Three + Two = WE NEED A BABYSITTER!!!!!!

I know it's been a looooooooong time since I've posted anything....I have a million excuses and instead of posting them all I will just start blogging again!

I didn't think it was possible to feel the way I do...someone once said (and I can't tell you who) but it is one of my most favorite quotes,

"THE HARDER YOU FALL, THE HIGHER YOU BOUNCE!"

Right now, I am flying pretty high....maybe because I learned a lessson or two in the past few years, maybe because I finally whipped up the right potion and Dave is still cast under my spell, or maybe because I need to learn a lot more in this lifetime and Dave is the one who can patiently put up with my know- it -all attitude and still let me think that I am the smarter one in the bunch!

Whatever it is...I am still flying, smiling, learning, FREEEEEEZING, and you guessed it, I am cooking! ( I hate cooking but I have the kids convinced that I can cook the best corn dog and hot chocolate EVER! Convincing Dave is a bit harder but he does like chicken nuggets so he is not hard to please!)

Thanksgiving 2009 was lots of fun except for the part that I had to cook! Winnemucca 9-1-1 was on alert and waiting for the phone call to make a 40 mile trip to Unionville to put out the turkey fire and I think they were a little disappointed that they didn't get the phone call, they might have to visit once all of the lights are put up! Anyways we had all of the kids here for Turkey Day and had lots of fun.

We purchased (yes, I said purchased) a mouse for $2.50 right before the girls got here...it was the size of half of my thumb, white, cheap, and the hit of the weekend. Dave taught the boys how to put mentos into Diet Pepsi to make it explode...so the mouse's name is MENTO! Dave witnesses all of the crazy things they do with this thing...like making it slide down our unlit fireplace otherwise known as the "Slide of Death!" Poor, Poor Mento! He or She ( We think it's a she...) has a broken little leg but can climb pretty fast to get his dinner a ruffles potato chip!) I did witness them playing catch with Mento during the First Presidency Christmas Message...like I said POOR, POOR MENTO!

We had so much fun with all of the kids here - Brandon is the oldest at 9, Cody and Emery are both 6, and Amber is 5 with Ashlee following closely at 4....like I said, we had lots and lots of fun!And we had so much to be thankful for! Now if they would only build a SONIC in Winnemucca all my dreams would come true...

So anyways...poor Dave broke his collar bone on October 30th and had surgery the week before Thanksgiving so he got out of putting up the Christmas lights....he is sooooo smart! : ) I probably picked the coldest day of the year to put them up and Dave could not believe that he was married to Clark Griswold! I had fun putting them up...and no there aren't that many! I am deathly scared of power tools and Dave gave me his electric power stapler to put them up! Megan + Stapler+ Ladder + Wind = TROUBLE!!! No one was hurt, no one had to go to the ER, and no 911 call had to be made....yet! I'm just glad I live in the middle of nowhere so no one could witness the clumsy acts that even made me blush....

Now it is snowing, I've considered wearing thermals to church, I've learned to put socks and shoes on before I step outsides and get instant frostbite, even Gus wants to come inside! Gus ,Dave's dog, is scared to death of everyone and when I first came up to visit Dave he told me that Gus would never like me...HE LOVES ME!!!! But he doesn't like the kids...they beg him to come in the house with them, they bribe him with food (that he won't take) they try everything to win his heart ( I wouldn't be surprised if Mento was a bribe...)so now Gus is even braving the house because it is sooooooooo cold outside!

So as you can tell....we are pretty boring!

Cody had to get 33 stitches in his knee right before we moved up here. That incident taught him how to CRY!!!!! It was pretty bad and I hate to post that picture... I don't know why it's never stopped me before! : ) Well...I will do better to keep this blog updated!!!!

Hope everyone is smiling as much as me...

Do They Ever Get Cold?

Yes, I got cold right away... and after my wonderful and graceful fall at Wal-Mart (just ask to see their surveillance cameras with the crazy blonde losing her balance and falling into the shelves) I wasn't so sure I could even handle a sled, better yet a sled and snow! So I thought my Christmas vacation would include naps, cozying up on the WARM couch with a great book ( or 10 that I haven't read yet...) NOPE - I was so wrong! Must have been the hit to the head I took from the Wal-Mart shelf... we have done nothing but play in the snow - COLD SNOW! I don't know how they do it but my kids have built in heaters and energizer batteries that keeps them going and going and going... seriously how many times can you pull a sled up a hill? How many times can you biff it in one day? And don't their little toes get cold? First answer - at least a hundred! Second - there were only a few successful attempts down the hill so maybe 90 biffs! And third - we haven't lost any toes yet to frost bite so I guess their toes are okay!!!!So this is me (pictured above...) getting ready to show the kids how to biff it in style....if you look closely you can see the scar on my eye from Wal-Mart! ha ha just kidding it's not that big! But I felt really dumb so that should count!

Brandon could live at the North Pole - I mean outside and would never complain about being cold! Is he really my child? He loves the snow! Eating it, laying in it, and of course, sledding in it! I'm kind of scared to introduce snowboarding.. in fear of losing a child to the slopes! He has been a great big brother and has totally made sure Ashlee and Cody enjoy the snow as much as him!

Okay, seriously, if the Jamaicans could win a medal in bobsledding...I think a little girl in Pioche has a chance (of course the $1.00 snowsuit that was purchased at a yard sale is worth its weight in gold!) Ashlee probably walked up the hill maybe 50 times and conned her brothers into pulling her up the other 50! This year her title is "NO FEAR" I think that comes with being 3! We will have to see what 4 has in store for us! I'm not holding my breath for any gold medals yet! Okay - watch Cool Runnings - one of my favorite movies ever and you will know what I'm talking about! "I can see clearly now the rain is gone... "

Cody - what a cutie! He keeps up with Brandon and can pretty much give him a run for his money! He even pulls Ashlee up the hill! The horse Navajo (not pictured) gave him a good scare. I really don't like that horse so I totally know where Cody is coming from! I couldn't get him to cooperate to tie him up and the sledding hill is Navajo's escape to freedom if we open the gates. Navajo finally got brave enough to stick around the sledders and tried to come up the hill once to get out...I've never seen Cody run so fast! I could write a whole blog about that horse - I'm just glad no one saw me running from him the day before! It would not make my father proud!!!! So tomorrow is Christmas Eve and guess what we are doing... sledding! This time on Lime Hill (if I can walk ...) at least there's no Navajo to chase us off! I so need a picture of that horse....

Thanksgiving 2008

Brandon, Indiana ( I mean Cody), and Ashlee on Turkey Day! They had lots to be thankful for...we played the thankful game with the ball and I think after all the joking they kind of got it! Some of the things they were thanful for; Mommy, Daddy, Turkey, the turtle (no we didn't eat it for dinner...), heaters, teachers, kitties, grandpa's knee, Indiana Jones (that's a surprise!) We had fun making our own little dinner on Sunday, seriously it was a little chicken, but Brandon & Cody ate it....with ketchup!!!! Then we did actually have a real Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday (no ketchup involved!)

Court Rock Experience!

Kori, Brandon, Cody, & Ash -

we made it to the top! Kori's such a good helper!

Ashlee had no fear...I had to hold onto her because she wanted to follow her brothers (see back of picture), I didn't even want to let them go....



Who does she take after????

Wannabe Indiana Jones...how do I tie them down?



I love court rock! Everyone should experience it at least once!
This was our adventure for the day, the kids loved it,
and now we have opened up a more dangerous football season for next year!

HERE WE ARE... The Zile 3 and Me!

AWARDS ASSEMBLY...

Brandon & Cody both got awards...

(Mr. Peterson in the picture too!)

Cody is a SUPERSTAR, and

Brandon on AB Honor Roll!

Brandon thought he was done getting report cards -

he was so upset when he found out he had to get 3

more this year....we got a long way to go!

Happy Halloween!

BATMAN (Cody)

CINDERELLA (Ashlee)

Indiana Jones (Brandon)

I love Halloween! Although I'm not the world's best pumpkin carver - I love to do it! And I might not ever win the award for the best costume but it is so much fun not looking like yourself for a day! And the nerd in me...will always love Nevada Day! So anyways, this year we had Indiana Jones, Batman, and our princess Cinderella! The kids had more fun playing in their costumes before Halloween and they are having a hard time putting them away! Side note for next year...they did discover how much fun it is to smash pumpkins on accident! Dropping a pumpkin before it goes into the trash was just AWESOME and they volunteered to take all of them that way! Trick or Treating brought lots of rain and, of course, CANDY!