Lunch at the Farm

A couple weeks ago, I was reading one my ol' high school friend's blog. She had a post on this cute restaurant that looked so fun. Her kids were running around playing outside at the restaurant. I thought to myself, "That is the kind of restaurant that I need for my kids."
Well, this weekend Lance was gone snowboarding with the deacons and teachers from church. On Sat., Todd and I were out running errands with the three younger ones. I remembered her post and that the restaurant was out where we were going. And, so my easy-going, spontaneous husband said, "Let's go there for lunch today." As we drove up to it, I realized that I had noticed it once before a long time ago, but I don't usually drive down Ray. It's the cutest restaurant made out of an old farm house....with cute picnic tables outside. And, to make it even better, we loved the food. Well, not Sierra. She had a hot dog. Apparently, they use "natural casing" hot dogs that she thought had a too chewy of a outside. (Todd tells me later it's cause it's the intestine? hit my gagger)

Anyways. We had a great time. Todd had some pesto burger and I had the same thing but in chicken. Yum! The kids loved being outside. There was this HUGE, old tree that we had to get a photo by. Isn't it neat the way it splits off into 3? But, they do have signs up saying no climbing...talking about torturing a kid:)

Zane is having fun taking pictures lately and so he took this one of the rest of us by a citrus tree.

Oh, and how can I forget?!!! My son's got talent, so I need to share! Here at the restaurant, he doesn't have a straw for some reason, so he proceeds to show me how he can make his very own homemade straw...with his own tongue! Way to go Zane! Always entertaining!

Thanks Jennifer for the great tip to eat at Joe's Farm Grill:)

25 Random Things About Me

**tag from Facebook**

How it is supposed to work: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you and I suspect that you'll make a really good list.

***Guilt admitted here: I am soooo not creative or original.... so I used Crystal's ideas to go off of.

1. I love to ride roller coasters and crazy rides.
2. I don't like the beach cause sand seems to get everywhere and I hate that sticky feeling.
3. I love animals - hence, the 4 horses, 2 dogs, and 1 cat.
4. I love to see the joy on my children's faces when they play with the animals.
5. I have no clue how to text, but I know how to set up a blog and I'm learning how to "facebook."
6. I love salads with yummy vinegarette dressings ....esp. when I'm being "good."
7. I love ice cream when I'm not being good. ....never got over it after the Baskin Robbin days.
8. I "probably" spend too much time on the computer (yea...still a little denial there).
9. I love my husband.
10. I love the way my husband looks at me and still flirts with me.
11. I love my four children.
12. I think peanut butter M&Ms are the best. (Thanks, or no thanks to Sonya for introducing those to me:)
13. I love that almost all of my family still live here in the valley with me...
14. and I love that my only sister that doesn't live here...will soon live here:):):)
15. I like to sit outside and nice and enjoy the peace and quiet.
16. When I fill up my gas tank, I like the dollar amount owed to end on an even dollar.
17. I like to sing, but I can't...and I can't even remember the words anyways, thanks to my short term memory.
18. I like to follow my husband riding on quads so I can check out his cute tush when he stands up over bumps.
19. I still prefer wearing simple ol' flip flops like I did in high school....my heels look horrible most of the time.
20. I spend way tooo much time cleaning up poo...whether it be my 3 yr old's, the dogs' or the horses'.
21. I always have a huge, messy paper pile in my laundry room.
22. I am having fun seeing everyone on facebook even if it adds to my computer time.
23. For my goals - I am going to lose 10lbs and go to the Temple once a month this year.
24. I work with the young women (16-18 yr olds) in my church and I love it! The girls are so much fun!
25. I lose my patience and yell too much at my children. sorry. Maybe another goal will be to yell less.

Senior Year Tag from Facebook

IN YOUR SENIOR YEAR DID YOU...
1. Did you date someone from your school? Yes
2. Did you marry someone from your high school? Yes, luckily:)
3. Did you car pool to school? I was "fortunate" ?? enough to live close by so I had to walk!
4. What kind of car did you have? Some red honda? car ar first, then some blue car, but my sister and I had to share. Since she was going to MCC, she really got to use it the most.
5. What kind of car do you have now? a surburban. woohoo!
6. Its Friday night...where are you now? date night with my hubby or going out with the kids.
7. It is Friday night...where were you then? football games, out with friends, or out with Todd.
8. What kind of job did you have in high school? Baskin Robbin....love that ice cream still.
9. What kind of job do you do now? the most important one, right....at least, that's what I keep telling myself:)....stay at home mom.
10. Were you a party animal? No, I always liked to be with friends, but I don't think I could be described as an "animal".
11. Were you considered a flirt? I don't think so....unless you asked Todd.
12. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Orchestra.
13. Were you a nerd? I don't think I was a nerd, hope not at least.
14. Did you get suspended or expelled? gasp. never. only BAD kids get suspended. The few times I ditched, I thought it was fun but I thought for sure I was going to get caught and go to heck.
15. Can you sing the fight song? No, I couldn't even start it.....my memory is shot.
16. Who was/were your favorite teacher(s)? I can picture them, but I can't remember their names. oh, Mr Palmer was a great math teacher. Ummmm...the chemistry teacher. ???
17. Where did you sit during lunch? it varied....cafeteria, seminary, a fast food restaurant....etc
18. What was your school's full name? Westwood High School
19. When did you graduate? 1989
20. What was your school mascot? Warriors
21. If you could go back and do it again, would you? I loved high school so I wouldn't mind doing it again. But, I am not really "wanting" to....it's kind of a "been there, done that" and now I like where I am in life.
22. Did you have fun at Prom? Of course, I was with Todd.
23. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with? Everyday. Still love to hold his hand and flirt with him.
24. Are you planning on going to your next reunion? Of course. A lot of people I don't get to see at all, but I would like to catch up with them.
25. Do you still talk to people from school? Some, not enough.
26. School Colors? Orange and Blue
27. What celebrities came from your high school? Ummm, not that into my fellow high schoolers, I guess. Who knows what they are all doing.??? I guess I haven't heard any of their names on the news.

Renaissance Festival

For the 6th grade field trip, the kids were going to the Renaissance Festival. Sierra was so excited and wanted me to join her. Since I don't usually go on the field trips (I always have a little one at home), I told her I would come. Thanks to Kelly and Michelle for taking Wes.


Here are (l to r) Raquel, Sierra, Rachel, and Sammie having fun with the Painted Lady.

Sierra and I posing in front of the Tree Man. Was he from Lord of the Rings?, I wonder.

We were able to see quite a few shows. Here's the daredevil, juggler act.

And, here's the Jousting Show. We also saw a Sword Swallowing show and a Whip Cracking Artist (he was on Time Warp....as he told us about ten times:).

Our group of girls.

A Music Fairy? All I know is she handed shiny rocks that the girls liked.

We had a lot of fun. I'm glad that Sierra wanted me to go with her.

Valentine's Day

So, this is Todd and I bonding on Valentine's Day:)...yes, with toothpicks and lifesavers. I told you Todd wasn't really romantic. hee hee. Seriously, I can only blame myself for my non-romantic night since I made our plans.

With several other couples, we went out for a yummy dinner and came back to our house for some fun and games. We had a blast. We've got some great, fun friends that were soooo entertaining. We all agreed to do it again next year!

Sam and Lani - seeing how well they work together.

Brett and Nicki won this game - opening the pkg with no hands AND eating the treat inside the fastest...still without hands. Brett should have also been given a prize that night for the best one-liners. We all thought he was "on something" that night:).

Kevin and Julie getting up after a game meanwhile sharing some good laughs.

Of course, some games just brought out too much competitiveness in the men. Megan is quickly escaping her man, Jason:)

Cindy and Bobby getting ready.

Jason and Kelly trying to win....but they didn't. Although they still gave us some pretty good entertainment. My house was so full of laughter that night. It was a blast.

Shala and B.C. won on this one. They were oh so good together. ...and who wouldda thought.....they have been married the least amount of time:).

We also played the not-so-newleywed game where the "longest" married couples jumped ahead. And then we ended with a white elephant gift exchange. It was a lot of fun. We've got some great friends! Looking forward to 2010!

Todd and I went to see the musical last night for the first time. I loved it. Well, a couple songs could have been left out:). But, the puppets and costumes were amazing. Todd and I agreed that although the lady that played Rafiki was a beautiful singer, we liked that character better in the movie with a male's voice. It was a great show though. I wish that I had brought my kids to see it, too. I think even the younger boys would have loved all those animals, but that might be asking too much of them as far as sitting still. I think Todd enjoyed it too even though musicals really aren't his thing. He went with me ....cause he loves me:) Isn't that true love for ya? When one will go do something for the other... just cause the other one enjoys it?! Now, I just gotta get him scrapbooking. jk ha ha

Bad, I mean, Good Hair Day:)

Unfortunately, I did not marry one of those men that enjoy brushing or playing with their wife's hair....I know.....poor me. Sonya was that lucky. But, not me. So, I have to resort to my children. Luckily, Zane seems to enjoy it. I enjoy his brushing most of the time, except for the occasional hard pull. He usually just likes to try to braid it, but this time I talked him into brushing it more. Awwww. I could sit there forever. Then, Sierra wanted to get into the styling too. What do you think? Do they have a future in hair styling?

Zane wanted to put it all up on top. That was A LOT....and, I mean, way too much....hair pulling for me. I might not encourage this anymore after all.

Awesome Date Night

Last Thursday night, we had a good ol' fashioned date night. It was a blast! Five couples headed out to South Mountain for some horseback riding and dinner. It was a full moon and so we rode by moonlight up in the mountains, seeing some beautiful views of the city lights as we went along.

We rode to the Tbone Steakhouse where we enjoyed a delicious cowboy dinner while the horses were tied up to hitching posts in the back. When we finished, we got back up into our saddles and headed home. It was so fun and there was such a beautiful view. Plus, we had great company. :)

Jason, Megan, Randy, and Arloa (with horse Baylee).

Todd, Catherine, and horse Trigger.

Cindy, Bobby, and horse Roxie. Cindy was our entertainment....singing some Christmas songs until she got them stuck in my head for the entire ride!

And Dusty the horse, Tammi, Clay the horse, and Greg.

We had a wonderful time and can't wait to do it again!

TAG?! I'm IT, I guess?

So, my cousin Terri decided to "tag" me. So, here it goes:)

The rules: Answer the question using only one word....(although that 's not always possible).
Then tag 4 others.

1.Where is your cell phone? countertop
2. Your significant other? todd (I wanted to put someone else, but I thought I might get in trouble if I did. JK!!!:)
3. Your hair? bleached...natural color is way too ugly nowadays
4. Your mother? Geneen, set too high of a standard for me. I'll try to be half as good.
5. Your father? Steven, a big, gentle teddy bear.
6. Your favorite thing? ?"thing" got me on that one....camera?
7. Your dream last night? last one I remember was about riding horses:) seriously. oh well. lol
8. Your favorite drink? Mr. Pibb, Dr Pepper is a close runner up though.
9. Your dream/goal? raising four children that are responsible, compassionate, and strong in the gospel (I know....that's more than one word).
10. The room your in? our front room
11. Your hobby? horsebackriding or photography
12. Your fear? sitting still at great heights - hate the ferris wheel and how it leaves you sittin' up high in the sky as they load and unload people. But, you can get me on a fast roller coaster anyday.
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? ten lbs lighter, still living here, and loving life with my family.
14. What your not good at? keeping things organized....I can get them that way, but then it all fall apart within a few weeks of living life.
15. Muffins? blueberry, I guess.
16. One of your wish list items? a new camera, of course
17. Where you grew up? Mesa
18. The last thing you did? I made a new jello dish for our family dinner tonight that was gross:(.
9. What are you wearing? jeans and t-shirt, of course
20. Favorite gadget? cell phone? sooooo convenient.
21. Your pets? horses, dogs, and a cat....still working on chickens and rabbits. shhh, don't tell todd.
22. Your computer? who knows, who cares as long as it's runnin'----maybe wishin' it was a MAC
23. Your mood? great.
24. Missing someone? yea, my baby sis and her family
25. Your Car? surburan
26. Something you're not wearing? jewelry
27. Favorite Store? don't have one...wherever I can get a good deal
28. Favorite Word? todd
29. Your favorite color? Blue
30. When is the last time you laughed? oh, that's a good one. - At my parent's house today when we were all teasing Michelle about Antonio. Go ahead and ask her. She's gonna kill me now. But, we P____ are all well known for loving to tease. And her reaction just makes it more fun.
31. Last time you cried? hmmmm.....got teary eyed? today worrying about my baby sis and her family. wishing they were here so we could all put our arms around them.


I tag Michelle, Cindy G, and Claire, cause they need to post more, and Cindy B. since she's just getting started on her blog:) love ya gals!

I Jinxed Myself

I had to go write that last post about Wes not having any accidents anymore. I should have known that as soon as I wrote that something would happen.

Wes wakes up from his nap, crying and upset, yesterday. Apparently, he had pooped in his pants sometime during his nap. Did he have one of those dreams where he thougth he had gotten up and gone to the toilet? Who knows. But, he was very upset to have something in his undies. (Yes, it's a good thing that that does bother him now). So, I very carefully try to caryy him to the bathroom and pull down his pants without smearing you know what all down his legs. I was doing fine until he tried to pull his foot all the way out. The poop falls out and lands on the floor, all the while Wes is totally distraught and still half asleep about the poop in his big boy, Thomas the Train, undies. I grab t.p. to pick the poop up off the ground. Of course, it falls into two and some of it again lands onto the bathroom floor. Then, Wes then steps into that one. GAG!. Why did write that in my last blog? stupid me.

No more posting about potty training. No more jinxing myself and asking for trouble.

In other news, in a moment of weakness today, as I was grocery shopping I walked past the chocolate oreos. I love oreos....regular oreos and chocolate oreos. So, I caved and bought them. I really shouldn't have. I know when I buy them that I will be eating way too many of them. I usually just resist at the store and refuse to buy them. But, not this time. Before I even get my groceries unloaded, I have the package open. YUM. I ate a WHOLE ROW of chocolate oreo cookies. YUM. Some plain. Some dipped in milk. Unfortunately, I didn't feel too great when I was done. Maybe I'll remember that feeling next time I feel so weak at the grocery store and want to buy oreos. Maybe next time I'll have more slef-control.

Thanks Cherokee for not Ripping My Leg Off!

A couple weeks ago, I was talking to a friend about our blog and how I started it for a family journal since my memory stinks. Somehow, we got on the subject of remembering more spiritual things though. Not long ago, Elder Bednar, an apostle of our church, spoke on "Tender Mercies" from our Father in Heaven. And, then since that, another leader spoke on the importance of writing things down. I know our blog has been more about remembering the fun, family activities. But, at the moment I was talking to my friend, I realized that I should also include the tender mercies in my life...for my sake...and for my children's sake. It is important that my children know of my beliefs, my faith, and of my gratitude towards my Heavenly Father for my many blessings that I have in this life.

And, so I am going to include little things here and there that I feel I should share with my children and my posterity. ....It won't be anything too personal since anyone else might also be reading this on my blog:). If you're not interested in the sappy stuff, skip it. But, this is for me and my kids.

About a week and a half ago, I was taking our horses down the street to our neighbor's pasture. They don't have any animals on it, so we are lucky enough to let our horses go graze on their lot when ours is irrigated or simply gone from four horses chowing down on it.

Now, anyone that knows horses has probably seen horses run out into the field, bucking and tooting. They can get pretty excited to be let out into the pasture. And, anyone that knows horses will also know that horses can be pretty buddy sour. Meaning they like to stay together...with their herd buddies. When one horse goes running and bucking, the others quickly follow in a bucking fest. It can be pretty entertaining to watch.

Well, I walk down two horses at a time to the neighbor's pasture. I had walked Trigger and Cherokee down the street. As I unbuckled Trigger's halter, he decided it was time for one of the running/bucking fests. However, my horse, Cherokee was still haltered up with his lead rope in my hands...and as I quickly noticed....the rope was somehow also wrapped around my leg. In that split second, I was terrified. I knew that if Cherokee followed suit, he would be pulling me down as he ran out bucking to join his herd buddy. (FYI - we have had a friend who had his hand badly hurt when the rope was wrapped around his hand and his horse went off.... So, normally, I am very careful about NEVER letting the rope wrap around my hand or arm as I lead horses. I am not sure how it got around my leg. I had just stepped around as I untied Trigger and went to untie Cherokee). ???

Anyways. In that brief second, I was scared that Cherokee would take off and who knows what would happen to my leg. Maybe just a bad friction burn....maybe a broken bone. But, I quickly yelled out "Whoa" to my horse and said a quick plea to my Father in Heaven. And lo, and behold, my horse stood frozen... but still keeping his eye on his buddy that was taking off and having a heyday out in the pasture. I quickly undid his halter and let him go without any problems.

Whew. And, then I immediately realized how grateful and how blessed I was. I know that my Father in Heaven watched over me in that second. I know that I could have been hurt, but I wasn't at all. I titled the post "thanks Cherokee", but the real thanks doesn't go to my horse. I am really most grateful for the many tender mercies that my Father in Heaven gives to me. I know that he heard my plea for help, as he hears all prayers from His children down here on earth.

Just Like We Were Kids Again

Every year, my kids ask me to dress up for Halloween. "What are you going to be, Mom?" I nicely let them know that Halloween is for kids. Kids dress up. period. Meet our friends, Cindy and Bobby, who made me look like a liar to my kids. They put on a Halloween party for adults....and we were told that we HAD to wear a costume in order to attend. And, so the fun began. I haven't worn a costume in a good 25 years!
Kevin and Julie won first place for best costumes for couples. Jim and Jenni below were a close runner up though. I won't say what Kevin had in his pocket to really "play the part"...which is probably what insured his winning.

Everyone agreed. We now think even MORE highly of Jim for wearing this costume. It takes a special man to wear a costume like that.

Todd and I had a great time. Good Food. Good Friends. Shoot, I have to admit even the dressing up was fun.

I suddenly became much more of a baseball fan:) Love this guy!

They had a pumpkin carving activity also. Todd carved the one on the left with the green nose!

It was just like we were kids again. Kids with a bit more weight and wrinkles on top of it:)

Now That's a ROCK!

Occassionally, when one rides, a rock can get stuck in his horse's foot. But, never have I seen a rock this BIG get stuck in a foot. Everyone was so shocked, we had to get a picture of it. No wonder Cherokee started limping. Poor guy. That thing was just the right size....any bigger and it couldn't have fit.....any smaller and it probably wouldn't have stuck.
I couldn't even pry it out with my leatherman. Jason had to hit it out with another rock.
One of our highlights of the ride or any ride....seeing the wild horses that live down by the river.

One Last Swim...for the season, that is.

Before the water gets too cold, we had to get one more swim in!

And the girls are off! Half the fun is just watching the younger girls lovin' it! They have soooo much fun. It's pretty cute. Sierra is on the far right side.
I think swimming is Sierra's favorite thing to do with Pepper.

Look at her SMILE!

Here's to my baby, Cherokee. Swimming was a lot of fun for me, too. Although, I'll still say lopin' is my fav. ....and I think it's Cherokee's too. We both just love to take off and RUN!!!

The hardest part of swimming, is getting back on your horse if you fall off.

No saddle means no stirrups.

I had to use Pepper (behind me) as a step stool:)

Even Sierra struggles to get up. It can be quite entertaining.

Well, we had a great ride and a great swim. It's been a fun summer. Now, we are ready for some cooler weather.