Bed and Breakfast

A couple weeks ago, Todd's brother and family came to visit us for a winter getaway/birthday vacation.  They stayed in our trailer and I had fun setting up our "bed and breakfast".  Since moving to such a prime location, we have already had several guests, and have more "reservations" in March, April, May, June, and July! If anyone wants to come visit in August we have an opening :o). We have a continental breakfast and free wi-fi.  *fresh flowers are subject to availability

Ben and Carrie~ next time you stay with us, you won't have to sleep on the couch :o)

 Todd's brother Michael, a police officer, celebrated his "plenty-fourth" birthday while he was here.  I didn't take any pictures of the celebration, but we decorated with caution tape, and the kids played police games.  One game included drawing "bad guys" on our cinderblock fence with chalk, and using a "taser gun" (water bottle) to punish them.  We planned to eat doughnuts from a string while wearing handcuffs, but ran out of time.

Michael was kind enough to spend his birthday morning helping Todd tear out a wall in the room that's going to be my quilting studio.  Becky and I went to Curves together, and spent lots of time in the kitchen...'cause that's what mom's do.  While they were here, we also took the kids to the park, ate at Iggy's, walked through the temple visitor center, and visited Snow Canyon.  It was a fun weekend, and we loved spending time with them.

The kids in front of the temple doors.
(I love how Dillon is "meditating" and Lydia is giving her sister "rabbit ears") 

Snow Canyon was beautiful.  We will definitely be going back.

Petrified Sand Dunes

 Silly kids...

 I really need to clean the smudge off my camera lens...

Finding ourselves

"Where you go through life so sure of where you’re headin'
And you wind up lost and it's the best thing that could have happened
‘Cause sometimes when you lose your way it's really just as well
Because you find yourself...Yeah that’s when you find yourself."


-Brad Paisley

We're starting to get settled here.  I cannot believe that in another month it will have been a year since we found out Todd was going to lose his job.  Our faith has been tested.  We've been humbled.  We've been stretched out of our comfort zone...and we're better for it.  I mentioned a few times last year that I couldn't wait to be able to rewind and "watch this movie again" once I knew the ending.  Well, here I am, and the ending turned out so much better than I'd ever hoped.

I know it's the middle of February, but I thought I'd give a little "Christmas Letter" update on our family now that the "crazy" is over...or at least slowed down.

Justin (18 mos) is a bundle of energy and for the most part a very pleasant and happy baby.  He's already started throwing little tantrums, but he's cute enough that we can usually overlook them.  He attended nursery last Sunday (for the first time) and loved it. His only words are "Hello", "Mama", "Yes", and "Kitty", but we are in the process of taking away his pacifier and I'm pretty sure all that babbling is going to turn into words soon enough.  He likes to throw things in the toilet, take off one shoe and sock and throw them overboard while in the shopping cart, and draw on his magna-doodle.

Dillon (almost 7) is a sneaky little guy who has a talent for escaping chores and homework without my noticing.  His freckles and the "sunshine" that comes from his eyes still melt my heart and he gets away with it far too often.  He must be saving his "best self" for school, because he recently received the "Super Citizen" award for being such a gentleman.  He is bilingual, speaking both English and Ninjago, and he really wants to start piano lessons. I need to get on the ball and find a teacher.  He also loves to draw, and goes through more reams of paper than our other kids combined.

Caleb (almost 10) is a huge help to me.  He is the one I call on to grab a can from the downstairs pantry, or watch the baby for a minute because he always follows through.  He recently joined the school choir, and he loves cub scouts, and riding his rip-stick.  He is a head shorter than the other kids in his grade, and doesn't like cold cereal (he gets that from me).  He will likely have a tonsillectomy this year and will be disappointed to discover that it's not all popsicles and ice cream...

Brayden (11) became a boy scout this year, and is currently working on three merit badges.  He loves to read and can often be found curled up in the rocking chair with his kindle. He would eat an entire box of cereal in a sitting, if I'd let him, and his shoes are only a size behind mine.  He recently joined the school choir along with Caleb.  Unlike his brothers, Brayden loves to sleep in...probably because he stays up too late reading. His favorite school subjects are science and art, and he's looking forward to riding the bus, and having a locker at school next year (although he wishes he could choose the combination himself). 

I, Felicia (30ish), miss my friends (dearly) from our last ward, but love living near stores again!  I'm clippin' coupons and shopping for deals while waiting for my quilt studio to be finished, and just enjoying having the family under one roof again.  I've started going to Curves, and really enjoy it.  I don't mind jiggling my fat in front of the old ladies :o). I'm slowly gearing up to unpack the basement (out of sight, out of mind), but may need some external prodding.  I set a goal to read a book a month this year, and so far I've checked one out from the library and renewed it twice.  Todd thought it was a lofty goal, since I only read one book for myself last year (other than my scriptures).  I like to read...I just don't make time for it.  I think I'll start doing it outside while Justin plays in the sandbox.  Feel free to pester me occasionally about what I'm reading.  I was recently called to teach primary (8-9 yr. olds) and I'm also on the RS funeral committee.  

Todd (closer to 40 than he'd like) is busy, busy, busy.  He is working at a Residential Treatment Center for teens, and building up a private practice in the evenings.  He has been working towards certification to facilitate group therapy in the LifeSTAR  program, and will start working with one of the phase II groups soon. He teaches occasional marriage enrichment classes at the USU extension office, and in April he will teach an online marriage class as an adjunct professor at BYU-I.  He is thrilled that we moved to a warmer climate just in time to avoid the klondike derby, and is getting ready to cut out (yet another) pinewood derby car. He has started remodeling the room in our garage that will be my quilting studio, and he recently joined Planet Fitness...although he rarely has a minute to go! I can't tell you what his new calling is going to be, but I will tell you that it's not "Stake paper products coordinator" like we had secretly hoped.   

Happy New Ye........um,  Happy President's Day everyone!  Thanks for all your thoughts, prayers, and support this past year.  We have truly been blessed in our trials, and I can honestly say that I am grateful for the events that have transpired, because we are better for it.

Does anyone out there speak Ninjago?

Dillon's birthday is coming up, and I asked him to make me a wish list.  I didn't realize I would need a translator.  It's not the handwriting or the misspelled words that get me...it's the toys.  What is "Zane normal with spinjitzu"?  

I'm pretty sure we already have a "Zane DX" so why do we need a "Zane ZX"?  

Why do the  Earth, Ice, and Fire Dragons cost between $70-$120?  Will they sneak upstairs and do my taxes in the night?? That's the only way I'm paying that kind of money.  

Why does a seven year old need a "skull truck" and what would he do with it?

The list is continued on the back, but the only thing it says is:
zoozoo armr

I'm pretty sure that means zhu zhu armor.  They have armor for toy hamsters??

I need a girl...

A boy and his kitty

This is our kitty, Loa.

Justin loves her.  

He likes to hug her, and pet her, and growl at her, 

and pull on her tail, and poke her eyes, and grab her fur.

And she puts up with it.

Yesterday, I caught him on all fours.  He was pretending to eat cat food like his kitty.  

Sometimes he even sneaks a real taste of her food.

She's pretty good at sharing.

 Because Loa is an outside kitty, we also have a stuffed Loa, for inside.

And he loves her too.  A lot.

He likes to put her in the blender...

 And lick her clean after her bath in the toilet.

(Don't worry, I caught him just in time)

Poor kitty.

If you give a baby a S'more..

If you give a baby a s'more...

 He'll probably make a mess with it.

 When he's finished...

 He'll help himself to a glass of milk on the table.

 While he's sitting on the table, he'll find the plate where you got the s'mores.

 Seeing the plate will remind him that he's hungry.

He'll ask for "s'more"...

And chances are, if you give him another s'more,

He's going to make a mess to go with it.

* We made these s'mores.  I think it would be a perfect recipe for a cub scout or achievement day activity because there are several steps, but all of them are easy to do.

Is a puzzlement

My parents stayed with us last week on their way to and from my brother's house. When they got here Saturday night, Caleb had this lenticular clownfish puzzle out on a card table, since he knows how much Grandpa likes puzzles.  The kids managed to stick around long enough to get the outside edge put together, and then they had "bigger fish to fry". 

That left us "old folks" to finish this obnoxious (yet addicting) puzzle ourselves.  Because of it's "lenticular-ness", the puzzle pieces would "move" or change color depending on the angle you looked at it. We kept having to ask each other if the puzzle piece we just put in really did belong there.

Mom is pretty good at puzzles, but most of the time she can't be bothered.  I think she realized they weren't going to be able to go home until the puzzle was complete, so she reluctantly joined the game.
Todd took this "action shot" of all the excitement. By Sunday evening, the tension was so thick you could've cut it with a knife.

And just when it was "past late", we finished the blasted thing.

Thanks Mom and Dad, for a fun time :o)

*I just want to clarify that I am NOT wearing maternity jeans in the last picture.  That's just my white tank top peaking out under the puzzle.

Drive-in movie night

Last Sunday, Dillon asked if we could watch Cars 2 for Family Home Evening this week.  It was perfect timing since I wanted to do a fun family activity every time there's a 5th Monday.  I taped up some of the boxes from our garage (that I'd just broken down the day before), and the boys each decorated their own "car" for our drive-in movie night.

 We ate homemade "kids meals" for dinner, and then we had popcorn and movie theater candy while watching the "big screen" (we don't have a TV downstairs--just a projector that we watch on the wall).  Justin got a box of raisins instead of a box of candy, and his "popcorn" was really freeze dried yogurt.

Justin sat in his car for all of five minutes, and then toddled off to the playroom, where he discovered our Lightning McQueen, Sally, and Mack toys and brought them back to the family room to play.  

Brayden's car was cleverly changed from a "Fragile" to a "Ford".  He drew the appropriate guages/radio/clock/lights, and added an "I love bats" bumper sticker on his car.

Caleb, as you can see, brought his three brothers along in the backseat:

The best part of this activity was that the popcorn and snack mess was contained in the boxes :o)