe I say they were very pretty and tasty! :)

Field Trip

2011-04-19T15:57:00.000-07:00

William's preschool took a trip too ZOO BOISE, and I got to go to! William is usally very independent and doesnt like me to even walk him to the preschool door, but today he asked if I would come with his class so I felt extra special to attend! We did all the fun stuff, played on the giraff slide, fed the goats, and checked out all the lazy beasts it was a nice (sorta)warm day and the kids had lots of fun.
I am so glad he invited me to come and play. I hate to think he is getting older, this year he will go into preschool and I wont have my little man around to go to the zoo as often. I am going to miss hanging out with him.

Its OUT!

2011-04-17T16:24:00.000-07:00

For almost two weeks he has had his finger stuck in his mouth wiggling and jiggling that tooth and finally while out play he pops it out and loses it in the grass! Funny thing is Alex did the same thing when her first tooth wiggled out of her mouth as well. So I had a little experience in consoling the loss of this tooth and explaining that a nice picture note telling the Tooth Fairy of the dilema. So he drew a nice note and woke up to wopping $2.00 and was happy as can be sporting a new smile!

Dentist...

2011-04-06T15:34:00.000-07:00

It always amuses me how they get little kids to sit through "the Chair". I must admit I have a terrible phobia of the dentist. I cry and whimper the whole week leading up to the torture chair. But for the sake of my childrens teeth (and my bank account) I try to get the kids to the dentist every 6 months for thier regular check ups and extra floride! Well today was William's turn. I dread this because the unfortunate kid has teeth like mine. No matter how much we brush, floss, beg and pray for no cavities we always have one hanging out! Today was no different...
First ya go in to the brightly painted room filled with rainforest frogs to be laid gently out so you can lounge with the cool shades and a Bubble nose with your choice of smellly goodness. While kicking back to the cartoons with the ceiling TV. Then they spread numbing jelly on your gums so you dont feel the evil needle going 6 inches straight in to your skull! My kids sit there and take it like this is the coolest thing. After the sugar bug houses are cleaned out, and the dentist has painted on a gold star on that tooth he gets to go pick a prize form the bucket, and get get a free FroYO! Will was a champ through it all, he deserved this.....

I only wish I could handle it as well!

St Pattys Day!

2011-03-17T15:23:00.000-07:00

That darn leprechaun escaped again! each year we try a bit more elabrate trick to catch that little rascal. This year he messed the entire house up by knocking over furniture leaving a trail of mischief all over the house from the green toilet water upstairs all the way in to the kitchen pantry where he spilled out all of the lucky charms. The kids giggled all morning while I grumbled and cleaned the house up.

Daylight savings....

2011-03-10T15:14:00.000-08:00

Its here! That time when you have to set the clock back an hour to get ready for longer, warmer days! I love it! Yeah the time adjustment kinda kicks my butt for a few days. The kids argue a bit more at bed time cause " The sunshine is still awake" . OR that darn snooze button gets a work out every morning, but I dont mind cause that means warmer weather here we come!! The kids and I decided to brave the cold March wind and enjoy the few dripps of Vit D at settlers park.

William Is 5 Years old!!

2011-02-22T10:39:00.000-08:00

William is such a sweet little boy! I can't imagine my life with out him, well I have dreamed about a cleaner house, and a less stress life, but I would never trade that for all the fun and happiness I get with this kid! He always gives me the best of hugs, he is always telling me he loves me! Willliam will go to school this year and leave me for the whole day and I already find myself choking up on the thought. I would love for him to stay just as he is. He has grown out of the terrible two's and threes and passed the torch to his younger sister.(He has taught her well!) Now he plays nice (most of the time), he love to be my little helper. I love him and wish him a Happy Birthday!

New born

1 year old

2yrs old

3yrsd old

4yrs old

Vampires ...

2011-02-06T08:02:00.000-08:00

I’ve blogged about this soo many times before, I'm sure you dont want to read about it AGAIN, but since this is my blog and I use it to keep everyone informed on my life, and a personal soap box, here goes...
It continues to be an ongoing issue around here. Just what the heck am I blabbering about? I’m talkin’ about bedtime, — that dreaded portion of the day when all I wish for in life is a free pass to duct tape my little vampires to thier beds!

When we were kids we wouldn’t dare get out of our beds for anything in this world. Granted, we were told that Santa would skip our house and head straight back to the North Pole,or we could risk the cutting board to warm our little butts, but hey, it worked like a friggin’ charm! It seems those good old days, however, are all but a speck of dust anymore.

Well, now days I need a flippin’ hypnotist and a roll of duct tape to get the shorties to stay in their rightful nighttime places. It’s the same wood spoon in a metal pan feeling, (or in most cases nails-on-the-chalkboard-thing) night after night. Just when Mommy is finally about to get her “Dexter” fix, a pint-sized body suddenly appears on the back of the couch to scare the absolute --- out of me. (And for those of you who don’t know, “Dexter” is a far cry from “Sesame Street”, let me just tell ya. Serial killers are totally not kid-appropriate t.v. viewing material.) I honestly don’t know how many more threats I can rationally make to my kids before my head explodes.

I’ve come to the sad, unfortunate conclusion that I am, in fact, the mother of nocturnal children who may quite actually be miniature vampires. How else would you care to explain the case of a thirty somthing woman being ready for bed before a couple of piddly little kids all under the age of 10?? I mean, I’m not THAT old, am I???!!! (Do Not answer. That’s a rhetorical question.)

She is 3...

2011-02-02T15:44:00.000-08:00

Reagan is such a lucky girl. She turned 3 this year and she had 3 different parties! 1st one was a little early, we went to visit Gma Joy in Pocatello, and had a party to celebrate....

Then on her Birthday we had a few little girls over for a princess party...

Reagan had so much fun dressing up and holding court with all her friends! Will wanted to dress up to but he wantd to be a pirate, NOT a prince! Silly Boy!

And since Dad missed both parties he took us all out to dinner at Red Robin to celebrate where they sang to her and gave her a big icecreame sunday!

Happy Birthday!

Look who is Fwee!

2011-01-29T10:13:00.000-08:00

Reagan Elizabeth Sousley
One day old

6mo Old

1 Year

2 years

I just cant believe she is 3! It isnt possible that three years ago this sweet little monster was born! She is such a fun girl. I absoutlutly Love having conversations with her, she is so smart and says the funniest things. It doesnt help any that she acts like she is 13 half the time! Jeez I am scared for the next 10 years of my life!

Happy Birthday Reagan!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-29T09:33:00.000-08:00

Christmas with the Sousley's is great! We have so many family, and friends that might as well be family, all together! The kids all have thier buddies and play great together. The girls love hanging out, and the Boys always end up doing somthing funny to keep us all laughing!

As you can see from the above pictures, Santa thought we were all VERY good this year! There were SO many presents to open! It took us over 2 hours to get to the last one! I would love to go through all of it but it would make for a very long post so I will just hit the highlights....

Alex,

William,

This picture of Will makes me laugh! Is that not the perfect Christmas gift to Mom?? Look at that boy enjoying his loot!

Reagan,

Bob got a hellicopter, it was so fun, except for the damage it caused to Leslie's cieling fan, and the near death of small children! It kept us entertained and on our toes!

Gotta love the Hugh Hefner look!

Me... Oh wait I am the one taking all the pictures, so there are none of me on my camera! I am sure someone took a picture of me so I will add pictures later (maybe). I did have some wonderful gifts, I got a new dress coat, and my Miche bag I have coveted for so long!

Another highlight was a night out to dinner at the Outback with all the adults! NO KIDS! (Thank you Maddie and Tabitha for your awesomness!) We enjoyed out gift cards from Grandma and had a really fun time! Plus us girls got a little shopping trip in so we looked extra HOT!

Birthday party +

2010-12-18T08:06:00.000-08:00

Alex got a Big surprise for her birthday....

A NEW BED! She had no clue, so when she walked into her room it was so fun to see her surprise and then excitement! She got to sleep in the bed one night and then we kicked her to the couch to make room for all the party guests! My parents and the Boys with their wives came to celebrate her birthday....

Cake, ice cream, presents, movie night, wrestling, just a bunch a fun piled into the weekend! It was great!

Not only did we have a fun birthday party but we had an early Christmas! This year is our year to go to Washington, so we decided to have the Willis Christmas a few weeks early and open all the exchange gifts!

Bob and I hosted our 1st Turkey dinner!

The food was good, the only ones who got sick were the over eaters! So I call it a success!

After dinner we opened gifts...

The weekend was so fun that I completly forgot about Alex's science project DUE MONDAY! So I guess I couldnt have planned it better, but I had my dad right here and he is awesome with science things!! We always had the best science projects when we were kids sooo..A little raid on the scrapbook room and a quick run to the store and some Daddy and Gpa brains,

We have an A+ Lunar Eclipse model!

Happy Birthday Alex! and Merry Christmas!

Alex turns 9!

2010-12-15T23:51:00.000-08:00

Alexandra Joy Sousley Born Dec 15 2001, 7lb 15 oz

She was a chubby baby!

1 year old!

2 years old!

3years old!

4years old!

5 years old!

6 years old!

7 years old!

8 years old!

9years old!!

It is so hard to believe that she is 9 years old! Where has the time gone? I sat looking through all these old pictures ( I say old, but it really feels like yesterday!) trying to find the ones to post. I love to see how she has grown. I can see the beautiful woman that she will become, but still hope she will stay my baby a little longer!
Happy Birthday Alex!

Crap happens...

2010-12-06T19:39:00.000-08:00

Any time I have to drag my kids to the grocery store with me, I know it ain’t gonna be pretty and that I’m gonna need a stiff drink (Dr Pepper works well) afterwards. It takes fifty times longer than it should, somebody’s either whining or suddenly needs to poop, and I never know what’s gonna be in my cart by the time I get to the checkout line. That is why I try to move heaven and earth to do my shopping trips solo if at all possible. Unfortunately, though, sometimes crap happens, and I have no other choice but to suck it up and take the pip squeaks with me.

So today, crap happened, and I had two little shopping companions along for the ride whether I liked it or not. As soon as we set foot into the store, the wheels in their heads started spinning like mad about ways to entertain themselves. The first annoying thing my posse decided to do was to collect twisty ties from the produce section. I think it’s pretty safe to say that future tomato and apple shoppers will have to go without tying their bags since we now are the proud new owners of a ton of stolen twisty ties.

From there, they moved onto placing there grubby little fingers on every single item of food they could reach. Please people dont forget to wash your food when you get it home! You have no idea where there fingers have been! My minions made it their own personal duty to visit each and every produce item, asking what it was and what it tastes like. By the time we moved on to the cereal isle I was already dreading the rest of the 26 isles to go!

And then we had the fun that always goes along with the checkout lane itself. I was trying to just get all the crap on the conveyor belt and hide all the crap I had know idea when it got into my cart, so we could get the heck out of there. While my kids were busy picking up packs of gum and candy bars and all sorts of things that I had no intention of buying. So we bagged up and drove home with our pillaged pile of twisty ties, I put away the groceries and cracked open a can of cold Dr Pepper

Oh but my day didnt end there... Reagan decided to slice her finger open with a pearing knife. Blood oozing up her hand and dripping off the elbow sent me into frantic mommy mode. Props to her for not even crying, she calmly walks in and says,"Mommy Ihave bllod." she handles blood much better then I do. After a band aid, a hug and a kiss, and my heart beat returning to normal I sent the munchkins up for a bit of quiet time. This turned into tattle time, William coming to explain that Reagan had nail polish and she was doing it wrong on the CARPET!!!!

Yeah mommy panic mode kicked in for the second time today. Sure enough I run up to find a candy apple red stain, Right. Smack. in the middle of the white carpet! Learning from past experience, the little spawns stayed in the room with me while I dabbed, scrubbed, and pleaded with the stain to come out. While the candy apple color had my full attention William decided to go face diving off my well neglected exercise ball.

Again. Mommy panic mode... It was just like on TV when you see everything happen but in super slow motion, as he leaps into the air and perfects a nose dive into the floor. I had all sorts of thoughts run through my head such as " His neck is broken!" and many other morbid thoughts. With more hugs and kisses a cool cloth to soothe the goose egg my heart again comes back into my chest.

I ducktape the kids to their rooms ( not really, but it wouldnt be the first time the thought had occured to me.) I then spent the rest of the day reminding myself why I’d rather shovel reindeer crap than take the shorties to the grocery store ever again….

12 Years!

2010-11-29T14:01:00.000-08:00

When you’re married with children, it’s freaking hard to find alone time to spend together. The kids and their continuous needs inevitably take top priority. And trying to keep that spark alive isn’t the easiest task in the world when your spawns are always lurking over your shoulder, trying like hell to blow out the fire. Take, for instance, our anniversary. Now in a perfect soap opera world, my husband would’ve whisked me away for a romantic weekend on some remote tropical island to celebrate our 12 years of wedded bliss together, right? Unfortunately, though, we don’t live in the fictional town of Forks Wa, so there was certainly no whisking and absolutely nothing tropical about our monumental moment.

The night of our actual anniversary was unfortunately spent waiting for some travel weary college kids to come shelter at our house for the night. Dont get me wrong, I am SO glad that they stopped and took comfort at the Sousley Bed and Breakfast, I just wish it was any other night. On the flip side we used it to our advantage and cancelled the $6/ hour Babysitter and got some free babysitting out of them! (Woo HOO) We were able to sneak out after the kids were in bed and grab a bite to eat to celebrate 12 years, and even had < gasp! > an uninterrupted conversation! Naturally, though, this blissful state of mind was poo-pooed the very moment we stepped through the front door of our house and heard the free babysitting college kids negotiating with the little vampires upstairs who were supposed to have been asleep by then.

Real idyllic, huh? We were holding out hope that maybe, JUST MAYBE, we’d steal some time together after finally getting the kids to bed.

Regrettably, though, our children have decided to boycott sleep these days. Just when we think we have the all-clear, a little body pops up on the stairs, which is exactly what kind of scenario played out on the night of Nov 27. Somebody was hungry; somebody was thirsty; somebody had a sore throat; somebody was scared; somebody had to poop — on and freaking on until I literally started threatening alien abductions to anyone who dared get out of bed again. And wouldn’t you know that by the time we FINALLY heard the last peep outta the monsters, I glanced over to find my hubby sawing some serious logs. So much for romance.

I seriously think we may have to start hooking up in the car like a couple of teenagers in high school to avoid the inevitable interference from the shorties. So if the wheels are a rockin’, please, for the love, don’t come a knockin’!!!!

Thankful...

2010-11-28T17:47:00.000-08:00

I thought about writing about the action filled trip to Pocatello this year, but have decided to condense it down to a list of Thankfulness....

* The DVD Player in the truck.
* Snow Tires
* Bob's truck
* Bob driving and not me!
* My family's holiday timing
* Settlers of Catan
* Heat
* The smell of turkey
* The Taste of turkey
* Large meals
* Sweat pants
* Dessert
* Alarm clocks ( only on after Thanksgiving sales)
* Credit cards
* Price Matching
* Naps
* Left overs
* Family
* Laughter
* Tums
* Grampa taking kids to Harry Potter
* sleep
* comfy Pjs
* Sleep
* Nook
* Snow
* Being home!

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T15:25:00.001-07:00

Halloween would not be complete with out a trip to the corn maze. We go every year and it is so fun to get lost and found in the maze. This year we went with some friends so it took a bit longer cause Alex and Kimball was in charge of finding the way out.

Then we got to ride the cow train, play in the corn box, slide the bunmpy slide, sit in the giant chair, watch the pig races, pet the horses, shoot the corn gun, and jump on the jumpy thing.

Random Picture of William I had to post cause he looks so handsome!! Love this BOY!!

After a hard day of play, we came home and made yummy home made donuts!

The kids didnt even eat very many, they just wanted to shake the sugar!

After getting the kids clamed down I turned bed time over to Bob while Alex and I snuck of to the Old Idaho State Penitentary. It was the first time I had ever gone, and I was hoping to get really scared. Unfortunatly it turned out to be more of a tour thing then a spook ally. Alex enjoyed it and thought it was fun to see all the creepy prison cells. I think next year I will skip it and just head to the haunted houses!

After the not so scary tour we stopped for some icecream, we were eating it in the parking lot when a police man pulled over a car right in front of us and started issuing a DUI test. The guy failed and got cuffed and sent ot jail! (one less drunk on the streets and a good learning lesson for Alex!) Wish I took pictures.

Halloween Prep!

2010-10-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween! It is one of my favorite holidays! What other day in the year can grown ups dress up and run around acting like kids?? When else do we let our children dress up like freaks in public and go around asking complete strangers for candy?? I love it the most cause I can just leave the cob webs and dust and say its part of the decor!
This Year our ward had the trunk or treat Friday. It was so fun, The kids got to try out their costumes...

William was a GI Joe Guy. It was so funny cause when people asked him what he was for Halloween he would say " A Black Man" uggg that just sounds soo bad!

Reagan was a Princess

All of 10 min before the crown gloves, jewelry were off and she was just running around in the dress.

Alex was a skeleton Pirate

It was so fun to do her make up! Will and Reagan were so scared of her!

I didn't plan on dressing up this year, but I just cant NOT dress up! It is so fun! So I pulled out the old witch and dabbed on the nose! When Reagan saw me she asked," Are you still my mom?"

The kids got tons of candy and had a blast!

We had Grandma come and visit this weekend. She came to see the kids in the primary program. Alex and William both had speaking parts, and they did soo great! I was worried that William would freeze and not say it, cause if I asked him to practice with me, he never would. When the time for him to go to the podium, He said it perfect! Go WIll!!! Alex also did very well speaking slow and clear! No fear of speaking for these two!

While Grandma was here we thought we would go the the pumpkin patch but the weather was not cooperating. It was REALLY COLD! I got my love of the cold weather from my mother so we stayed in doors and carved up some Walmart specials!!

I am so glad my mom came to visit, we had a nice visit and got in some quality chatting and chick flicks in!

Cleaning Sucks!

2010-10-09T10:52:00.000-07:00

It’s never easy to figure out just where to start when it comes to cleaning, but I decided to pick the messiest place in the house — my daughter’s room. Making some kind of headway in there was more of what I would call a baby step. The place was such a friggin’ pig sty that I fully expected to hear an “Oink!” coming from the closet at any point in time. I can confidently say that my daughter is the epitome of a pack rat. Seriously, the chick can’t seem to throw anything, and I do mean anything, away. The way she had crap stashed under her bed made me wonder if she’s been seeking a future role on the tv show "Horders" . I was actually a little afraid of just what I might pull outta there next.

While I was digging through the mess I shooed the children outside to occupy their time with healthy activities such as riding a bike, or trampoline jumping instead of house thrashing and trouble making. Silly me, what was I thinking? Leaving the little hellions unattended for a minute or two while I put the house back together. I dig my self outta the mess to check on the beasts to find they had decided my white car would look better in beige. Yes, Will found the paint and USED IT ON MY CAR!!! So after a verbal lashing and a swat on the butt he was sent to his room while I scrubbed my car clean. Little did I know that while I was out in the garage scrubbing my car, the kids again, found themselves unattended to.

I was just congratulating myself on getting the paint off with out serious damage to my car or the child! To find my kitchen had become the official science lab of food color mixing. They had got the food coloring down from the back, top shelf of the pantry and climbed the counter tops to reach the cups on the top shelf in the cupboard and proceeded to fill with water and mix colors. Of coarse this activity is great to expand their trapeze careers and knowledge of color staining, just not very helpful in keeping the mopping and staining from my kitchen floor!

But what I REALLY learned during my marathon scouring session was that it’s all just a huge-ass waste of my time. As soon as I got one room straightened up and moved onto the next one, my little bulldozers had already demolished all my efforts to bits. Yeah, I’m pretty sure they’d all be just as content if we had dirt floors and a pet rat or two scampering about the quarters

Dental Drama

2010-09-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

Personally I have more then my fair share of dental drama. Not only am I prone to cavities, but I have no tolerance for sharp needles anywhere near me face, let alone IN my mouth! The gas stuff makes me nervous, Novocaine has little to no effect on my pearly whites, so when I have to have work done I have to have "special" drugs just to get me there, and then "extra special" drugs to get me to sit in the chair and tolerate the torture!
To say it plainly I have A pathological form of this fear (specific phobia) is variously called dental phobia, odontophobia, dentophobia, dentist phobia, or dental anxiety. Yeah all that! It is bad enough when this fear is inflicted on me, but when I have to sit by and watch this inflicted on my children... Ugg, momma bear syndrome comes out uber strong! In the past, when William had to have a root canal and silver cap put on one of his molars I made Bob go. I cant do it, I can not sit and hold thier hand while they cry and endure the most hated thing I can imagine.
Today was my day. Bob couldn't get away from work and Will had an abscess under the silver cap that had to be taken care of today, Reagan had a cavity so large I was afraid it might be another root canal, I couldn't deal with. So to get it all over with in one day was my way of thinking. (WHAT WAS I THINKING??)
Now I must say my kids Dentist is totally cool, he talks to them first, explains how it will feel, and then makes up cool things that happen while he is doing the work. Reagan gets the chair first, she has a large cavity that need to be drilled and filled. She thinks it is funny to wear the elephant nose and sniff pink fairy dust. The shot hurt a bit and made her cry, my heart break and the nurse to reassure ME! We survived and she gets a prize!
William is next for the chair. He has a large abscess under the silver cap that will require the whole tooth pulled. Will is a bit more sensitive to things around him, I think maybe he felt my nervousness for him cause he didn't even want the nurse to put the numbing stick in his mouth. I had to lean over him and calm him down for about 5 min before the elephant nose could even be put on. The fairy dust calmed him down but gave me a head ache from the second hand high I was getting. Finally Dr came in and started the yanking. I was surprised how easy and fast it came out. The tooth was HUGE and Will did good, he cried a little while they pulled it out, but he was happy as could be when I promised a milkshake at McD's.
Now my favorite part is going out to the lady at the front and forking over the remainder of my bank account to her! I can torture my children for free!I hate paying someone else to do that deed! At least it was over. The nurse giggled, and told me I could breathe again, and if I wanted a prize too? YES! I deserve one! From now on my kids are sugar free and must brush their teeth 30x a day cause I wont do that again!!

Why I love This Man!

2010-09-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

Okay ya know those days when everything is perfect? Ya know, when the kids are happy and listening to every word you say, the house is sparkling clean, the laundry is all done folded and put away, You have dinner already planned and bubbling in the crock pot, the table is set and life is perfect?
Ya me neither.
Okay so yesterday was the exact opposite of what I just described! The house looked like the remains of WW3, I don't dare set foot in the laundry room for fear of never finding my way out, and dinner was the last thing on my mind cause I haven't bother to get groceries for almost a month! I thought I would do the responsible thing and take the kids to the park so I could hide a bit longer from all my slacking. We get there and they cant even enjoy it! All I wanted to do is enjoy the last few days of sun and warm before the evil winter comes and ruins everything, making me huddle into sweaters and blankets to keep from shivering. Oh no, my kids are fighting and complaining about the glorious sun shine, they scream and whine until other parents are looking around wondering when we are leaving. I pack it up at this point and head home with steam shooting out of my ears!
No, we don't go home to Mom cleaning and kids lounging in front of the tube! I push them outside and make them clean up all the dog crap that has been threatening my quality of air! Then I force them into doing dishes and scrubbing them super clean first ( cause we are out of dish soap) Then they spend the rest of the time cleaning there rooms until I figure out how to cook dinner with a can of soup and a handful of bread crumbs. All this time I am thanking Bob for going golfing and letting me deal with all these "Little Blessings!"
I don't know how he knew, or maybe he could sense all the evil vibes I was sending his way, but he came home that night with.....

Yes he brought me beautiful roses, and Ben&Jerry!
That is why I love that man! On my bad days he makes them better (even if he is hoping for a little sompin' sompin') :) Cause sometimes I need some to!

Baby Shower

2010-09-23T11:19:00.001-07:00

For the last 2 weeks I have been trying to get a babyshower together for my friend, I have been scowering the internet for yummy recipes, silly games, and awesome ideas.
I was so worried about having enough food and entertainment, but I should have known better... Put a bunch of women together in a room full of calories, a chocolate fountain, and a preganant lady and watch the conversation fly! We had a great time! I met some new people and saw some old friends, played a few cheesy games, isnt that a must at all showers? I am so excited to meet this new baby girl I just cant wait! Congratz Sarah!

2010-09-10T11:07:00.000-07:00

At what point does it become acceptable to go to bed BEFORE your children do? Cause lately? My little night owls are still ready to rock and roll long after my eyelids are well on their way to Sleepytown. I can’t watch a show, I can’t make out with my husband, I can’t even take a damn pee without someone sneaking up on me late at night when I least expect it.

I honestly can’t even begin to tell you how frustrating the whole bedtime hoopla has become around here. I tuck ‘em in, give ‘em a kiss, and threaten ‘em with every inch of their lives if they even think about coming out of their rooms, and what do you think happens each and every friggin’ night? Pitter patter, pitter patter, pitter patter — down the hall and down the stairs to steal food out of the fridge, or climb the pantry shelves or spy on who else but Mommy and Daddy.

Do you have any freaking idea how horrifying it is to be watching a crazy vampire king on t.v. who’s mourning the blood and guts of his gay lover, only to look up and find your 4 year old son, wide-eyed and bushy tailed on the staircase right behind you? Now I don’t know about you, but I’m not personally capable of explaining the awesomeness of “True Blood” to my preschooler. Can I not just enjoy my Eric Northam in peace??!!

Yes, it seems like the minions have perfected the art of popping up at JUST the wrong time to a flippin’ “t”. Just when we think the coast is clear — BAM!! There they are. So, unfortunately, by the time we feel like we’ve got the green light, we’re too tired to bring out the rated R stuff even if we wanted to.

So, yeah, call us boring or call us old or call us what you want to. But until one of you can come up with a feasible solution that doesn’t involve duct tape, super glue or handcuffs to keep the chitlins in their rightful places at night, you can keep your opinions to yourselves. Or you could just offer to babysit….

Preschool!!!

2010-09-07T11:24:00.001-07:00

Will was so excited for his first day of preschool. We started out with a bowl of Luck Charms, but he had to have some on his toast "For extra luck" !!

Then it was time to go! I had to ask him for a hug goodbye,*sniff* cause he was very excited to get there!

Reagan was so sad she couldnt go with him. I think this was the first time she hast been without him. Reagan and I went and had fun girls day of shopping before we went to pick him up. He did great and is excited to go again!

1st day of 3rd Grade

2010-09-03T10:58:00.001-07:00

I just can't believe she is in third grade!

Reagan's 1st Haircut

2010-08-27T13:44:00.001-07:00

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Isnt she so stinking cute!!! I LOVE it! Yes I know, the poor girl is 2 1/2 and this is the 1st time I have cut her hair! WOW did she need it, we cut about 6 inches!! My sis did such a great job! Thank you Chris for this! Not many people have their hair dresser travel 250 mile to meet ya and do hair out in the wild! We were camping the weekend in Salmon when we got this done! (scroll down to lower post for details)
Reagan loves getting her hair done, and if y mess it up she will scowl at ya and say , " Dont mess up my hair cut!" It is soo funny! I think she likes it too!

Wil shots

2010-08-25T15:55:00.000-07:00

My tough little man! WE had to endure 5 shots!I say We cause I think it hurts me just as bad to have to hold him there. He cried a bit, but said it barely hurt. He was happy to get out of there and said, "Mom I never want to do that again okay?" I said okay! Now he is all set for preschool! I can't believe how big he is getting. I am not ready for him to leave me yet! I had a flash of the last time we had to go through this...

Salmon Weekend

2010-08-23T08:47:00.001-07:00

Every year we go to Salmon for the Willis family reunion. Unfortunatly Bob had to work this time so I went with the three kids to enjoy the weekend! One of the best parts is smooshing all the birthdays into this weekend, and celebrating together! We celbrated Eric, mine, Brayden, and Stephanie

Mom's 60th with 60 presents she had to open with all the help of the grandkids! Chris made her an awesome scrapbook!
Happy 60th Mom!

The rest of the week is just a bunch of sitting around enjoying the good company on deck or round the campfire...

the awesome view of the river....

Some hike to the hot springs...

Some swim out to the rock...

Some Fish...

We enjoy this little get away and cant wait till next year!!

Mossy Rock

2010-08-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

I love to travel..scratch that.. I love to get there! I hate the getting there! Anyone who has read my blog knows how much "fun" it is to drive long distances with three kids! So I won't bore you with the details of the torture we went through, of the yelling and crying, of the pleading and begging, and the many many movie we were forced to endure on our 2 day journey to MossyRock Washington! JUst let me say we arrived, everyone alive and semi-concious! Yeah us! Now the fun can begin!!! This vacation is all about relaxing for us so all the days kinda blend together, so I will give ya a brief over view of what we did...
We relaxed, some lounged in the sun ( with heavy dose of sunscreen) some lounged in the shade and ate, we fished and ate, we played in the lake and ate, we had a talent show and laughed, flashlight candy hunt and ate, Win it in a minute games and lughed, Catan and ate, cooked and ate, after all that we figured we would do some hiking and eating on the way to see Mt Saint Helens! It was amazing the trip was well worth it!

The pictures show it all... We had Fun!

After a week of camping and fun we headed back to Leslie's to clean up and celebrate Macy getting baptised! I had the honor of doing her hair! She looked so pretty Congratulations Macy we love you!

Summer BLAST...

2010-07-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

WARNING VERY LONG POST/LOTS OF PICS!

So far we have already enjoyed many trips to the swimming pool, the splash park, the zoo, camping, family get togethers, and swim lessons! July is over and we cant wait to enjoy the rest of the summer fun! Here are our adventures so far...

Mom and Dad visit to the Sand Dunes...

Dad has wanted to come to the Bruenu Sand Dunes for awhile so that he could get his fix of all the cool telescopes, and star gazing! We wanted to go for all the fun in the sand and swimming in the lake! So it worked out great when they came to visit and we headed for the dunes!

Unfortunately when the sun went down the mosquitoes came out in swarms so we didn't get a chance to look through this beast! Darn-it maybe next time!

The lake was perfect to cool off in. The kids played in the sand and mud, Alex swam way out to the middle, ( with a life vest!)

The Sand was really hot so we enjoyed the portable shade, and let the kids go cook thier feets! Dad impressed me hiking all the way up to the top with the kiddos! GO DAD!

Relaxing with a good book a blanket and some nice shade!

It was a great visit, I cant wait to do it again!

4th of July

It is starting to be a tradition to have the Party at Sid and Rosy's! and we LOVE IT!! This year we had fun playing all the good ol' American games like bobbing for apples...

Hula hooping....

3 legged races, sack races, and just good company!

Rosy surprised us all with the roasted pig!! kinda creepy to look at but YUMMY!

After all the games and food the firework show begins....

Swim Lessons
Alex is in her 4th year of swimming, she is a little fish! She has no problem swimming in the deep end and enjoys jumping off the board! This year she is perfecting her strokes and diving skills...

William first swim lesson, we were told the wrong time so when we showed up his class was already over. To make up for the mistake his teacher gave him a private lesson! It was the perfect way to get him in the water and learn to trust his teacher. After that there was no fear, he did great back floats and blowing bubbles, he even jumped off the board! with a little help that first time, then he was good too go!

Reagan got to take lessons this year too! I thought she was little young and might have a hard time but...NOPE that girl has no fear and loved every minute! Check her out...

Eric and De Move Close!
This summe my brother Eric and his wife De moved to Twin, and it has been so fun having them close enough to visit! They came and stayed a weekend here and we took the kids swiming...

Then I took the kids to Twin to visit the falls and play in the river....

Laura and Kelly come to visit!
My sister and her family came for a fun visit! Its not too often they make it all the way to Boise!So we had to make it a good one! We visited the nature walk. Where we saw a deer and a fawn, and even the shy sturgen came into view!

The weekend was full of fun, After picking my Mom and dad up from the airport where they just finished there 7 day cruise to alaska, we soaked up some sun and played at the splash park,

Then Laura, Kelly, Braden,and Alex spent the day at Roaring Springs. I got to play with the little guys at home. They had a blast! I have never seen Alex soo tired in my life! She played hard! Laura had a small misshap and fell and hurt her back , but they got 4 free tickets to Roaring Springs, that she gave to me to use!! Thanx Laura! Eric and De came up the following weekend and we used the tickets with all the kids! Lots of fun but sorry no pictures. Cameras and water dont mix, and I was having too much fun to sit out and take pictures!

This has been a very busy summer and I am now just getting caught up! I still have to post about our trip to Mossy Rock, and this weekend I am going to Salmon for a Willis reunion, so I have a few more posts coming soon!

First Day of Summer!

2010-06-21T16:27:00.000-07:00

Its here!! Its FINALLY HERE! SUMMER!!
We had to celebrate so we took a long walk over to the school and let the kids play around.Then we went out for our fave treat at the snow shack! Lots of sunshine and sugar!!!

(I love this sign, it makes me giggle!)

Father's Day Camping

2010-06-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend doing what Bob loves. CAMPING! We drove out to the Owyee Dam and met up with friends. All the camp sites were pretty full but one of the hosts told us we could just camp in the handicap slots(which is totally fitting cause I was seriously mentally impaired and forgot my camera!! I will get pics from our friends soon!!) so we got to park our trailers next to each other to make one big spot!! The kids had fun playing in the lake and cathing "buddies" which were just mini-green grasshoppers. The adults enjoyed the fresh air and relax time. BBQ on the grill and Smores for dinner it was Perfect, except for the brief rain/thunderstorm that rolled in for a bit, but then it cleared out and we enjoyed the rest of our trip in much cooler weather. Sunday evening at home, I made Bob's Fave japanese chicken, and he got a new outfit from the kids.
I think he had a pretty good Father's day. I sure hope so cause this man deserves the best! He is one of the hardest working Men I know! He is a wonderful Husband and a great Daddy! We love him bunches and bunches! XOXO

Weekend in Reno!

2010-06-15T09:43:00.000-07:00

Its not very often we get a weekend away! Even less often when we get away with friends! So this weekend was a special treat! Bob and I both got a chance to do what we love. Bob and Shawn went to LMS Defense It is a coarse that teaches tactical training and defence. Those who know my husband will realize this was second heaven for Bob! They spent all day Saturday and half the day Sunday crawling in the dirt and shooting guns (sounds like fun right??)

While Sarah and I got to go do some really fun stuff! Like sleeping in! Then when we leisurely got around to the day, we went for a pampered Mani/Pedi at this awesome place called...

We had a private room, they served drinks while we were spoiled with fun music, comfy sofa, and a totally amazing foot and hand massage...

Look at these beautiful toes! ( I wont say feet, cause feet are ugly! But the toes can be pretty, right?) My nails look really good to, just forgot to picture that!

We went out to breakfast, lunch and dinner!! ALL day, no cooking! Driving out to meet the guys and see the fun stuff they were doing and we got slightly lost, but what the heck? It was a fun little road trip!

The first night we were all exhausted, (it is hard work doing nothing ALL day! I defiantly need more practice!) The next day we slept in AGAIN (Tee Hee)! Decided that we should check out the pool.

Very nice! The sun was hot the pool was perfect! After a relaxing dip in the pool we cleaned ourselves up and went out for a makeover. We had appointments at Lancome to have our makeup done.
Before....

After....

Now that we were all pretty we went out to dinner, and played around at Circus Circus. Playing silly carnival games and NOT winning most of them (we each had a few stuffed animals for the kiddos back home ) but having enough laughs to make it worth the money! Before we called it a night, we had to gamble a bit!!!

Again NOT winning much, but having a great time!

We stayed out WAY too late, to get up and catch our 6:40 am flight back to reality. But we made it, and are looking forward to another great getaway (hopefully)not too far off!

Memorial Weekend!

2010-06-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

I love this weekend! Not only for the Great meaning it has for our country, but it is also the weekend when my husband comes back from the work induced coma that has gripped him for the past 2 months! It is the first, and only three day weekend we enjoy! This year we went to Washington to celebrate Mema's Birthday. The weekend was packed with fun, and relaxing, something Bob took much needed advantage of....
Starting off with us crazy adults taking 13 (I think was the count) kids to go see Shreck Ever After.

Then we headed to Sid and Rosy's to enjoy a wonderful BBQ (WHY dont I have any pictures of this!) It was a very relaxing, kids running round, games in the house food on the grill and smoke in the air! (from the camp fire, setting up for yummy s'mores!) So fun. Thanx Rosy for letting us invade!
We enjoyed a nice afternoon at church. I bumped into my cousin from Chicago! talk about a small world! Then the birthday celebration began! Its always fun to see how things run when the men are in charge! (Tee hEE) Us girls settled in for a game of Catan and let the Boys get dinner ready. Dinner was great...

Followed by cake and presents

and FOOD FIGHT!!

I should say cake fight! There wasn't much left but we tried to save what we could just so these two could have a rematch in the car! Why couldnt they just sit pretty like their better halves????

Later, we enjoyed the sunshine at the park and played by the water! Before we had to pack it up and head home.

The Perfect Day

2010-05-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

It started with Bob coming home! He has been working very long hours, gearing up for Memorial day. It is even harder when he has to leave town for work! Bob left Thursday morning and just got home, after driving all night, 6:00 Sunday morning. He was so tired I decided to keep the kids quiet by getting out of the house to let him sleep a few hours. Thier idea of leaving the house that early involved donuts! So we went to our favorite place Where we indulged on our favorite choice of donuts, sprinkles for the little kids and cream filled for Alex, I get the apple fritter, so I can tell myself that it has fruit so it is semi-healthy right? Of coarse they always toss on a few free-be glazed donuts and it is a shame to waste those, so we ate them as well!
The sun was out with a slight breeze, PERFECT weather for kite flying.

Will and Alex love to get the kite as far up as the string will allow, but Reagan, she like to keep it at eye level. She would get mad if I tried to let the string out any more then that! My kids are so fun to hang out with I loved just hanging out and playing around the park with them!
It was about time for lunch, and breakfast for Bob, so we headed home for some food. Bob wandered out of bed long enough for me to realize he needed more sleep. Just then we get a call from D, our favorite aunt! She was in town and wanted to play with the kids so we sent Dad back to bed and headed to Boise where we wandered through Morison Kundsdn nature walk, we saw a crane and the sturgeon decided to show itself!

After a fun afternoon with D, we had to head home to get ready for our BBQ with friends.
We drove out to Jump Creek Canyon, I had never been there and was a little annoyed at how far out it really was, until we got there! It was really fun, we had lots of food and the kids got to run all over the hills and get dirty. Eventually we decided to all take the hike into the canyon. It was a easy walk into the canyon to a beautiful waterfall! The kids,and dog all had fun playing in the water till exhaustion set in.

I gotta say it was the perfect day!

Mother's Day

2010-05-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful day! I got to sleep in till 9:00! That is a rare treat in this household, my kids are usally up around 6:30. I got to wake up to the smell of bacon frying, and me NOT cooking it! Bob served breakfast at the table full of roses and the kids all made me beautiful works of art! I spent a very relaxing morning lounging in the sun reading a book until it was time for church. There I was rewarded with a huge candy bar (nothing beter then a little chocalate splurge!) After church we had our good friends the Birch's come over and partake in some good ole BBQ! Bob went all out with steak Kabobs, burgers, dogs and lots of good stuff! Some fun games made it a wonderful fun day. Thank you to my wonderful husband for making me such a blessed Mom! I love you guys!

Pocatello Weekend

2010-05-05T15:55:00.000-07:00

I (again in less then a month) crammed my kids into the car, loaded with bags to spend several hours, that seem to drag forever as we travel to pocatello to visit my family. Our primary reason for the visit is so we could witness this little angel get a blessing from his daddy!

Then then we had a surprise baby shower for the proud mom. Lots of food and lots of family, it was a great day.
Reagan being a little monster during the shower....

We weren't quite done with the celebrating cause it was De;s birthday party too!

Yes it is quite typical to see Eric with 2 DPs in hand, and some of you thought I have an addiction!

After all the Parting, We had to have a little photo shoot of the handsome little man in his fancy tuxs!

Look at what he had to go threw! Poor little Teagan!

Grandpa got brownie points for taking the kids to the park! (bonus points for taking pictures! Way to go Gramps!)

I was looking through my pictures and found I am rarely in ANY pics, cause I am usally behind the camera, so I though I would get a few for posteria's sake...

It was a nice trip but I am laying it down right here, I will not drive that again till some of you guys come visit me!

Room Cleaning???

2010-04-19T20:26:00.000-07:00

Okay maybe I should explain the title to this post. Today I was attempting to instill some good habits into my boy. CLEAN YOUR ROOM, this should not be a hard concept for a 4 yr old to put toys into his massive toy box and throw dirty clothes all the way across the hall to the laundry right? Yeah right!!
Will was upstairs "cleaning" for almost an hour when I go to check, the room was not perfect, but there was some definate progress, the majority of the toys were off the floor and most of the clothes were picked up...Notice I did not say they were put away or cleaned up! Alex comes home from her friends house and asked if we had a party in the yard. What the??? So I go out and find this....

Yes William managed to throw all of this stuff out the window, and then pull the screen back into place so I wouldn't notice. Not sure if this is the work of a genius or somthing much more sinister??

What is in the water around here???

2010-04-15T17:59:00.001-07:00

NO THIS IS NOT AN ANOUNCEMENT! I am NOT pregnant! Just making an observation.

Okay what is the deal? The warm weather comes out and so do all the bellies??? Yeah we know what you guys were doing in those cold winter nights but now ya gotta show it off?? It is absolutly nuts how many people I know who are preggo! I went to a baby shower today and found out 3 more were "expecting" I'm gonna take out a loan to pay for all these baby gifts I'm gonna be buying! (At least its cheaper then what all you mommies will be spending ~TE HE HE)
Don't get me wrong here, I am so excited for all of you mommies-to-be. I want to wish Congratz to all! I cant wait to hold, cuddle, coo, smile, and then gladdly hand them back! I am so happy to know I am done. 3 is good enough for me! So does all these sweet little bundles of joy poping out all over the place have any effect on me?? Sure. I got a dog....

His name is Nali. (That is the name he came with, we didn't name him after our husky,Denali) I think he was kind of meant to be ours, not only cause the name works, but I didn't want a puppy. Nali is 4 yrs old. Bob wanted a trained animal. Nali is a K9 cop dog that is well trained (sorta). William needed a friend that can defend himself from stairs. Nali is almost 80 lbs. Alex just wanted a dog. Nali is a dog. Reagan needs someone to boss around. Nali doesn't mind getting bossed around as long as you throw the ball. He is great at fetch and doing his comands.

So our happy little family of 5 just went to 6 with out a 10mo waiting period filled with nausa, cramps, bloating, and hours of labor,followed by months of sleep deprivation, and poop...umm well at least I sleep at night! I simply made a phone call and picked him up! Perfect for us! Good luck to all the mommies out there.

Our Bubbler

2010-04-09T18:18:00.001-07:00

Check this out....

NO not the rippling bicepts! (although they aren't bad right?!) This is the start of another project.

Yes we finally have a bubbler! My hubs is such a great handyman!I love that he can do these projects and they turn out so good!

This has actually been bubbling since march, but I am just now getting it posted for all to see. I love it! It looks awesome in our front yard! The only down side to this beautiful addition is the kids think that it is there own personal water park/ drinking fountain! Can't wait for warmer weather and then we will hit the real water park but for now, I will enjoy the soothing sounds of water bubbling in the front!

Bucket Update....

2010-04-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows a Sousley man will know that once the project has started nothing else can happen until it is finished! Well one week ago Bob brought home the hot tub and I hoped I was getting this...

We got this...

And ended up with this...

I think he did an amazing job! Quite an upgrade from what we started with. The past week has been filled with many trips to the supply store, hours of woodworking, and I think Bob took a quick coarse in chemistry to make the chemicals all balance out. It was well worth it and looks great! I love having a handy man around!

Our new Easter Bucket...

2010-04-03T10:27:00.000-07:00

Growing up as a kid my parents had a hot tub. I have many fond memories of that tub. many starting in Highschool! (no details here cause my Mom does read my blog) Well the other day I mention to Bob how nice it would be to have a hot tub. He laughed and told me that was funny casue Mike, his brother just got one for a great deal, and he thinks we could afford one!!!Instantly my mind jumps to this...

Alas this is NOT the case, he did find a great deal on a "soft tub" also known now as the green bucket!

The kids LOVE it, and I will admit it does soothe the aches and pains, and I do enjoy sitting in warmth while out in the cold! Its just not what I had imagined. Bob has high hope of improvement,wanting to add a little deck surround and a granite table top for our drinks. So I will post pictures as they happen, so stay tuned for the upgrade of the bucket!

Early Easter...

2010-03-30T17:54:00.000-07:00

Know the great thing about being stuck in a car with your kids for 4 hours? Yeah, me neither. Nevertheless, that’s just what I found myself doing this past weekend.

With the car weighted down with snacks, DVD’s, video games, magazines, and 5,000 bags of luggage, we set off on the 250 mile trek. And sure enough, the “Are we there yet?” chants started in before we even made it out of downtown Boise. (Ok, so I’ll admit that I might have been a part of the chanting squad too, so don’t judge.) What did we do to pass all that time, you ask? Well, Alex was happy to play her Nintendo DS for literally 3 straight hours that day. I don’t know how on earth the kid didn’t develop a permanent crick in her neck from looking down for so long. Reagan and William watched movie after movie, while I plugged in the ipod and drowned out the movie after movie noise! We were all doing a happy dance when we finally arrived in great ol' poca-hell-hole! (Okay its not that bad really, I just like to say that!) To spend a few fun filled days of celebrating easter. ( Yes I relize Easter is THIS weekend but ya know, ya gotta make it work for the Grandmas.) I didnt expect to be driving into a freaking snow storm! Its SPRING-break not Christmas eve for crying out loud!!! This is what it looked like in my parents back yard Saturday morn.( Yes we are planning on hiding eggs out there!)

Lucky for us we live in Idaho and you can have a blizard in the morning and then a mild Summer afternoon in the same day! The snow melted off leaving us soggy, wet and slimmy easter eggs to find! Between all of the candy frenzied children all the eggs were found and consumed in about 3.5 minutes and then the sugar high kicked in!

Good Times!

The kids were left to there own sugar induced comas and the so-called adults busted out the Rock Band!

Even Grandma got her groove on!

I finally met the latest addition to the Willis Family... Teagan David Willis. He is the spittin' image of his daddy, only much cuter!

A few games of intense bartering and building in Catan, a game I haven't won in many moons! Added to the fun. I was kept up to insane hours of the night meeting Dexter. So that I was thouroughly sleep deprived for the fun fillled, rerun trip back to Boise. (see 1st paragragh for details.)

BAD WEEK!

2010-03-22T16:03:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I honestly think my life is an on-going audition for “Survivor”. And last week would have undoubtedly sealed the deal for me to be a shoe-in cast member on that show. It was as if someone was playing a cruel joke on me to see if I’d finally shatter into a billion tiny pieces. Did I break a mirror I don’t know about? Cause clearly, bad luck is totally trying to get the best of me. But, miracles DO happen, cause I’m still standing on two intact legs with two intact arms to hold my Advil and my Dr Pepper.

It started out with the terrible tragedy of William and the cat. I won't go into details of the incident because I will surly start to bawl, so lets just say Beast is in a much happier place! And I am forced to wonder for the rest of my life if my son will become a serial killer!
We continue on through the week and I am looking forward to a nice girls night out with my daughter, Well on the way out of the garage another unfortunate accident occurred. Bob decided to park in the middle of the drive and (Honestly I didn't look so I am not sure who to blame.) But there is now a very long scratch on his truck, a bit of paint missing on my car, a not so happy hubby, and a very annoyed mom cause it all happened in the presence of my ever questioning daughter who has to know the what where when and why of ever second so that she can repeat the incident for anyone and everyone.
The following day I think to make amends for my bad driving skills that I will have a clean house and a good dinner on the table. Silly me to think that these two could occur in the same day. The house is clean and ready and I start dinner. I leave the kitchen unattended to (heaven forbid) put makeup on and attempt to look nice. William (the spawn of mischief) has taken a cube of butter and drawn pictures all over the glass patio door, and then threw it outside for Reagan to play with.I think I will spend the rest of my sane life scrubbing greasy fingerprints off of everything! ( Now I no longer worry if he will become a serial killer because I am now worried I will become one first!)

Here are few other little "lucky" things to have happen...

** My car automatically finds the slowest person on the road to get behind.

** Girl Scout cookies are laced with crack or something highly addicting!

** My bras are highly entertaining to my 4 year old.

** There’s a conspiracy amongst the members of my household to act like bafoons when my husband goes out of town.

** Four o’clock a.m. is most certainly NOT my favorite hour of the day.

** Sid the Science Kid makes me grateful for earplugs.

** I could really use twelve sets of arms.

** The dishes in the sink DO NOT put themselves away overnight.

** I am forever losing in Catan

** Spaghetti does NOt make good shampoo for blonds!

** Nor is it good foot cream!

** Wii remotes can leave a mark!

** Blue mouthwash stains sugar bugs and carpet!

** The pee pee dance last exactly 3 seconds before mess.

** Despite what I may think, God does not give me more than I can handle

Scrap Weekend!

2010-03-17T18:48:00.001-07:00

This last weekend I got to go on my Scrapbook weekend! This is where I pack up all my pictures and takes tons of junk food and leave the house and all worries behind so that I can spend a few blissful days doing what I love! Scrapbooking! A few of my sister in laws and some good friends get together in a little cabin in Reardon Washington, where we stay up insanly late,scrap, watch a ton of chick flick movies,scrap, eat, scrap, laugh, scrap and scrap. I got all my pages caught up to 2010! All 59!! (63 if ya count the ones JJ did for me! THANK YOU!!)

On our last day we had a little photo shoot of us all! I think we all look glam, considering we all have had minimal sleep!

Happy St Paddy's Day!

2010-03-17T17:59:00.000-07:00

Alex wanted to try to catch a leprechaun last night so we mad a special trap and baited it with pretty pictures and a few gold coins and went to bed with hopes of catching the little guy!

We didn't catch him, but he was nice enough to mess up the house and leave gold coins, and candy all over the house.

He left breakfast out for us, Lucky Charms with GREEN milk!!
( I really wish he would leave the milk white, It is really hard to drink that stuff!!) The kids found more coins in their shoes while getting ready for school. William thought this was hilarious and couldn't stop laughing!

The day was soo beautiful I couldn't stay home so we dressed in green and went to the zoo, we packed a picnic and ate in the park while the kids played. We went to pick Alex up from school and still couldn't go home so we went to the park and played! It was so fun and wonderful to enjoy the sunshine! I am soo excited for summer!

For dinner I thought of cooking something Irish, but as the radio guy said today,"They drink so much they don't have to taste the cooking!" SO true! I couldn't find a recipe I even wanted to try, so I dug through my fridge and went with a Green theme. ( I did draw the line at fuzzy, no green and fuzzy for dinner!)

It turned out really good, and very healthy! BBQ chicken with apples, lay ed in a salad bed with green grapes and kiwi, a glass of green milk and some green jello WA la!

WT Night Out!

2010-03-12T05:52:00.000-08:00

There is a great Restaurant in town by the name Donnie Mac's Trailer Park Cuisine...This name inspired our evening out!
We had to dress up for our romantic evening out,so we hit the local thrift store! Doesn't Bob look hot in his BUD jacket!!! HA HA HA! Sara was going for the hottest pants, and Shawn looks fab in the leisure suit! I'm not too shabby in my "hooker boots" and always glam sporting the preggo belly!

We were lucky enough to get the first class seating!

After our fine dining experience, We had the entertainment for the evening at the local Bowling Ally! Check out this FORM....

Shawn won a very impressive game with his 4 strikes in a row! Too bad he couldn't con anyone to play for money ( not from lack of trying!)

It was a fun night, so glad we aren't too old to do stupid things, with good friends!I can't wait to see what we come up with next!

Spidey Party!

2010-03-07T08:45:00.000-08:00

We had a family party for William on his birthday, he got to have a Spiderman cake and open the gifts from us.

Then on Saturday he had a Spiderman Party with some friends over to celebrate turning 4 years old!

While we waited for everyone to show up, we made our own spiderwebs out of gitter glue

Then we had fun trying to put Spiderman in the Web

a couple of games of hook the bad guys,(ring toss) and then we did cake and presents!

The best part was having the kids run around the house finding all the bad guys hidden and slapping them with their sticky hands! This game was soo funny to watch, and the kids just loved it!

WE had a goody bag to give to the kids to take home, but Will and Levi decided to go through thiers together!

Happy Birthday William!

Happy Birthday William!

2010-02-23T05:48:00.000-08:00

I love my little boy! Except he isn't so little, and he takes offence when I say it.He is tuning 4 years old today! Everyday he shows me his new muscles and how much bigger they were from yesterday!
William is such a good boy, he love mischief which gets him into everything! But I have come to expect it, and my camera is never too far. ( my way of dealing with mischief!) He is a great brother, playing and teasing as any brother should! He brings so much to our family, Will is so fun, and he has the best expressions.
Right now he loves Disney Cars and SPIDERMAN! So we are going to have a Spidy Birthday party on Saturday for him with all his friends, but today is his family party! This morning he wants donuts for breakfast, and then he wants to go to the zoo, (he is my boy!) Will loves playing at the Mcdonald toys so I am sure that is where we will head for lunch! Tonight when Dad gets home we will open some presents and Have Cake and icecream.... Pictures to come!

HAPPPY BIRTHDAY WILLIAM !!

Decorating!

2010-02-16T15:33:00.003-08:00

I love my dinning area!I just got those cool metal sconces for the window and then the qoute above says " The fondest memories are made gathered around the table." !

Valentines Dinner

2010-02-16T15:30:00.000-08:00

I love good friends!
For Valentines day we had a dinner at home served to us by the kids!

The menu hand crafted by Alex! Told of the excellent food being served at "Cupid's Cafe"

To finish the fine dinning experience we had a chocolate fondue! Yumm!

2010-02-12T18:13:00.000-08:00

I skipped yesterday so I will post 2 today!

I LOVE Valentines from Gma!!
The kids were so excited to get mail today,each got a card and some money they can spend at the dollar store. Reagan was super excited she got a "book" and William wont let that money out of sight! Too Fun!
Thanx Mom and Dad!

I Love Not cooking!

2010-02-12T18:07:00.000-08:00

Alex got up and made breakfast this morning! She was so proud of herself that she actually used the oven all by herself! It was wonderful not to cook! However, I am not quite sure she got the recipe right, I wont complain, they were edible and I didn't do it! So it was all good!

I Love Projects!

2010-02-10T10:39:00.001-08:00

I love having a project to work on, even better when I finish a project! This turned out so good I thought I would share...

2010-02-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

I LOVE...

My kids!

They bring so much into my life, and I just couldn't imagine my life without them.

Alex is such a sweetheart! She is always trying to do the right thing, she love to help out with her brother and sister, and she always gives the best hugs!

William is a good kid. He has a great sense of humor and loves to make you laugh. He is a great brother, always watching out for Reagan and showing her how to do stuff(including trouble!)

Reagan is my baby, but don't let her hear ya say it! Really there is nothing Baby in her, she is one tuff kid. She loves to tell you she loves you, and it melts my heart everytime I hear it.

I know how lucky I am to have these amazing kids in my life. I am not sure what I did to deserve this privledge to raise them, but I am trying my best and everyday I see them, I want to try even harder.

In Honor of Valentines Day....

2010-02-08T16:06:00.001-08:00

My friend has a blog where she posted everyday about the things she loved. Check her out here. I think this is a great idea, but I know I am not THAT dedicated to posting, so I am just going for the month of Febuary (It helps that is it a short month, and I am starting late!)

I LOVE...
My family! All of them, in laws especially! (not many people can say that!)
HIS:

MINE:

I am truly blessed to have so many people I love, and I know they love me!

2010-01-30T12:53:00.001-08:00

The day started with a grumpy birthday girl. (We have had a really bad cold going around the house and Reagan caught it! So we tried to make her happy, and the best way I know how to do that with my kids is BRIBERY! So off to get donuts for breakfast!!! She loves going into the store and picking out which one to smear all over her face! Then we were planning a trip to the zoo (surprise!) but it was only about 31 degrees outside and I changed course to the closest McD's. On the way there Mama and Bepa called to sing "Happy Bithday" to her. That made her Smile! After Lunch, I still insisted on nap time so I could get some presents wrapped! I was just finishing up setting out all the presents on the Tinker table cover, when William came down and asked " Why I did this with out a helper?" (oops) so I let William and Reagan help with the cupcake decorating.... I am surprised there was enough frosting left for the cupcakes.(it was close!) Dad came home with Pizza (at Reagan's request) and the mail. Reagan was so excited there was mail for her! In it, was a card from Mema and Bepa, but she calls it her "Birthday Book" ! ( love the tongue!) After dinner, was Presents! She was so funny, every present she opened she had to get down from her chair and run around the other side of the table to show Daddy! This was her trying to get daddy to put her new dress on. TOO CUTE! She was so excited to get a new rocking chair and a new special Blanket from Gma Willis! It was the perfect set up to watch the new movie William had picked out for her. A New Baby doll, and a pretty new dress w/shoes, and a tinkerbell poster, she was spoiled rottten! (We even got Dad to watch the Barbie movie!)

(sorry don't know how to turn the video) ENJOY!

We love you Reagan, Happy Birthday!

Reagan will be 2...

2010-01-28T11:30:00.000-08:00

My baby girl! Well not so much a baby anymore... When did she get to be so big? Reagan keeps up with the other two, no problem! She can run just as fast, and talk just as much! She is already so, so smart it is scary! She is so sweet and fun. Reagan loves her baby dolls, Tinkerbell, and Daddy! She loves trips to the zoo, and riding her new pink trike. Everyday she has somthing new to say, she is so fun to have around I just love my babygirl! ( She will always be my baby!)

Date Night!

2010-01-18T17:16:00.000-08:00

We had such a great evening! Dinner at Texas Road house was great and then we ran to the movie and got there just in time to find NO seats available! This is the 3rd week Avater has been out so we didn't think it was going to be a sell out.
It Was.

So we sat and debated where and when to grab the next movie, the manager guy was getting tired of dealing with us, I think thats why he gave us an upgrade to the IMAX showing at 10:20. So now we had an hour to kill. Birch vs Sousley Bowling began! They Won. ( I want a rematch, Shawn only beat me by 2 pins!)

Well the line started getting long so we only got one game in. The movie was really good! The 3D was amazing and the story was great,

I recommend anyone to go see this, and I am not one to hype up on blue people! We got out of the movie about 1:00 am and hiked it back to the truck parked out in BFE and it was freezing! After picking up the kids it was after 2:00 am before I hit the pillows! It was well worth it! I so enjoy getting out and taking a little break away from kids!

Sunrise

2010-01-17T10:09:00.000-08:00

You are the window through which you must see the world - George Bernard Shaw

I had an amazing moment this morning with my little boy! After a very late night out William was still up bright and early. The sun was just coming up, he woke me to ask if I wanted to see the orange sky? He was so quiet and sweet about it, I got up so that I could pull open the shades. I am so glad. The sunrise this morning was very pretty but it was so much better cause I got to share a special, moment with William. I love that boy so much! I hate to see him grow up. I wish I could pause this point in my life for just a little while longer.

Saturday Jan 2, 2010

2010-01-03T18:35:00.001-08:00

Alexandra Sousley was baptised a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! She was baptisd and confirmed by her dad, Robert Sousley. We had a lot a family and friends come to show thier love and support for her.

Following the baptism we had a nice turkey dinner and enjoyed another evening with friends and family! I would like to thank everyone who came! It was a great day and we were so happy that we could share this special day!

This was such a funny moment with chef Gpa and Bob getting the turkey ready!

Happy 2010!

2010-01-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

We started this year off with a great party! I had a house full of family! A mixture of Willis' and Sousley's all came to celebrate a New Year, and a very special occasion, for Alex's Baptism! (Post to come)

We had lots of food, and tons of games to play. We had fun with the Sign Game, The Airplane/Elephant/Tiger-Pirate Game, the Wii, but the favorite was Settlers of Catan. We played this game for hours all weekend long! (We even made a run to the store So Mary and Leslie would have one to take home to Washington!) After games, we got the glasses of bubbly out and toasted to the New Year and then added some fireworks in with the snow!
(this was Apple cider, I don't support underage drinking!)

Christmas Train

2010-01-03T17:38:00.000-08:00

Dec 4, 2009 Thunderline Mountain Christmas Train Ride

A little late post I am sneaking in here.
We celebrated Bob's and my friend Sarah's Birthday this year on a Christmas train ride/dinner. We enjoyed a yummy dinner,

and Bob got a special birthday song on our way to see Santa and the Mrs.
A Cozy fire, and some cookies we snagged on our way back to the train and relized we had stolen them from another train coming after ours to see Santa! (oops! Hope that the confession will keep us on the good list..SORRY!)
Santa came on the train to give Bob some hassaling on what " A real beard should look like!"

On the way home we shared a little too much info with friends and had the best laughing fit all year! So fun we gotta do this again!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-28T11:53:00.000-08:00

First off, I gotta say I ALWAYS forget somthing every year! Usally it is only a little present here or, I admit, I even forgot the stockings one year (we ran to the dollar store for last min stockings). This year takes the prize for worst forgetfulness EVER! I forgot ALL the stocking stuffers for everyone! Now usally this wouldn't be too terrible except that Bob and I agreed, the cruise was our Christmas for each other and that we would only buy Stocking stuffers. Of course I don't relize my blunder until we have travelled the entire 250 mile trip to Pocatello, with the children's crying and whining "our we there yets?" It got so bad Bob finally stopped in Burly to buy a portable DVD player (Merry Christmas to the kids and I a little early! ) just so the kids would be good the rest of the way. It worked!
Well we tried to call some friends that were headed to Rigby to see if they would be able to bring the stocking stuffers when they came, unfortunatly our 11:00pm call found them stranded in Mountain Home with car problems! Bob decided to head back to Boise to help out our friends, and hey, while he was at it grab those darn stuffers! As he is driving away I relize he has EVERYTHING still in the car, socks, shoes, pillows, MY MAKEUP! I am not happy going to bed that night alone! About an hour later he comes back, Our friends had called on someone else to help them out and Bob decided he was too tired to drive all night. So in the morning we unload the truck and he drives to Boise and back, just for stuffers. What a great Dad! He really didn't want his kids to have to wait till we got home to rumage threw thier stockings.
After that things got much better! Bob got back to Pocatello at about 5:00 we all opened our Christmas PJ from Gma Willis and then set out the cookies for Santa.

The kids were ready for bed early cause they wanted Santa to come. I should clarify that, kids were ready for "bed" NOT SLEEP! They were laughing and giggling until almost midnight before things settled down enough for Santa to come. My kids were pretty good this year if you look at all those presents!

Christmas Morning came very early, about 6:00 am the kids were awake and pulling us out of bed!

The rest of the day was spent playing with new toys, playing my new game (Settlers of Catan) and visiting laughing and enjoying the spirit of Christmas! We drove home that night because Bob had to work the next morning, although it was a short visit, it was great!

Happy Birth'Week" Alex

2009-12-20T18:55:00.001-08:00

Tues we had a family party with Alex.

We started the day off with German pancakes at her request and then She spent the day at school where they sang to her lots and Announced her name over the intercom. After school, McD for a hot fudge Sunday! Dinner was Alex's favorite spaghetti and then instead of a cake she wanted scones! After dinner was present time!!! She already knew one of her presents cause she paid for half! A Wii!!!!
A few months ago I promised her if she paid for half I would come up with the rest. She has been working hard to earn money and saving it all. Finally meeting her goal she got a wii for her birthday! It has been lots of fun to have. The kids play great together. Alex is a pro on bowling, but Will has caught on quick and has won quite a few games! Even Reagan has boxed it out! Bob and I have stayed up late with bowling tournaments and a few Home Run games and I think it is hilarious that I am actually sore! I guess it does give ya a work out! (maybe I will get the wii fit...)

Just had to add this picture cause I think it is cute!

Saturday Alex had a Bowling Birthday Party! It was fun to have 7 of her friends piled into a room playing games and eating pizza
and then we BOWLED!!

Cruise Info

2009-12-18T12:56:00.000-08:00

The cruise pictures are posted Finally!!
I had to keep things in order so the post is below Alex's birthday.
Just scroll down!!

Happy Birthday Alex!!!

2009-12-15T11:04:00.000-08:00

Alex is turning into a wonderful young lady, despite our many flaws as parents.
Sure, she is defiant....but that makes her a strong person.
Yes, nothing is 'her fault'...but I want her to be confident, right!
Yes, she likes things done her own way, and that is fine...as long as her own way is similar to MY own way....
Alex really is a good kid and she is a very hard worker.
She amazes me sometimes, well, all the time actually.
I really appreciate her and all she does to help out.
She has a way of sensing when a little extra help is needed...
Cleaning up the kitchen, unloading the dishes, taking care of the babies...
But she also has a little pre-teen in her...so sometimes when she has that sense that we need help...sometimes she ignores it...
But usually not.
She worries about doing anything wrong
Alex loves to learn and she understands so much that I don't.
I love that...I hope she continues with that.
I am grateful to have Alex as my first born
I pray that we can help guide her in the right direction.
Alex is a strong kid.
I know she will do good and go far in life.
I love you Alex and I hope you have a Happy Birthday!!!!

Cruise 2009

2009-12-14T15:17:00.000-08:00

Mariner of the Seas

Mexican Riviera Dec 6-13 2009
Our itinerary was 1 day at sea, then stops at Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta, then two more sea days and back to LA.

The weather was a bit chilly to my standards. The first few days only hitting a high of 67 degrees in LA, that first day at sea was cool. We spent the day finding our way around this HUGE ship.
The Promenade....

3 stories high! In the evenings they had a very fun entertaining Parade

We enjoyed the evening with dinner and a welcome aboard show.

Dinner was a bit akward that first night. We had requested a small table and we ended up with a large Korean family of 10. (American Koreans, so Bob couldn't even practice his korean)We did change our table for the later seating and were sat with a nice couple to enjoy the rest of the week. Dinner in the dinning Room was the best food! We had excellent selections I tried a bunch of new dishes and loved them all! Bob's Favorite was the prime Rib and mine was definatly Lobster! Our Waiters, 2 fun and very entertaining, guys from India they sang for us two different nights even bringing a lighter to encourage our applause. Lobster Night we had reservations at the Italian restraunt on board and I was sad I would miss out on Lobster, but the head waiter saw my distress and promised to save me 2 lobster tails just for me. So after a wonderful meal at Portifino's we went to the dinning room and had lobster tails. I have NEVER been so full!

Cabo
we saw the beautiful Los Arcos rock.

The Sea lion colony

Then we took a snorkel trip,
the snorkeling was great!

We had a few WHALE sightings!! (sorry the pics aren't that great cause the boat was really rocking and I wanted to see the whles with my own eyes not through my camera so I was "point and shooting".) Just kidding, this is what I wish we saw.

Instead we saw a bit of mist and a little lump in the water, but hey,
I SAW A WHALE!

Mazatlan
We walked the beach in the morning and enjoyed the wonderful views of the ocean and watched the parasailer, I tried to talk Bob into doing it but he wasn't thrilled at the idea so we just enjoyed the beach.

We caught a golf cart like thing to take us into the flea market and bought some souvenirs, but we kept getting lost in the maze of shops. The food market was really gross, the smell of raw meat, produce, and alot of unwashed bodies was not pleseant!
So after we shopped for awhile we headed back to the ship. Stopping at an internet cafe to check on the kids back home with my bro and his wife. Then the rest of the day was at the pool with a coke and sunny skies, it was soo nice to just relax!

Puerto Vallarta
We caught a bus with a few others from the ship and headed to the beach. We strolled the boardwalk and goofed around on the funny "art".

Then made our way back, stopping along the way to shop a little.I really wanted this hat, but not sure how to get it home I settled for a silly picture! Back on the ship we enjoyed the evening with excellent food and a show.

The 2 days at sea, back to La, we enjoyed the Rock wall. Bob and I were both super proud of ourselves for making it up to level 2 to ring the bell!
Especially after watching a couple of other guys after me who couldn't get it! Wow, were my arms sore for a few days after it!

The casino is always fun.This floor was so crazy to walk on, covered with shiny coins and lots of light it was just too cool!
The quarter machine was Bob's obsession this time not mine! He almost got that $50 bill!

Instead he tried his luck on the Roulett table and hit his red 3 and made $50. $5 bucks in a slot machine turned into $182!!! I think I will take this guy to Vagas!

There were so many amazing shows, and I can't remember what night we did what but between the "Ice Under the Big Top" Being amazing!!

The "Quest Game Show" being a total riot..... I had to go do the worm on stage! This guy had to wear my necklace, along with many other items from the crowd!!

We were well entertained each and every night! We were even awarded with new Towel creatures every night, when we finally made it back to our room!

Now it is back to cold, frigid Idaho. Cooking, cleaning and making my own bed!! I will miss the Mariner of the Seas!

11 Years!

2009-12-02T20:33:00.001-08:00

November 27th. We have been married 11 years! Its gone by sooo fast and I can't believe how amazing my life has become since meeting Bob. I am not good at the sappy emotional stuff and I don't know exactly how to type this out, so I searched the net for some quotes to help me out, these are the ones I want to share...

We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love. ~Author Unknown

It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. ~Rita Rudner

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. ~Mignon McLaughlin

A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership, tolerance and tenacity. The order varies for any given year. ~Paul Sweeney

I love you Bob! Still trying to figure out how I managed to snag such a great man!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-02T19:58:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving at Leslie's .

We had such a great dinner! The turkey was excellent, I LOVE a deep fried turkey! YUM! and the Orange rolls were delish! 1st year Leslie had to make them and they were perfect! Just look at Reagan enjoying that roll!

We always have so much fun there! William had a little too much fun...

He fell asleep while playing with his cousins!

I enjoy the time there usally scrapbooking, a game a cards, or visiting. Bob usally gets away with his brothers to shoot, this year they went duck hunting. (Sorry no pics I was asleep warm in my bed when these crazy heads were up at dawn hunting birds!) But then MY crazy time came the day after Thanksgiving! BLACK FRIDAY! A crazy day of sales, shopping, and lines!
With Leslie standing in line and JJ and I shopping fast, Walmart was a breeze! In and out in under 30 min! Target was a bit crazy with the line wrapping the store and up, down, and around EVERY isle, we were there for about an hour. We got everything we had on our lists and filled the van full! Then we went out for breakfast! Great times!

November 20th

2009-12-02T19:35:00.001-08:00

Tiffany,Sara, Me and Kristen all went to the Midnight showing, well actually 12:30 showing of New Moon. We started the night off early and went to Carino's for dinner -to go- so that we would have time to watch Twilight and then we rushed to the midnight showing, we had bought our tickets for the 12:11 show a month early cause they were selling out! It was crazy with ALL the shows sold out, our theater was too crowded to get seats with us all together, so we snuck into a different theater that didn't start till later but OH WELL it was fun to people watch all the crazy people (me being one of them)! The movie was Great, it lived up to the all the hype and it was a fun girls night out! Can't wait for Eclipse to come out this summer!!!

Visit to Pocatello...

2009-11-08T17:48:00.000-08:00

This has been a very busy week. I drove to Idaho Falls on Tuesday afternoon to celebrate my Dad's 60th birthday. I got there a little early so I could get the balloons for the party. After cramming a million balloons into the backseat with my 3kids punching them into the back of my head, I find my battery DEAD! So here I sit in the strip mall in Idaho Falls have no idea what I should do cause Bob is 300 miles back home! I called my Brother-in Law to the rescue, he got it fixed and to the Birthday party on time! THANK YOU KELLY!
The Birthday party was fun. We all met at Garcia's.
After a wonderful dinner where the waiters came and sang and embarrassed him with song and dance and a really cool hat...

Then we dumped 60 presents on him to open. It was taking forever so Grandpa let the grand kids help him out.

Happy Birthday Dad! I Love you!

That night I stayed with my sister in Rigby. I finally got to meet the latest addition to the family! Treven Alexander Walker ( I hope I spelled that right!) What a sweetie!

This picture is when he was first born, 3 weeks ago! I was too busy taking pictures of Reagan with "Holy Cow" the big fish. That I didn't get any recent shots. ( I know I am a terrible aunt, I feel terrible!)

We took the kids to play at Blast Off, a huge toy land where the kids played hard for at least 2 hours!There was so much to do, the ball pit was William's Favorite, Reagan liked climbing all the toys, and Alex had fun with the dress up clothes.

Wednesday we had some bad news. My grandma passed away. So the next few days were spent putting a funeral together. Saturday we had a very nice memorial service for her and I am glad that I was there to attend. My grandma was a wonderful lady, I enjoyed sharing my memories of her with my family. She will be missed.

Murder and Mystery!

2009-11-01T15:23:00.000-08:00

I hosted a Wedding/Murder Mystery Dinner Friday night. It was SO fun! We had good food and everyone came in amazing costumes!

Dave and Chris played the Snobby Shrink (the bride's older brother)I still can't get over the hair and stash! and the haggety mother-in-law what "special" costumes! Thanxs for coming guys! You were awesome!

Sean and Lacy played the judge and the infamouse Soya! You guys made it so fun!

Aaron and Julie played Mr Fife the butler and Lita the maid! Julie won the best actress award! Congratz! and Aaron thnk you for braving my kitchen floor and being murdered! You guys are great!

Shawn and Sara played the Hill billy cop, Ned Baxter, and the Ex-fiance,Beatrice! Shawn willl go down in history for the most dramatic confession ever! I hope he was happy with the best actor award!

Bob won Best costume! He played the part of a GAY agent of the actress Soya! I played the ditzy, money chasing, bride! I think I should have won Best costume, cause I could still fit in MY wedding dress!!

I had such a good time this will definitely become a tradition!

Too Cute to Spook!!

2009-10-24T21:14:00.000-07:00

We had "Trunk or Treat" night! They are just too cute this year!

Nurse Alex, she is sooo pretty! she couldn't wait to wear all that makeup.

William, My little mountain man! Not scared of anything but the makeup!

And Ladybug Reagan, so cute! She was scared of everyone all dressed up so she helped daddy hand cany out.

Bob's Shiny new toy...

2009-10-18T18:42:00.000-07:00

It is a 2006 Chevy Crewcab Z71. (I think I got that right? ) Bob found a super deal he couldn't pass up, and he has been missing "not having a truck" so Yes he is spoiled rotten, but Hey I think as much as the man works he deserves it! Plus it is a big step up from the last truck he bought...

Look what I did....

2009-10-16T13:08:00.000-07:00

Being home with yucky weather and sick kids I decided to get a little creative. I think my little pumpkin turned out pretty good!

And it looks so good on my front porch with my little scarcrow !

Lost in a Corn Maze

2009-10-14T11:51:00.000-07:00

Despite my oversion to cold weather, we had a great time with the Birch Fam. We started off with some Hot chocolate,mmmmm, very good to have on a frigid night in the maze! Then we were off... The kids led the way until we were lost beyond reason. This is when the guys took over the map and said we should go this way... Too funny!
Sara and I were left to heard the scraglers...
After we found our way out of the maze we spent some time visiting the petting zoo

Check out the baby camel! He was really cute, and not an animial I thought to find on a farm.
Alex and Cade played on the giant slide while Will rode the train and Reagan got to swing
Poor Reagan didn't like the swing too much, it was going pretty fast so I bet she was a bit dizzy!