Is it TRUE!??

YES!! It is true! I AM blogging about an event THE DAY AFTER it happened!! Wow, go me! lol- I am actually motivated to blog about it so quickly because I want everyone to have the chance to go see this amazing sight before it closes!!!

Last night Scott and I took the kids on a road trip up to Midway UT. We went to the Zermatt Resort! Ok.. ok... more so we went to the Zermatt Resort parking lot! Why?? To see THIS!


Scott had been up to Park City a few weeks ago for bussines and had seen this great collection of 'ice sculptures' (though I am not really sure what you would call them... not so much sculptures... maybe frozen fountains?). Anywho.... Scott has always thought these were cool so to see a whole bunch of huge ones in one spot was really cool! It is like and Icy wonderland!! The cost is only 2$ per person over 3yrs. Can you believe that!?? TWO BUCKS!!?? Yep... just 2$ per person. You get to spend as long as you like wandering around the beautiful ice formations, touching them (carefully of course), sitting on ice benches, and walking through a giant ice tunnel! SO SO SO COOL!!! (in more ways than one... dress warm! lol)

After we spent some time wandering this frozen art museum we went into the little warming hut where you pay. It doesn't exactly seem like you can go in, but the nice man told us we could bring the kids in to warm them up whenever we liked since they were freezing before we even got started. Once in the cozy warm shack we were able to talk to the creator himself (he happened to be the nice gentleman who invited us in) It was fascinating to talk to him about the experience of creating something so amazing. You could see how excited he was to share his vision come to life. This was the first year he was able to to do it, but if Zermatt is smart they will invite him back for years to come!! I hope so because he was saying how much he learned this year and that he wants to make it even bigger and better next year... maybe even put a skating rink in the middle.... HOW COOL WOULD THAT BE!???

The 'exhibit' is open for only one more week!!! Less than that even, I think Sunday the 28th is the last day. It is open daily from 3-9 pm. It is gorgeous in the sun and in the dark. If you have ANY spare time this week you should SO GO SEE THIS!!!! It truly is breathtaking. Here are some more pictures I took while up there last night. (and yes TSstudio is me... I label all my good shots. lol)

Amalyssa was our photographer.... at lest she did get our heads in right!? lol

This truly is a must see if you can squeeze it into your schedule at all this week!!!! I would love for this gentleman to have the opportunity to do this again next year and I am sure he will if they can get a great reputation going.

As for the trip home that was a bit interesting. Here is a brief run down.
-Kids were noisy and squeally the ENTIRE way home.
-Braden frantically announces his need to go 'poopy' when we are halfway through the canyon and at least 20 min from any restroom.
-He is amazing and holds it until we get back to civilization where we stop an Arbys for him to go.
-p.s. this is the third time I have been to THIS Arbys since 5:00. (once to call Scott and find out he was stuck in traffic, then to actually order some food for the drive, and lastly to use the restroom.)
-We drive over to the Sugar house park where we had met and left Scott's car. We found his car with the lights on. Ummm.... it is NOT suppose to be able to DO that!?? It has an automatic light shutoff.
-We check the car to make sure there is nobody in side hot wiring it, then test the battery... which is of course dead.
-We drive to the nearest Auto Zone to buy a new battery (since he knew he needed one anyway) and jumper cables
-we drive back to his car only to find that this time it starts up just fine *sigh*
-At this point my gas light comes on
-We drive to the nearest gas station and put a few bucks in
-FINALY we are back up on the interstate and headed for home when Amalyssa says "I need to go to the bathroom!!"
-My response..... "HOLD IT!"

Sigh.... It was an adventure to say the least. But it was TOTALLY WORTH every second of frustration getting home to have seen such a beautiful sight!!

A scattering of stories

It has been a while since I last posted. I guess I just haven't been in the mood to type lately. Today I needed to share a few things though.

I just wanted to post a couple things from my day that I found both insightful and humorous.

First- My Braden.

This kid cracks me up. I really wanted a girl.... I am SO GLAD that Heavenly Father sent me Braden. Most days he is the sweetness that keeps me going. Today for example. I have had a depressed week. Not sure why... just feeling down in the dumps. Today was especially bad. I was on the verge of tears most of the day. No real reason other than I hated myself and was mad at me for being a lazy depressed fats-o and not doing what I knew needed to be done. Depression really is a self defeating disease. Today I was caught in the downward spiral of it. Anyway- I was helping Braden get dressed at about 3:00..... yes, 3:00 in the afternoon... I already told you I was having a bad day alright. lol. So I was having my own little pitty party and I looked at Braden and I asked "Why is mommy having such a tough day today?" (more talking out loud to myself than expecting an answer.) He promptly looked at me and struck his BEST strongman pose and with grunting effort under the weight of his manly biceps he said "Me having a TOUGH day too!"

Immediately I had to giggle and smile. This little son of God had just given me the answer and lift that I had needed. I suddenly realized that life is all about our attitude toward it. Braden simply changed my word tough - meaning life is hard and sucks, for his word tough - meaning fight back and be strong! So I decided to take his attitude and have a TOUGH day instead of a tough day. It was still a hard afternoon... but it got better. I fought back and didn't let the depression have me... I was TOUGH. When I felt weak I flexed my muscles and thought I AM TOUGH! Thanks to my 3 year old son I had a better day... he helped me remember what a BIG thing a little attitude change can be.

Second - Amalyssa
This evening I was browsing the news when I saw this head line "Frisbee inventor dies in Sevier County." It caught my attention for two reasons.
First -Frisbee is a new family favorite for us. I never really thought much of Frisbee until Amalyssa came home with one from a party a few summers back. Now we LOVE to go toss the Frisbee around in the yard and it is a MUST HAVE if we go to the park. The simple Frisbee disk now holds fond family memories for me.
Second - because I was sure the guy was dead a long time ago! I mean... Frisbee's have been around since the beginning of time haven't they!?
So when I saw this headline I said out loud in shock "Oh my... the inventor of the Frisbee died." The whole family was in the room and came sauntering over to the computer to check out what had mom so shocked. Amalyssa asked what I was talking about so I explained that the man who had made the first Frisbee had died at 90 years old, so now he was back with Heavenly Father. Amalyssa cocked her head and said "Oh... that is excitingly sad." What a great statement on death. It is sad for those of us left behind, but such an exciting and wonderful thing for those who are allowed back into the arms of our Heavenly Father.

I love how simple children see the world and how much wisdom their innocence can lend to us 'wise adults'. I am very grateful for all my many blessings. I truly have such petty complaints that I am ashamed of myself whenever things are put into focus for me. I am blessed beyond measure.

Now I am going to get some sleep so that I can have a better day tomorrow... I don't want to have to be 'TOUGH' again. :)

Time for something new.

So the project 365 got a bit derailed. I am not sure where to go with it. I loved taking pictures each day, I loved having a daily record of my thoughts and activities, I loved the whole idea. What I didn't love was a really LONG AND BORING blog post each week!!! So I have to re-think just a bit. I will come up with something... just not sure what. Anyway I got a bit discouraged and didn't take pictures much the last week or so. Maybe I will start again today... who knows.

Anyway I just wanted to pop in with an -update on the project and a funny story.

Yesterday Amalyssa and I were putting away the princess sleeping bag that Santa gave her for Christmas. She got a puzzled/awed look and asked me how Santa knew she liked princesses. I told her 'Santa is magic! He knows EVERYTHING!' She thought a moment and then replied with 'Does he even know the Ten Commandments!?'

It made me laugh :) - and BTW we decided that Santa does know the Ten Commandments.

Snow much fun!

I really shouldn't be sitting here blogging. But it sounds like so much more fun than all the other stuff I should be doing. Who really wants to take two kids shopping anyway!? This was a fun but crazy week. I will try and keep the words brief and let the pictures do the talking.


Monday I was running like crazy trying to get things in order for vacation. I really think the word 'Vacation' translates into 'More Work!' Ah well... so long as it is fun right? I didn't take any pictures, but I did give myself a computer break and decided to play in photoshop a bit. I think I have decided against this hair cut. I really don't think it would look anything like this picture. I am just to scared to do it. Ah well... maybe another year.


Tuesday was just as crazy as Monday. Braden got himself dressed and chose this lovely sweater/shorts combination. The best part was that they were both on backwards! I didn't even have time to care. We went to speech class this way. At the end of the long day Scott came home and we packed up the car. We headed to Pocatello and spent the night at Scott's parents house. I was so glad to finally be on the trip.


Wednesday we got up and drove to Island Park. Grandpa Dwayne had gotten us a week stay at a friends cabin. We unloaded our stuff and then jumped onto the snow machines!! The kids were both really excited and LOVED riding the machines. I was worried Amalyssa would be afraid, but she had a blast.... so long as she was riding with Grandma Becky that is. When it started to get dark most of the group headed back to the cabin. Dwayne, myself, and my BIL Kevin stayed out for a night ride. On the way back as dark was really setting in I noticed that Kevin was no longer behind me. We stopped and waited for him to catch up.... after a few minutes we knew something was wrong. It was a hard spot to turn around so Dwayne said he would go back and find him while I waited there. After he took off, I realized that I was sitting in the dark in the middle of the woods at night by myself with no real idea how to get 'home'. YIKES! I must say that I didn't panick nearly as much as I would have expected myself too. I stayed calm (while watching the rocks and trees like a hawk for any sign of movement) After about a half hour (ok it was probably more like 5 minutes) I said a prayer that I would be safe and calm and not left alone long. Not to much after that Kevin came buzzing around the corner. His machine had broken down and Dwayne was fixing it up and would join us in a few minutes. Having Kevin there was a big relief... especially knowing that he was just as scared being alone as I had been!


As for the caption on this one.... I am not sure... it was late.... We spent the day relaxing in the hot tub, playing the Wii at the cabin, and of course SNOW MACHINING!!! I really like snow machines! Of course I am with Amalyssa in that I don't like the 'boring part' as she would always put it. She hated the 20 minutes of getting warm layers on to the point that you were sweaty and hardly able to move. She kept asking why we have to do this boring stuff. I don't like that part either.... maybe that is why I like jet skiing so much better! We took the machines out to a bridge and saw some ducks and MUSK RATS swimming in the river! The muskrats were so cute in the water... though out of the water I would be screaming bloody murder.



Friday just about killed me. It was such a fun day... but I seriously did WAY TO MUCH. My body had a total shut down and I was bawling on the bed because I couldn't even control my emotions at that point. Was is worth it? OH YEAH BABY! First a few of us took a LONG trip out to Mesa falls. IT WAS STUNNING! I took about a million pictures... but I wasn't really happy with any of them. There is just something about majestic waterfalls that I never have been able to shove into a picture. The whole trip was stunning and a great deal of fun. I got a little crazy and left the trail a few times to play in the powder... I only got stuck 3 times before I decided to keep to the trail. It was about a 5 hour round trip. We got back to the cabin and I was just about dead tired. Scott says "will you go out with me and the kids... you are the one who knows the way to the field" OIY.... ok. So I get my soreness off the bed and put all the snow stuff back on and head out the door. The field was fun... but also had some deep powder. Another two times stuck and a good crash into a snow mound later I was done.... completely done.... MORE than done. It was a fun day though, and after a bath and some rest I was feeling better (though not ready to jump on a machine again!)



Saturday we headed out. Everyone was to tired to ride the machines so we loaded them up and spent the day relaxing in the cabin. We did the wash, packed things up, and played. We took a quick trip out to West Yellowstone for some window shopping. After a leftovers dinner we loaded the cars and headed back to Pocatello.



Sunday morning we got up at 7am and packed our tired bodies back in the car for the last leg of the trip. Three hours to home seemed SO LONG! The drive was pretty with frost all around us. It was one of those times I hate being a photographer though. You really aren't suppost to stop on the side of the free way just to take a picture.... and I wanted to stop... LOTS. I settled with this snap shot off the side of an off ramp while we switched drivers. There are so many pretty shots in my head though that we just had to drive on past. *Sigh* We got home in time for church (even though I think I slept through most of it) And then relaxed the rest of the night.


So that was the week of fun we had. This week has been a battle trying to keep motivated and get the house back in order... but I am trying. I am still enjoying taking a picture every day. I know it makes for a long post though. I may try and get them up more than just once a week. we will see.

New year and a new start!

Deep breath.... ready? BEGIN!

So I have been trying something new this year. Not sure I will stick with it... not sure I want the 'responsibility' that comes with making it an official goal or new years resolution. I have however enjoyed it so far... so maybe it will stick... who knows! Probably will change a bit... take on a few different looks... maybe a different approach.... and maybe I will just stop doing it. Only time will tell!!!

SO WHAT IS IT!???
Project 365!!

Never heard of it you say? Well it can be a lot of different things, but the basic idea is to take a picture every day. Some people give themselves 'assignments' of something to photograph each day, sometimes is is more of a journal of your daily life... sometimes a mix of both. What is mine likely to be?? Probably a mix of both.

I will have to ask for your patience over the next few weeks as I experiment with how I want to work this. Post a pict each day.... do a week post on a set day... do a scrap page or individual pictures... So many choices... and so little organization in my life!!!! (Did you know that is one of my goals for this year... to get organized.... Yep.... and also to stop using these little dot things so much in my blog post.... But they are so fun!!!)

So- without further adoo.... adie.... adiu..... adue..... time wasting (or dots....)

We just hung out and relaxed to kick of our year. It was lovely!

Took down the Christmas tree. I loved my tree this year. It was all new. New tree, new decorations, new ribbon.... and I didn't ever take a picture of it... didn't realize that until I had the decorations all off of course!

First day of 1:00 church. I know everybody hates 1:00 church... I actually have quite enjoyed it! Sure the day is short once church is over... but I don't have panic attacks trying to get my family ready on time! (of course I do nap through sunday school... oh wait.. I did that before too!)
Dad asked for special 'girl hair' on Amalyssa since we had extra time this morning. She was gracious and let me do it. I asked what she wanted. Braids and a bun and curls.... uh... ok. We took several pretty pictures of her but this was my favorite. It reminds me of how she REALLY FEELS about getting her hair done pretty.

Scott had another bussiness trip this week. He is gone a lot lately. I get asked if I mind. Yes and No. Yes I miss him and HATE playing the single mom scene, but on the other hand the kids and I are getting use to it. We go into 'dad's gone' mode. It is a mac and cheese, mess up the house, stay in your pajamas, and try and keep the peace free for all!! Scott's company really treats him great. They make it well worth his time to travel and give him several compensation days to spend with his family. I think it makes the kids and I more grateful to have him around when he is home and makes him more grateful to have a family to come home to. Just after he left today the kids wanted to ride bikes... in the bitter cold... it lasted about 5 minutes. Then we came in side and lit a fire, that set off the smoke alarm, even though it was in the fireplace, and the kids spilled hot chocolate on my off white couch. Yeah.... we love it when dad is gone.

Tuesday we bummed around in our jammies and hung out most of the day. Then I was a mean slave driver and made the kids try on every single thing they owned. We dumped anything that was stained or worn out or too small into the laundry basket for mom to sort into toss and DI piles (it is still sitting in my room btw) None of us really enjoyed the try-on-athon, but it needed to be done. -Yes mom... that is the outfit you bought Amalyssa from Hawaii. she has finally grown out of it... though I am having a hard time letting it go!



Ah yes.... Wednesday. Now this was a day from ****. Actually the kids were really great troopers. We went to the store... ok more like 6-8 stores, and tried on EVERY THING THEY HAD. I swiped the magic card several times and came home with HALF of a new wardrobe. Yep... still have to do more! Braden is mostly set.. just have to get him socks... but Amalyssa still needs a few more things. After 5 hours of shopping I came home and died on the couch. I woke up just in time to remember I had YW's to go to. So I packed up the kids and we went to the church. I didn't feed them dinner, didn't bring snacks, and didn't bring entertainment. They were HUNGRY AND BORED! Gratefully the YW pres had a bucket of candy for the girls to pig out on so my kids were right there with them. I gave Amalyssa my camera and told her to take pictures to keep her entertained. This was by far my favorite one. A single Hershey's Kiss on the floor.



My wonderful friend invited me over for a scrap day on Thursday. This is what I was able to finish! A project I started MONTHS AGO! Mostly I spent 3 hours organizing my paper scraps. Cute story- we were on our way to Victoria's (my friend) and I told the kids "I have to make one quick stop at Michael's to get a paper organizer and then we will be on our way." Amalyssa says (in complete seriousness "Mom... we have to be happy with what we have... REMEMBER!?? You don't need it... you have enough stuff... be happy with what you have." Me - "You are right... BUT...... ok.... fine.. I won't get it.." After about 30 seconds of sulking I said "But I really do need it. It is to help me ORGANIZE the stuff I already HAVE... and it is on sale... I will just get the ONE ORGANIZER and then we will leave" Amalyssa - "Ok... but you have to go right in and get the organizer and then leave, don't look at ANYTHING ELSE!" Me "will you help me do that?" Amalyssa "yes" The whole time in the store she was reminding me what our mission was. There was A LOT of after Christmas clearance stuff... she kept me on track though. We got the organizer and were waiting in line to check out when Amalyssa said "Hey mom... look at this cool beading kit for kids... can I have it!????" And I wonder where she gets her bad habits.




Friday Amalyssa and I got haircuts. I hate my hair. I am sick of my hair. I want to trade someone hair for a while! Amanda ALMOST talked me into this hair cut. I think it is ADORABLE!!! However, I don't think it is me.... but I don't want to be me, I am tired of being me! But Scott really, Really, REALLY HATES short hair on girls. So I chickened out. I just had her trim it up. So I still look like me, but at least my hubby doesn't turn away from me in disgust when he sees me. I still haven't fully decided against the hair cut... but I really don't think it fits my boring personality so well. What do you think!?



Saturday we made a spur of the moment decition to buy two new Ikea desks. We need to organize our space better since our storage room is starting to over flow into the family room. Solution... BUY MORE STUFF! (Again I wonder where Amalyssa gets her spending impulses....) The desk should help to de-clutter some space and organize some other space.... So far the room just looks worse than it did before.. but that will change when I have time to actually spend some time in my basement. (But my kids corner in the craft room is ROCK ON AWESOME now!!!)



Sunday... a day to relax. I do like 1:00 church. I got to help get the kids ready (usually Scott gets stuck with this job while I do my hair) I had a meeting, and went to choir practice... and still had time to relax! It was wonderful. Church was nice as always. I spent a good part of my evening choosing and editing photos for this post... and now I have typed about 2ooo words more than I had intended! (yeah... they were all suppose to have a one sentence explanation...) In between all the blogging time though I made some cake mix cookies with the kids! They just love to bake! Too bad they don't love to clean up!

And there you have it! My first week (and a half) of 2010!!! So what do you think...
Boring
Like the pictures
too many words
keep it up

What are your thoughts on my project?? Don't be too mean...... :)