Grandparent Valentine Weekend

It's been a busy couple of weeks! To start off, we had a Grandparent Valentine's Day Weekend. Grandpa and Grandma Heuseveldt came to Star Valley to see the kids on Friday, the 13th. We had Rob and Rachael's kids too because Rachael went to the Drill Team Competition and Rob had to work. Grandma Heuseveldt thought it would be fun to decorate sugar cookies with the kids. They loved it! Especially Parker! We also went out for ice cream and a tour of the big town of Afton Wyoming. Mom and Dad Heuseveldt had to go home that evening so we packed up and on Valentine's morning, we went to St. Anthony to visit Shane's family and some friends. Shane took his mom out for a Valentine's lunch-funny story! Shane had his wallet with the debit card and credit cards in it (of course-who carries cash anymore?). He and his mom happened to pick a restaurant that didn't except any of them-cash only!!!! They didn't find this out until after they had eaten. Shane had to ask his mom if she would pay for the dinner and he would pay her back when they got back to the house where I had the check book in my purse! He felt so bad having her do that!!! Needless to say, he has squared away with her! Grandma Harris gave all of the kids a Valentine with money in it. We had a family Valentine's dinner with Papa Murphy's pizza-the garlic chicken is the BEST! Shane would have to disagree with me! We had a really fun weekend with both sets grandparents. We love them all for their efforts and love they show us. We have the best! This past weekend, we were back in St. Anthony for Shane's Uncle's funeral. Shane had to speak, I had to sing, and Shane had to pray twice. He's a good man! (I forgot my camera the second trip.) That's been our lives for the past couple of weeks.

"Parker stole the cookie from the cookie jar!"

"Who me? YES YOU! Couldn't be! THEN WHO?"

"GRANDMA HEUSEVELDT stole the cookie from the cookie jar!"

"Who me? YES YOU! Couldn't be! THEN WHO?"

"MOMMY stole the cookie from the cookie jar!"

"Who me? YES YOU! You're right-BRING THEM ON!!!"Here I am patiently waiting for my cookies to be frosted. Tay is the photographer for the day!
"After you dip your knife in the frosting can, don't lick it and then put it back in there!" Ha Ha! I'm sure we shared a lot of germs that day!

Grandma H. with Tommy and Jarom frosting their cookies.

There is no correct way to eat a sugar cookie. This is Parker's way. Lick off all of the frosting and leave the cookie.

Tay says "I'll try Parker's way!"

St. Anthony with Grandma Harris reading Parker his Valentine.

Grandma Harris with all but three of her Grandchildren

Brennen, Taylor, Shad, Kailee, and Laker (missing: Parker, Shayna, and Riley)

Shane and Parker taking a rest from the activities of the day-waiting for the pizza to cook.

Shad and Brennen-cousins hanging out and having fun!

Shad, Laker, and Parker "Say cheese!"

Parker was ticked off getting dressed for church. This is his pout-who gave him that cookie anyways?

We went to our old ward in St. Anthony so the kids could see their friends. Tay had a sleep over at her best friend Natalie Chelson's house. She loved it! She misses her friend. This is a pic of the kids right before church.

Grandma spoiling the kids again! Hot chocolate and Twizzlers-yum!

Fun times!

House Update

I have promised to keep you all posted on our house situation. Great, well, good news! Our house in St. Anthony was shown for the first time this week since last summer. We haven't heard anything yet, and we might not, but we are encouraged that there are actually some people looking again. We have been so blessed by all of our circumstances so far, I hate to keep asking for our house to sell; however, keep us in your prayers! I know it will sell when the time is right.

My List of BUGS!!!

Thanks to my sister in law Vicki, I have been tagged to list things that really BUG me!! I guess, before I answer, I need to say that, AS LONG AS WE ARE LOOKING, there will always be things that bug us in life! We have to try to look past all of the BUGS to be TRULY HAPPY PEOPLE; however, it is so much fun to vent the things that bug us. There now, with my therapy session over ha ha, here it goes!

1. I'm with Vicki, when I lived in Idaho (close to Rexburg), it drove me crazy when the college students held relief society in the isles of Wal-Mart.

2. Along the lines of shopping, It bugs me when I'm in a hurry and run to the 10 items or less isle and someone in front of me has a cart full of at least 100 items!

3. It bugs me when my kids come home from school and leave their bookbags, coats, etc. all over the front room floor. It doesn't matter how much I tell them that's not where they go, it still happens everyday!

4. It bugs me when I save myself the last cookie-when I finally go to eat it (major craving), it's gone and no one fesses up to it!!

5. It bugs me when Brennen can't sleep-he has insomnia or something. He is just not sleepy and can't go to sleep, then he is frustrated because I'm frustrated, and then he cries. In the process of crying, Parker wakes up and cries. Then in the morning, Tay tells me that we woke her up too. Then, everybody is grumpy for the day. Aggghhhh!

6. It bugs me to hear people talking bad about other people. Can't we all just get along? I guess what bugs me the most about this one is that we are all guilty of this at one time or another.

7. It bugs me to have to be reminded to do something that I have forgotten about. Where is my brain?

8. It bugs me when people cough into their hand and then touch things. (No wonder we all get sick!) USE THE SLEEVE OR ARM PEOPLE!!!

9. It bugs me when people ask "How's the house selling coming?" If it were coming at all, trust me, the whole world would know!!! (Hasn't been shown since July of 2008 for all wondering-even with a $10,000.00 price reduction.)

10. It bugs me when the oil companies (and executives) have record breaking earnings while we pay for it!! Supply and demand???? What's up with that?

11. It bugs me when it's Shane's turn to drive the carpool to work and I'm stuck with the dead truck on a day that I really need a vehicle. (Anyone have jumper cables that don't require another vehicle to help the process? I think that might be my next birthday present for myself! Ha ha!!)

12. It bugs me when I have forgotten a load of laundry in the washer and they smell the next morning so I have to restart the load and waste more soap.

13. It bugs me to go a day without showering or washing my hair. I feel so GREASY!!

14. It bugs me when I see people NOT wash their hands after using the restroom. GROSS!

15. It bugs me to drink out of the same straw or cup as someone else, or to share a fork or spoon with someone even with my own kids. I'm a germ freak I guess.

There, I feel much better, or worse that you all know these horrible thoughts that I have. I tag Jennie L., Lisa O., Jennifer W., Kathy B., Kim I, Rachael H or anyone who want's to let their bugs out of the jar!! It's funny to read other people's bugs! I found myself shaking my head saying "oh yeah, that bugs me too"! I guess the list could go on and on IF WE WOULD LET IT! Have a great day!

Second Ski Trip for Tay/My Little Princess????????

We went back to Cokeville for Taylor's fourth grade second ski trip. This was so much fun because all the kids learned how to ski last week so this week, they were all on the lift and the hill. It was TWENTY SEVEN DEGREES BELOW ZERO before we left WITHOUT the wind chill. (They don't cancel school here for anything!!!) One hour into skiing, we had one girl with frostbite on her ear. There was a little breeze at the top of the lift so add that windchill to the negative degrees-IT WAS COLD!!! You know how kids are though, they still had a blast. By the time we left, they said it was ten degrees at the top of the hill. I don't know if that was below zero or not, but I'm sure it was. I spent a lot of time in the lodge this time pulling boots off of frozen feet for the kids. They definately came in and warmed up more this time.

Here is Tay coming down the hill. After one run down the hill, the kids had to come in and warm up before going out and up again. Tay was so cold! Check out the rosy cheeks! If you look closely, there is ice on her hair where she breathed on it.

Four pairs of socks didn't even keep the piggies warm. They were so red when she came into the lodge. Several kids shed tears as their toe numbness wore off and they were able to feel the sting. OUCH!!!

Taylor sitting in the lodge thawing out!
I was able to ride the lift to the top with Tay and her friend. I took pictures on the way down. It was beautiful and COLD!

Taylor and her friend on the lift. Dont' they look cute and COLD?

Tay at the bottom of the hill. Check out the icy hair!!

Tay and me with three layers of clothes on plus snow gear! We were ready for the weather. I felt like the little boy on the Christmas Story who was so bundled up he couldn't put his arms down and could hardly move! I love having time to do these fun things with my kids. I am blessed!

Is this my new princess? Poor kid, it was bound to happen someday with a girly girl of a sister.

Tay has always wanted a little sister! "Enough dad says, go take it off!!!"

Taylor's Ski Field Trip/Deer!

I was able to go with Taylor's class downhill skiing in Cokeville. We had a blast! Taylor is great at skiing. She picked it up very well and is so excited to get back. Her school will be going back again next Tuesday as well. I will be going then too yeah!

Here is Tay on the bus ride with some of her freinds.

Taylor is the girl in the back in the pink. This is at the bottom of the big hill.

Taylor coming down the big hill. She is the dot on the right!

The deer squeezed through the fence where there is a little gap and found our tree. She left little pellets of poop all over the back yard too. YUCK! We have had a ton of deer around this season. Everyone here says it is the norm. There's not a day that goes by that we don't see a few. The other day, twelve ran across the street right in front of our van while I was driving. For me, I don't think it ever gets old seeing them. They are fun to watch.

This is the deer jumping when Shane opened the door.

What's Wrong With My Camera?

Here's my camera story that I felt strongly should be posted to help others who may or may not have the same problem with their cameras. I took a bunch of pictures this last week and to my horror, they are all blurry. At first, I thought some of them were blurry because I was outside and the camera was still warm from being inside (you know, when you wear glasses outside and come in-they fog up?) So then I took some more pictures, inside, and they were still blurry. I told Shane about my problem and he told me that I had messed with the settings and I needed to check them. I checked the settings, and they all seemed ok. After a week of blurry pics, a ticked off mom thinking "Great, my camera is broken, I don't want to buy another one now!", I finally decided to look at the lens and sure enough, a big greasy finger print right smack dab in the middle of the lens. I carefully wiped it and viola! The lesson learned-if your pictures are a little blurry in the middle of the picture no, your camera is not broken, WIPE THE STINKIN' LENS OFF!!!!! Here is my week of blurry pics for your enjoyment!!

This is B trying to find a sledding hill where I shoveled the driveway ha!

Parker absolutely loved being pulled in the sled. If it wasn't blurry, you could see his rosy cheeks and a huge smile. Oddly enough, Tay and Bren fought over who got to pull Parker around. I was just grateful that my kids were fighting over pulling the sled so I didn't have to!!!
There's not much here in Wyoming-no Wal -Mart! There is however a Burger King with a playland. The kids love playing there when we need to get out of the house. Parker knows the name well and will say "Booger King" over and over when we drive by. I hope he learns his 'r' sound soon!
If it weren't blurry, this is B in the bubble.
Parker loving this.
Tay says that this is the best way to come down the slide.
THAT'S ALL! I HOPE YOU ENJOYED OUR BLURRY WEEK!

Tis the Season!

What a wonderful Christmas season we have had. We have so much to be thankful for this holiday season. As always, as much as we want it to be a calm and quiet season, it never seems to go that way. This month was filled with so many fun activities from ward Christmas party to sledding behind horses on a conveyor belt, Santa coming to visit, Shane's Staff Prime Rib party, spending time with family, spending Christmas Eve at Rob and Rachaels with mom and dad Heuseveldt, going to the free matinee of Horton Hears a Who, cooking, decorating sugar cookies, eating tons of fattening foods, and having a Heuseveldt New Year's Snowmobile party at Rob and Rachael's in their field. Did I mention all the food? I decided to post the season pictures in a slide show because there were so many to share. Although it was a crazy time, we still felt the quiet peace that our Savior brings to each of us. We are thankful to be where we are and to have the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives. May his spirit be with each of us as we begin a new year.