Nap Time (Not!)

Today, Bekah really did take a nap and these pictures of her are just after she woke up. However, this is typical behavior of her when she is refusing a nap. Thus, this post is titled "Nap Time (Not!)" and not "Just Waking Up."


Ha, ha. I see you.

I love my bed, but can't I get up now?

Please! Help me get out!

I'm smiling cute and reaching . . . .

Oh wait. What was that?

Working with Dad

I have posted pictures of Bekah working with Dad, now I have pictures of Benjamin working with Dad. Benjamin has been very helpful to Dad on taking pictures for the game he is currently working on. He even helps Dad by testing the game to make sure it is working correctly. :)


Concentrating on a test operation.

Adjusting the headphones so they fit just right.

How do I look? By the way, Benjamin is wearing his favorite shirt. When he is asked to pick out his clothes he often picks this one, and he loves to couple it with his camouflage pants. The fashion sense of a three year old!

This is so much fun!

Using a Spoon

Bekah has recently decided that she wants to eat with utensils. One day, I gave her a fork and she proceeded to pick up her food, put it on the fork prongs, and then put it in her mouth. Here are the results of letting her eat yogurt with a spoon.

New Roof

Apparently the landlords decided we needed a new roof before we moved out. The other afternoon a group of constructions workers showed up and started banging on our roof (presumably, tearing off the old shingles) and we drew the conclusion that we were getting a new roof. Our sweet landlady called in the middle of the thunder to tell me that we would be getting a new roof over the next couple of days and to expect a lot of noise. I politely thanked her and silently rolled my eyes. The noise overhead had been a big clue. Thankfully, 3 days later the thunder and crashing our over. My kids can go back to normal naps and bedtimes and the vibrating in my head will hopefully stop soon. And, Michael can return to working at home instead of the library now that our internet satellite has been reinstalled on the roof.

I found this picture online and thought it was a great example of why we had three days of noises and people on our roof. This shows the three layers that our put on when replacing the roof, though it doesn't show the processing of tearing off the old roof.

Talking on the Phone

Our children do not know what a "land line" is. We have only had our cell phones for the majority of their lives and they are getting very proficient at using them. In fact, the children love to talk to people on the phone and try to call someone at least once a day. This has been a great way for them to keep in contact with their grandparents that live so far away. Both sets of grandparents love hearing Benjamin and Bekah's sweet voices talking to them. We turn the phone a speaker phone so that Mom and Dad can help facilitate the conversation, and call Grandma and Grandpa back when the children hang up on them (we have phones the flip open). Our cell phones have been a great blessing in our lives.

I'm Addicted

I really enjoyed Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series, but I enjoyed this one more. I could not put it down! I was totally enthralled. I loved the descriptive detail and the way it was written in first person made the story come alive to me. I also enjoyed that this character was confident, giving, and able to make a decision. My favorite part was that the host (Melanie) and the alien (Wanda) were both able to get "the guy" in the end instead of having to choose between the two. This is a definite must read. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Mini Family Reunion

We had a mini family reunion at our house for the 4th of July. My parents and sisters came (Mary brought her boyfriend, Gary) and my brother was just over the hill where he is serving his mission.

• Wednesday my parents and Kristina arrived and we spent the evening jumping on the tramp and visiting.


• Thursday Joy and Kristina went to Seven Peaks, the kids and I took everyone to Cabela's, Mom and I went to the temple, and Dad helped us pick up some furniture in the evening.


• Friday we went to Farm Country, Mary and Gary arrived, did fireworks in the front yard, played in our little swimming pool, and we went to watch fireworks.


• Saturday Mom, Dad, and Kristina went to help Joy move out of her apartment, Michael and the kids took Mary and Gary to Cabela's, we took everyone to see our new house, and the girls took Kristina shopping.

We had a lot of fun and we were glad that everyone could come. (David was with us in spirit. We thought about going to kidnap him and his mission companion for the day, but decided that it wasn't a good idea to take him outside of his mission even though we are only 20 minutes or less away.)

We crammed everyone into the back of our Durango so we took only one vehicle to the fireworks. It was just the ten of us.

Back row (in Durango): Grandma (Robynn), Gary, Kristina. Sitting in chairs: Grandpa (Tim) and Mary. On Blanket: Michael (Dad), Charlynn (Mom), Bekah, Benjamin, and Joy.

Watching Grandpa and Gary make noise with fireworks.

Oh no! He's taking my picture!

Benjamin was wowed by the Sparklers! Kristina did sparklers with Bekah so that she could watch but not have to be too close.

Meet the Neighbors

A few weeks ago I talked about how Bekah loves the sheep across the sheep from us. Here are some pictures of the children feeding the sheep. I said meet the neighbors because we are surrounded on three sides by land with our landlords on the fourth side.

The sheep eating dinner.

Feeding the sheep together.

Here, have some more!

I think I can, I think I can.

Visitors

Grandma, Grandpa, & Kristina came to visit for a few days and the 4th of July. We enjoyed their company.

Enjoying the cool evening.

Smiling for the camera.

Bekah and Grandpa

Kisses for Grandma

I gotcha, Grandpa!

Farm Country

We finally remembered the camera when we went to Farm Country. The children love the animals, pony rides, and wagon rides.



The beautiful horses that pull the wagon ride.

Bekah insisted on sitting on the bench when we rode in the wagon.

Benjamin is in jail! He loves the minature houses.

Dancin' in the dance hall.

Feeding corn to the VERY friendly goats.

Aren't these baby goats darling?

First, he feeds the cow . . . .

. . . . then the cow nibbles on him.

We thought we had her trapped . . . .

. . . . but she escaped!

Fireworks

The firework show is my favorite part of the 4th of July. I enjoy the bright lights and the loud booms in the dark sky. The other night while we were watching the fireworks it hit me that the fireworks were symbolic of the battles that have been fought for us to maintain our freedoms in the United States of America. As I was having this thought, the words from The Star Spangled Banner came to mind "...and the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air..." That is what the fireworks symbolize. I am grateful for this country and all those who have made the sacrifice to make our freedom possible.

Watch your own firework show:

http://www.westfargopolice.com/fun/lady_liberty/liberty_dl.htm

We Closed on our House!

After 1 trip to the title company, 2 loan applications, 3 walk throughs, 4 weeks of waiting, and 50 phone calls we finally closed on our house yesterday. It is officially ours, as is the loan that goes with it. Now we are down to packing, cleaning, and moving. Here are some more pictures with the current tenants's stuff.

House Front

Sitting Room

Family Room

Full Bathroom

Green Room

White Room

Master Bath

Dining Room

Kitchen