The Morgan Family

All the Cool Kids are Doing It: Wilson Creek Frozen 50

2012-01-25T20:05:00.000-08:00

So, I've spent the last year being a race widow at several ultra trail races that Jay has been running. I've stood on the side lines, cheering him on as he stops by the aid stations and watching everyone have a great time. I finally decided that it was my turn to partake in the fun.

The thing about trail runs, is that they are incredibly challenging...yet everyone always looks excited, happy, and excited. It's hard not to overlook the tough course for a chance at being a part of it all.

Jay and I signed up for the Wilson Creek Frozen 50 in Murphy way back in November. At the time it seemed so far away and I thought I had plenty of time to prepare. Jay started training for the 50K and I started to think about training for the 10 mile. I went on several training runs with Jay's running group on some early Saturday mornings. We ran trails through the foot hills and I did my best to not get to far behind, or lose moral when our friend (who was over 20 weeks pregnant) was running circles around me.

I felt less than prepared by the time our race weekend arrived. We headed out on Friday night with one of Jay's orienteering buddy's to stay with my parents. Jay and Jeff got up early to head down for their race a 7:00 and I got up to try and get my stomach and nerves settled before my race started at 9:00. My mom drove me down to the start and I was able to get my race number and timing chip in plenty of time.

The race began with a beautiful rendition of "America the Beautiful" played on a cello by one of the runners. The shotgun sounded and we were off. After a few hundred feet we were on the single track trail and the runners had slowed to a walk as we all tried to crowd onto the trial at once. I was nervous about starting off too fast, so I bid my time, slowly moving into a position that I felt comfortable in. I was afraid of mud and rain, but at the start of the race things were dry and the trail was nice, although narrow.

I settle into my pace and was feeling pretty good. As we moved further along the trail, the mud began to appear. Runners were running along side the trail both trying to avoid the mud and jockey for a good position. I was running fairly close to a few other runners, but after a while we spread out and I found myself alone. The mud got worse and I found myself trying to stay on my feet and not get snagged by the vegetation. The sky remained overcast, but there was no rain, yet. The smell of sage brush was strong and I was really enjoying the course. I asked a girl running by if she had a Garmin so I could tell how far we'd gone. Unfortunately, she said we'd only been going two and a half miles.

I came to a dip in the trail that ended in a large puddle of water. I slipped as I headed down but caught myself before sliding into the puddle. I let two men run past to see how they navigated the puddle and eventually just went for it and tried to do it quickly so that I could make it up the uphill directly on the other side of the puddle.

At the point the trail was incredibly muddy and I fell into line with a man in an orange shirt. We ran together for a while and I'm sure I talked his ear off from lack of company earlier. We slogged through the mud and just laughed as we walked and walked and walked up each uphill that was impossible to run up. Our shoes were caked with mud and it felt as if we were running with weights on our ankles. We finally made it to the aid station and I was so excited to see it. The two nice ladies filled up my water bottle, I ate a chocolate covered peanut butter ball, and ate one hammer gel and took one for the road. I got started on the next leg of the race and felt pretty good.

I pushed through the next part of the trail and made it to the next aid station without too much trouble. I stopped for just a moment to have some Heed and then took off for the next leg. I had seen a few people up ahead of me and I was determined to catch them before it was all over. I passed our friend Joelle coming into the aid station from the 20 mile loop. I was hoping that I would get to see Jay, but our trail turned off pretty quickly. Soon it was a nice downhill section and I powered down to try and make up for lost time. I passed one guy I'd had in my sights for some time and that felt pretty good. The scenery was stunning, and I wished I could spend more time admiring it. The rocks towered above us and the rocky trail was a nice change from the mud.

The trail eventually led to a canyon and I headed down slowly, stopping to tighten my laces. I could see a couple right ahead of me. I followed the trail through the canyon and the view was stunning. I was feeling pretty good until suddenly the wind picked up and was blowing straight at me. It began to rain and I had to put my sweater back on. I had strange visions of flash flooding and suddenly realized I hadn't seen any markers or runners for a while. I was nervous that I had somehow missed a turn off and was going to get stuck in the canyon. I eventually saw the couple ahead of me and I pushed through the wind to try and catch them.

As I came out of the canyon, the wind was terrible and I was losing steam. I walked and ran a bit watching to make sure no one was gaining on me. I was exhausted and after the canyon, the long stretch of dessert was not so inviting. I had no idea how far I'd gone or where the trail was headed and that was slightly discouraging. I trudged along and finally decided to just go for it. I started slowly running and eventually caught up with the couple ahead of me. We chatted a bit and I looked out across the sagebrush and saw the upper parking area. That gave me the boost I needed to pick up the pace and go for it. I passed the couple, another runner, and was on my way. The finish was still a ways off, but knowing the end was in sight helped a lot.

The trail eventually began to go down a little and I picked up my pace to finish strong. They were ringing a cow bell at the finish and I saw Jeff and his wife, Dondi, cheering me on. It felt great to finally be done and I was so please with my time...2:24. Not bad for 10.8 miles of glorious torture. I got a red and white polka dot fleece scarf at the finish. I ended up 34th overall and 3rd in my age group...very exciting.

I waited another hour for Jay to come in. He was pretty tired, but as many of the 50K runners dropped after 20, he ended up 4th overall, which was pretty cool.

In the end, it was a fantastic experience and I had a great time. I think I might even be crazy enough to do another one...

Here's some pictures of Jay on the trail and at the finish.

Kissy

2012-01-16T09:16:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Christy! Here is a trip down memory lane. I hope you had a wonderful day!

Christy was born a short 13 months after Stacy. We had gotten used to taking care of a new baby...so we were all better when Christy came around. Christy had very fine and wispy hair when she was little. It's hard to imagine now that she has thick, curly hair that grows faster than anyone's. She can cut it short and two years later it's half-way down her back. I'm sure I speak for all of us girl's when I say I am jealous.

It took Christy forever to talk. However, once she found she had something to say...everything changed...and we haven't had any peace since. :) She also found she was a bit sarcastic and you have to watch her closely to tell if she's serious or not.

Despite her biting humor, Christy puts us all to shame with her compassion. She has, and has always had, a love of animals. She is the best aunt ever, and treats all her nieces and nephews like friends. She plays with them, takes care of them, and talks to them. She always says she loves you when she calls and is probably the glue that holds most of us together.

Christy is small....well petite. She's short and weighs nothing. None of us are sure where she comes from. But she can fill the room with her laughter. She loves to have a good time. She plays cards mercilessly and loves to win. She wants everyone to have a good time all of the time and we do when she is there.

I love you Christy.

The Nativity

2011-12-29T09:37:00.000-08:00

The kids dressed up to do the annual Nativity. Jay read the story, the audience sang, and the kids did their best to come in on cue.

the donkey

Joseph

Angel

Mary riding the donkey

Shepard

Angel

Wise Man

Wise Men

Wise Man

AND more Christmas Eve!

2011-12-29T09:06:00.000-08:00

Stacy set up a scavenger hunt for the kids. They each had a set of clues to find and follow. The chase sent them all over the property, racing to find their prize.

Addison

Kiera

Turner

Nikolai

Trenton

Gavin

Aleksi

The last clue had the kids find the "old cowboy who lives here."

For Christmas Eve dinner we always do steaks, just like my grandparents did while we were growing up. We set the tables with center pieces and Mom's china. We had a full house this year and enjoyed the meal and conversation.

More Christmas Eve Fun

2011-12-29T07:44:00.000-08:00

We played "hand and foot" after we had lunch. We made it through two rounds before we had to start getting ready for dinner.

Chelsea and Turner

Christy and Trenton

Kimberly

Mom

The big boys did some clay pigeon shooting. The little boys thought that picking up the used shells was just as much fun. They gathered them all up and divided them equally, thrilled with their treasure.

Roasting Hot Dogs on Christmas Eve

2011-12-29T07:30:00.000-08:00

A new tradition! Roasting hot dogs in the fire pit for lunch...although hot dogs are not my favorite the kids loved it and it was such fun to sit outside, enjoy the sunshine, and watch the fire. The only thing missing was marshmallows....maybe next year.

Trenton

Me, Kimberly, and Turner

Chelsea and Gavin

Gavin and Mom

Nikolai

Trent breaking into the sushi...nothing says Merry Christmas like hot dogs and sushi.

Addison and Christy

Gavin

Nikolai

Gavin and Nikolai

Aleksi said he had a hot dog...but we must not have caught it on film...

A Christmas Baby!

2011-12-24T21:29:00.000-08:00

None of us will ever forget the Christmas that Stacy joined our family. We woke up to find our parents had gone to the hospital and we weren't allowed to open presents in the morning as usual. That was tough for us to understand, since we were all under the age of 10. However, Stacy has more than made up for those few missed hours of present opening.

Here is a list of things I love to remember about Stacy:

1. She was such a cute baby. She had jet black hair and a lot of it.

2. We called her Bugsy for a while because she loved to squish the bugs outside.

3. She had a tiny pair of cowboy boots that she loved...and they were adorable.

4. One year she got a Mickey Mouse t-shirt from Grandma Closner and she said she didn't like it. Grandma took it back.

5. She's never been afraid to say what she thinks and share her opinion.

6. She loves to laugh...and she has a laugh that fills the room.

7. She quickly grew taller than all of us.

8. She and Christy and Andy were inseparable.

9. She was born on Christmas...and every year growing up she demanded to celebrate her birthday on Christmas.

10. Now that she's all grown up she is such a fun sister. She is always happy, smiling, and telling jokes. She wears tall heels, shirts with sequins, and big jewelry. She has an infectious laugh (I know I've already mentioned this, but you've got to hear it) and she keeps us all smiling.

I love you Stacy! Have another happy birthday!

My Birthday

2011-12-03T17:44:00.001-08:00

To Emily:

We never tell the ones that we see so often how much we appreciate them! I wanted everyone to know how I really feel.

I love the times that we can just hangout and talk, enjoy each others company, and laugh. I know that doesn't happen as much as we would like, but some day (probably years from now) we will be able to do it more often.
I know that your favorite thing is to do dishes day after day, and I know I use too many pots and pans when I cook, but we love that you do it, and never complain. THANK YOU!
You always keep us happy, and keep us going. I am not sure how you keep all of the different schedules in your head, but man, it is awesome.
Thank you for letting me abandon you early in the morning to go freeze my behind off or what ever body part I freeze when I run early in the morning, and you are stuck with the kids on the weekend. I appreciate that you let me go.
Your always look your best, and smell your best, and do your best, and we just keep going on, and never tell you, or let you know, so here it goes:

You Smell wonderful today, you look just as scrumptious, and thank you for all of your help!

I know I need to tell you these things more often, but hopefully this will be a good start to this year!

Your loving, and adoring husband,

Jay

P.S. Nikolai says that you are the nicest mommy in the world because you keep me warm at night with your hugs and kisses (even in our cold house!).

P.S.S Aleksi says you are the best in the world because you love us enough to sit and watch our favorite movies with us.

P.S.S.S Sorry for Hijacking your blog. :)

We had a Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-30T17:02:00.000-08:00

This year we decided to go and see one of my fabulous sister's in Oregon for Thanksgiving. Thanks Katie and Bryce for having us! This was a great decision on our part and we had such a fun time.

We were able to site-see, do a little shopping, relax, watch a movie, do a puzzle, play games, and enjoy being together for four days. The boys had a fun time playing with their cousins (all girls...Spencer doesn't count as a playmate just yet). They built with Legos, drew pictures, played kitchen, doctor, and town. They spent endless hours jumping on the trampoline and running around with the chickens.

Jay and I enjoyed having other adults around to talk to and having our kids constantly entertained. We went on walks, basked in the warm weather (50 degrees!) and had fun staying up late and playing games. Bryce baked the most wonderful bread three days in a row, and thankfully I didn't gain five pounds.

We cooked Thanksgiving dinner and our mom would have been proud. Everything was totally delicious and we only had one slight mishap with some French's Fried Onions.

We had a beautiful room to stay in with fresh towels, homemade quilts, and cute little foldout beds for the boys. We felt like we were at a hotel...except the shower was ...interesting :)

Thanks Kate and Bryce and family! We had so much fun!

Halloween 2011:just the pictures

2011-11-05T17:24:00.000-07:00

We had a lovely Halloween! Jay and I are two members of a gypsy punk band, Gogol Bordello, and the boys are ninjas...enjoy!

Andy's Farewell Family Pictures

2011-09-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

On the day of Andy's farewell, we took some time to get some family pictures done. This is just a small sampling of what we had done. It's nobody's favorite thing to do, but having the pictures afterwards is lots of fun. Aren't we a cute bunch?

To My Baby Brother

2011-08-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday!

Dear Andy,

Thinking of you turning 19, I remember that I am 12 years older than you....and that makes me feel old. :) I had more baby pictures of you in my files and I think that is because you were such a cute baby I couldn't choose between all of them. That isn't to say that you aren't cute now...but just look at your little bald head and sweet smile.

I have loved watching you grow up and become such a sweet and responsible young adult and then a fun-loving college student, and now a thoughtful missionary. I've loved watching you be an uncle to my boys and your other nieces and nephews. They will miss you terribly over these next two years (and not just because you let them play Empires and watch Lord of the Rings). I'm glad that they will be old enough, though, to know about what you will be doing as a missionary, to write to you, and to hopefully learn from and follow your example.

I will miss your sensitivity, your easy laugh, your willingness to play with my boys, and reading your obscure Facebook posts. We'll look forward to letters or emails and hearing about all you are experiencing while you are away.

I love you Andy and wish you all the best in the upcoming year...I'm still finding it hard to believe that you are nineteen!

Emily

Ben-JAMIN

2011-06-14T13:37:00.001-07:00

This is a super belated "Happy Birthday" to my brother Ben, who actually had his birthday in May. Pictures will hopefully follow...but I'm not making any promises. :)

A top 10 list for Ben

Ben and I often share the same hair color...although he's getting more conservative as he gets older.
Ben loves to play: video games, outdoor games, card games, he's always willing to jump in.
Ben wore a kilt to his reception. I'm not kidding. And he looked awesome.
Ben is a great dad. He loves to play with his children and does a wonderful job looking out for them.
Ben must love to drive. He will often drive from Hailey to Boise just for the weekend.
Ben reads great books. Even a few I haven't read yet.
Ben is very loyal. He will help you out whenever needed.
Ben is caring. I rarely hear him say anything bad about anything else.
Ben was a super cute kid. When I get pictures up, you can see what a little charmer he was. Not that he's not cute now...but nothing compares to his little boy pictures.
Ben can make me laugh. He is fun, light hearted, and loves to enjoy everything this world had to offer.

Ben...I love you!

Jim-Bob

2011-04-30T14:08:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday James!

The important thing about James, is he can tell a great elephant joke.

He loves to laugh and have a good time.

He believes in his opinions.

He likes to play with my boys.

He always looks happy to see you.

He is a sweet dad.

He is a die-hard BSU fan, complete with a Bronco-themed bathroom.

He plays.

He loves his family.

He is constant.

He makes me laugh.

He never forgets to call on my birthday.

He gives our dad a run for his money, nobody can dish it out like James.

He loves Dr. Pepper.

But the most important thing about James, is he can tell a great elephant joke.

to one skinny guy...

2011-04-08T18:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Joe! Here are two lists just for you.

Five things that Joe finds funny (but most others do not):

Himself.

Giving nicknames to everyone. Often these make no sense, since the cultural references are a little dated. No one is safe from a nickname. As an adult, I've run into people Joe knows and realize I don't even know what their real names are.

Passing gas while in a truck crowded with 9 kids on a LONG trip to Denver.

Teasing all of us relentless...about anything and everything.

Asking our boyfriends/girlfriends to say family prayer, even if they don't pray.

Pretending we might have drumsticks for dessert and then offering canned cherries. Also, offering drumsticks, knowing that we will think it's cherries and get excused from the table, and then actually getting drumsticks out of the freezer.

Five things that Joe enjoys:

Watching TV and movies...even if the TV show is terrible and the movie is cheesy.

Boys night out.

Dancing.

Western clothing, decor, activities, music, etc.

Family.

Embarrassing his children.

Driving.

The country.

Wyoming, Montana, rural Idaho, any place that is remote and empty.

Being teased back...just kidding, he hates that.

Double Your Pleasure...Double Your Fun

2011-04-04T19:06:00.000-07:00

My twin sisters are having their birthday today. I wanted to wish them happy birthday in order: first Kimberly and then Katie (since Kim is some 10 minutes older than Kate) however, blogger had another idea...so, here is a happy birthday being wished from youngest to oldest. I love you two and hope you had a wonderful day!

The important thing about Katie, is that she is interesting. She loves old books, movies, and home décor. She can turn any odd garage sale find into something fabulous for her home. She makes me laugh. She is a quilter. She is the mother of three girls and one new baby boy. She has a fetish for red shoes and cute coats. She is consistent. She writes a funny blog. She likes me and calls me on the phone. She is witty. She buys coloring books in bulk. She is up for new adventures. She plays the piano, so I can sing. She has good taste. She is faithful. She is a great friend and sister. But, the most important thing about Katie, is that she is interesting.

The important thing about Kimberly, is that she gives.

She seldom thinks of herself, when she knows something needs to be done.

She likes to have fun and wants to make things fun for everyone else, too.

She throws a great party.

She experiments with interesting recipes.

She is a wonderful mother, aunt, and teacher.

She is the glue that holds a lot of the family together.

She puts up with family when they are at their worst.

She likes to give gifts…good gifts.

She is kind hearted.

She loves to try new fashions, hair styles, and home décor.

She can put up with a lot (broken house, three kids, crazy family, etc.)

She would do anything for you.

She is creative and talented.

She is strong.

She is faithful.

She is a great friend and sister.

But,

the most important thing about Kimberly, is that she gives.

Happy Birthday to my favorite twin sisters!

In Honor of my Sister

2011-03-07T05:24:00.001-08:00

Today is my oldest sister's birthday. She lives in Alaska, and I am terrible about sending packages. The fact that she is fantastic about sending cards and goodies, makes me feel even worse. For my last birthday she sent me a card with an older naked woman on it, with strategic areas covered by a flower pot. She said it reminded her of me...how do you top that?

So, in honor of my beautiful sister, here is a top ten list of things she has taught me:

On the lighter side:

1. If you think it sounds like a great idea, you will probably get in trouble. However, the fun you have along the way, just might be worth it.

2. Babysitters are meant to be tortured. It is very important that you make them earn every quarter they may recieve for each hour they have to spend watching 6 incredibly horrible children.

3. Never underestimate the power of a good money making scheme. Many people are gulible and will give you money for things that should most likely find a home in their garbage can.

4. Toilet papering your own house is only a good idea if you do the front yard. If you toilet paper the back yard, your parents will somehow realize it was you.

5. Torture your younger siblings as much as possible; it will make them stronger in the future.

On a more serious side:

1. Have fun--life is meant to be enjoyed.

2. Laugh, often--it helps you feel great, even if you don't.

3. Be creative--there are a million things you can make with your hands.

4. Play with your kids--those memories are the ones they'll remember.

5. Be a fun big sister--eventually your younger siblings will look back and laugh at all the fun you had.

Happy Birthday Tam! I love you.

To My Mother: A Tribute

2011-03-04T17:50:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Mom!

To a young daughter, a mother
comforts her when she's scared,
holds her hand when she crosses the street,
reads her stories,
sings her to sleep,
feeds her when she's hungry,
and curls her hair for Sunday.

To a school age daughter, a mother
fixes treats for her classroom (ghosts made of white chocolate),
creates perfect Halloween costumes,
sews stylish clothes,
teaches her to ride a bike,
lets her walk to school with her best friend,
and curls her hair for picture day.

To a teenage daughter, a mother
tells her no when she wants to hear yes,
makes sure she eats a snack after school,
tells her to finish her homework,
warns her about boys and dating,
shares her own experiences about girl's camp,
deals with her mood swings,
and resigns to her wearing combat boots and dyeing her hair.

To a grown up daughter, a mother
inspires her as she raises her own children,
talks to her like a friend,
sympathizes when she has to clean up after sick children,
calls once a week to check in,
reminds her to be a patient, loving wife and mother,
offers advice,
brings countless goodies to her door,
and notices when she cuts her hair.

To me, you are the best mother a daughter could have.
I love you; Happy Birthday!

December...January...February

2011-02-22T17:37:00.000-08:00

I'm not one to back track, but since I just unloaded the camera and found all the fun things we'd done over the past few months...I couldn't resist.

These are January Birthdays. We'd gone to Chuck O' Rama for our annual "I-Can't-Believe-Dad-is-Buying-Dinner"lunch before we ended up at our place to celebrate Christy and Addison being born.

This is Christmas at the Morgan's. Francis knitted all of us a BSU stocking cap.

This is our Christmas morning. If you look closely, you'll see our LIVE Christmas tree. It's a Norfolk Pine and can live indoors for several years. It was a compromise between Jay and I. We could get a living tree, if it was small and didn't look like a Christmas tree. It was nice to have a slightly larger tree this year. :)

And Finally....the heart shaped pizza for Valentine's Day. They look excited, right? :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T11:27:00.001-08:00

I used to be more creative. I would take time to work with the boys to make Valentine's for the grandparents, decorate the house, and frost Valentine's cookies. I learned this from my mom, who was excellent at holidays. She would put little notes in our lunches, let us decorate cookies, make pink heart shaped pancakes with red hots, and the list goes on.

At the Morgan home, this year, it looked more like this:

Totally thrown of schedule by Valentine's Day being on a Monday.

Spent last Saturday trying to get house back in order and get piles of grading done...therefore, did not take cute picture of boys with heart pillow, as have done in all years past.

Decided to have boys use potato stamps to decorate paper that would then be made into cards. On the 13th, scrapped this idea and printed HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY on cute pink scrapbook paper that will never be used otherwise.

Printed old photo of boys, from Christmas, spelling out LOVE with their little bodies (very cute).

Had boys work in sweat-shop-like conditions to sign all cards and glue pictures onto the front.

Let boys roll out heart shaped cookies...ran out of time to frost.

Quickly made little valentine's for the boys at 11:00 at night, before retiring to bed.

Forgot that spouse would probably like one, too...quickly made one at 6:00 in the morning before heading to work.

If you would like to see what good parents do for Valentine's, check out my sisters' blogs.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Bicycling

2011-02-13T20:56:00.000-08:00

Our Pontiac has not been in great running condition for months now, so I have officially become a bike commuter. In the past I have tried to ride as often as possible...however, if it was too cold, rainy, or if I had loads of work to bring home, I would choose to drive. Since the choice to drive has been taken away, I have enjoyed endless days of biking the 3 1/2 miles to and from work every day...no matter what. So, I've decided to compile a list of things I love and don't love about commuting by bike:

Things I Love:

Feeling refreshed and ready for my day.

Knowing that if I don't get another workout in, at least I've done my 30 minutes.

Time to think and enjoy the great outdoors.

Knowing that I'm doing something great for the environment.

Improving my fine motor skills while weaving in and out of traffic.

Thinks I Don't Love:

Riding when it is below 25 degrees.

Rain, snow, and fog.

Dodging cars who don't look both ways before proceeding.

Bad hair days...every day.

Remembering to get both my skirt and shoes in the bag, so I look professional while at work.

We had a gorgeous day last weekend and decided to go for a bike ride together as a family. Nikolai rode his own bike and I took Aleksi on the tag-along. We rode down to the north end and took some back roads to avoid traffic. We stopped off to see our good friends, Cynthia and Mike, enjoyed a nice stroll with them, and then headed home. All in all it ended up being about 13 miles. Jay and I felt like terrible parents, since Nikolai hasn't ridden his bike for quite a while...but he was a trooper and we had a great time.

We're hoping for some warmer weather and more chances to get out on the bikes.

Rock Climbing

2010-10-15T18:40:00.001-07:00

Uncle Justin came to town for a few days and bought a child sized harness for the boys. They headed out to try out Jay's new rope and the new harness. They had a great time and I'm sure they can't wait to get out again.

City of Trees Marathon

2010-10-15T18:34:00.000-07:00

Jay ran the City of Trees Marathon for the 2nd time last week. He trained for about 18 weeks and found that he can run some pretty fast miles. These are pictures right before he crossed the finish line. It was a pretty warm day, which is why he tossed his shirt at about mile 18. He had a fantastic time of 3 hours and 9 minutes. This was two minutes faster than two years ago, but not as fast as he was hoping for. However, I was pretty proud.

Jay's Birthday Camping Adventure

2010-10-15T18:23:00.001-07:00

For Jay's birthday, he and I headed up to McCall to camp and enjoy some beautiful weather. Camping in October is usually out of the question, but we enjoyed something closer to early September weather.

We got into McCall late and set up camp at Last Chance. Then we headed into town for dinner. Then next morning we did a quick trail run about two and half miles to a waterfall. Sorry, no pictures of that, camera's are hard to handle while running.

The rest of the day was spent biking around Payette Lake. We were in for a real treat with a sunny sky, fall colors, and a clear lake. We had lunch on the beach and had an ice cream cone at the end. That is one thing I remember about going to McCall when I was younger, Grandpa always got us an ice cream cone.

On our way home, we headed through Donnelly and up into the mountains in search of a hot spring. We found it, although it was an interesting one. There are two shacks with water piped in and a cement "tub" to soak in. The temperature was fantastic and we enjoyed a nice soak. We drove around Cascade lake to get home and hit Los Betos in Boise for a late night dinner.

It was a great way to say happy birthday to Jay and goodbye to the camping season.

First Day of School

2010-10-15T18:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess this is better late than never. Here are a few pictures of the boys on their first day of school. Yes, I know it is already mid-October, but I can't imagine you expect any more from me. I had a colleague cover my 1st period class, so that I could head over and see them on their first day. As you can see, they were quite excited to get back to school. Lucky for us, they still have that enthusiasm. Oh, and that is not our fancy car in the background of the the third picture...just in case you thought we'd upgraded.

Bicycles

2010-09-20T11:37:00.000-07:00

We decided to ride our bikes down to Julia Davis park a few weeks ago for the annual Art in the Park. We love to wander the booths drooling over merchandise we could never afford, laughing at all of the strangely dressed Boiseans, and examining photographs, taken by actual photographers, of beautiful places we've been to. (I'm teaching parallel structure to my 9th graders)

However, this is not a post about Art in the Park...it is a post about getting to and from Art in the Park.

We now live about three miles from the park, and since Nikolai has done so well on his two-wheeler, we are phasing out the trailer. So Nikolai rode his own bike with Jay's close supervision, and I took Aleksi on the tag along bike. If you've never ridden one of these great inventions, you'll just have to take my word on this...it's HARD. It looks easy when everyone else is doing it...but I found it hard to keep my balance and keep my bike going where it needed to.

Added to this, is Aleksi.

Several times while riding, the bike would suddenly sway to one side and I would have to keep us both upright and not run into others sharing the greenbelt path. Aleksi had several excuses as to why we were swaying:

1) "I was tired of sitting, so I thought I'd stand up for a while."
2) "My head was itching, so I had to move my helmet back and forth to scratch it."
3) "I don't even have to use the handlebars on this bike!"

Needless to say, we made it there and back in one piece and had a good time doing so...even if the ride was a little wobbly.

Chicken Love

2010-09-17T13:53:00.000-07:00

We've been enjoying having our chickens around since the spring. Looking back at their "baby" pictures, they have grown quite large. We've enjoyed showing them off to neighbors and friends...they can be a great distraction when needed. We've enjoyed about five fresh brown eggs and...

WARNING! Do NOT continue reading if you don't enjoy BLOOD and GORE...

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we butchered our roosters over Labor Day weekend. We butchered them for several reasons,

we aren't "allowed" to have roosters within city limits and
have you seen two roosters together? or heard two roosters crowing in the wee hours of the morning? If you answered yes, I don't need to go on.

I was concerned about the butchering and our tender-hearted boys, but apparently I'm the only tender-hearted one. I almost cried and couldn't watch, while the boys enjoyed the whole bloody (literally) show.

Jay did the honors, dipped them in boiling water, plucked the feathers, took out the guts, cleaned them, and froze them for later enjoyment.

I stayed out of the way, pulled a few (very few) feathers, rinsed the blood bucket, and stayed out of the way. (I know I said that twice, but that's mostly what I did.)

We ate one of the roosters that night and enjoyed a good meal with homemade stuffing and corn grown in our corn field. It was a good end to a not so fun day.

Now that the roosters are gone we finally let the boys name the three girls. Prior to this we didn't want to name them in case we had to eat them, which turned out to be a good idea. I may have pictures one day, but our three girls are Golden Girl, Reddy, and StormCloud. This is what happens when you allow a 6 and 8 year old to name your chickens.

Nikolai's Birthday

2010-06-21T10:16:00.000-07:00

Here is a backwards post about Nikolai's Birthday...again late, but still fun!

For his birthday we gave him The Fantastic Mr. Fox and The BFG. He also got a teepee...which did not turn out as well as my first attempt (I think, surprisingly, that a better made sheet makes a better teepeee) so we didn't take pictures of it. :(

Nikolai wanted a Jungle theme for his birthday...this is his tiger cake (minus the stripes). I put both of them in a tuperwear to stay moist and the frosting stuck to the lid...so, this one is missing his nose. :)

This is a big family picture taken at our house after Nikolai's baptism. He was lucky enough to be baptised on his birthday!

Andy baptised Nikolai...he did a great job and we're so proud of both of them!

This is a rhubarb coffee cake that Nikolai's loves. As you can see he is super-excited.

This is Nikolai's monkey pinata...it turned out great and everyone had a good time! He had several friends over for his party after school before school got out.

Thanks for making it to the bottom!

Andy's Graduated! Hooray!

2010-06-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

I know this is old news...but I'm always behind...of course. But, here are some fabulous pictures of our baby brother's high school graduation. Go Mustangs!

Welcome Chicks!

2010-05-25T17:38:00.000-07:00

We've welcomed five chicks to our house recently. Aleksi's kindergarten class watched several chicks hatch and we got to bring three of them home. We then got two more from D & B about a week later. They are hanging out in our sunroom keeping us entertained. Jay is building a chicken coop and we hope to have our own eggs in the future.

Happy Birthday Aleksi!

2010-05-18T06:04:00.001-07:00

This is the teepee I made Aleksi for his birthday...he was really excited!

Aleksi and all of his presents.

Aleksi and the pinata.

I know it looks like it is "hanging," but it was the best we could do. :)

I made Aleksi a peach coffee cake in the shape of a chick for breakfast. He wasn't super excited, but the rest of us enjoyed it.

Aleksi wanted to have a "chick" birthday,...as in chickens, not babes. So, we made yellow rice crispie treats that I cut out in the shape of chicks to send to school, stayed up all hours of the night creating a chick pinata, and planned fun games for his friends to play (like pin the egg in the chicken's nest).

Aleksi had a great time at the party, and now I'm gearing up for Nikolai's here soon. Birthday's are exhausting, but it is so fun to see them happy and excited.

As always, my pictures are totally out of order and I am too lazy to fix them...enjoy this post backwards. :)

Sock Monkeys

2010-04-12T12:45:00.001-07:00

A certain sister, who shall remain nameless, forced me (against my will) to spend hours upon hours of time sewing very difficult sock monkeys to give to the boys for Christmas. Okay, so she didn't force me, but it seemed like such a good idea! Needless to say, mine are nowhere near as fabulous as hers, but the boys love me anyway and in turn love their sock monkeys. A few months ago, while at our local Youth Ranch, I found a set of very cute sock monkey sheets for only $5.00. I couldn't resist. I finally got them on their beds by combining the set with another sheet set, and I think they couldn't be any cuter! I put the stuffed animals ont he bed for modeling purposes...they are very cooperative. :)

A Very Briner Easter

2010-04-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

We had a fun time on Sunday having a post-Easter and Birthday celebration. Grandma had lots of fun things for the kids to do. The "big" boys went out and hid the eggs for the kids. Each one of the kids had to find a pink egg and a big egg. The smallest eggs were for the littlest kids.

Everyone lined up on the patio and had a great time looking for eggs in the yard and on the porch. Then, the "big" boys had to hide the eggs a second time. This time they could find as many eggs as they could, but they HAD to find the one with their name on it. Uncle Tommy aslo brought some hard boiled eggs along and he and Kiera had fun hiding those for the kids as well.

When everyone came back in, Grandma had a huge basket of prizes. The kids traded their egg for a prize of their choice. Then the adults were able to choose a prize as well. I got some nice lotion and big bag. :)

It was a really fun time and the my kids appreciated the egg hunt, since we were out of town this year. Happy late Easter!

More Boulder City Fun

2010-04-01T20:42:00.000-07:00

We've been having a lot of fun at Aunt Christy's house. Yesterday we made caterpillars out of egg cartons and died easter eggs.

The kids have been getting up early and playing in the living room before breakfast. This is the "kids" table where they eat all of their meals. Aunt Christy lets them choose their cereal and then gives them a small cup with milk that they can pour in themselves. This has been a huge hit!

Even after their cereal this morning, the boys wanted to eat one of their Easter eggs. They thought they were good and will probably have to eat several more tomorrow.

This afternoon we went to the Silverton Casino to see the mermaid show. The kids thought it was really cool. We were impressed as well. The mermaids played with all of the kids and did some pretty cool tricks.

After the mermaids we went to the strip to see a few things. They boys thought everything was amazing and loved the fountains at the Bellagio. We got to see it twice and they would have watched it all night if we'd had time. The spring display inside was really neat and the kids enjoyed that as well.

Valley of Fire

2010-03-29T21:54:00.001-07:00

SPRING BREAK!

We traveled to Boulder City, Neveda on Saturday. My sister Katie and her three girls are here as well and we are having a great time. Today we went to Valley of Fire to look at the petroglyphs and do a little hiking. Katie and her oldest daughter Elizabeth came with us. It was a long drive, but the petroglyphs were fascinating. We did a few walks to see lots of petroglyphs and some petrified wood. It was a fun day!

Spring is Here!

2010-03-29T21:33:00.000-07:00

Our spring flowers are blooming! We've enjoyed some great days out in the yard digging in the flower beds, raking leaves, and wishing for more warm days. We are excited to see more of our flowers begin to bloom and in a few weeks we're hoping to get the garden tilled and get things ready for planting...wish us luck!

Haircuts!

2010-03-29T21:16:00.000-07:00

The time finally came to get haircuts! Nikolai does really well, but Aleksi does not love the haircutting experience. However, I was able to get both done and they look SO much better!

Valentine's Day Party

2010-03-29T20:44:00.000-07:00

VALENTINE'S DAY PARTY

Grandma and Grandpa Morgan kept the boys for the weekend and they surprised us with a party when we went to pick them up. They had made treats and valentines. It was a great time and sweet of the boys to want to do something fun for us!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-09T14:29:00.001-08:00

These are my favorite pictures each year. Jay has had the IKEA heart pillow since his days in Germany and since the boys were little I've taken a picture of them with it for Valentine's day.

SNOW

2010-02-01T06:16:00.000-08:00

January has felt like spring with warm days in the fourties...but yesterday we woke up to snow. It snowed most of the day, although little actually stuck to the ground. I have a little spring fever...or cabin fever...not sure which to blame my mood on.

Pictures?

2010-01-29T16:12:00.000-08:00

If you become a blogger....do you have to post a picture every time? I am not a faithful picture take like I was in the past. The time slips away and the camera lays hidden beneath a chair in the bedroom. We take it out for special occasions, but then we have so many pictures it takes a awful long time to go through them. So, I've decided that pictures are not always a necessity. So this is my first post sans pictures. Enjoy.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-06T16:36:00.000-08:00

Sadly, it doesn't seem like it was that long ago that I was posting pictures from last Christmas.

I spent my first few days off from work frantically trying to get all of my Christmas gifts made. I had a great time sewing and painting and copying and enjoying the time I had to create things from scratch. I love to give homemade gifts...even though they often seem to be a little stressful.

We had a great holiday season filled with family traditions, a little snow, and time spent together. Here are some pictures of the fun we had!

Not Ready to Give Up

2010-01-05T06:14:00.001-08:00

I'm sure most of you have long since stopped checking our blog, but I'm going to try and start up again. I'm a creature of convenience and have a hard time waiting for dail up or heading to the library to us the wifi....so I've been a slacker. I'm hoping with the new year I can be a better blogger and keep everyone updated. :)

We had a great Christmas and are excited to begin a new year with good health, a wonderful home, and time to spend with each other. Hope the new year is treating everyone well!

Grand Canyon Adventure

2009-04-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at the Grand Canyon. It was harder than I expected, but we had a great time. We hiked down on the first morning (about 14 miles). We camped at Cottonwood Campground that night. We only got a short hike in the next day (about 5 miles) since I could barely walk. :) We spent the night again and woke up early to head back to the rim (about 15 miles). It was so beautiful and we took tons of picutres. Here are a few pictures of the trip.

Slacker

2009-03-20T20:34:00.000-07:00

I've been such a slacker! I'm so excited that Spring Break has finally arrived! The students were crazy today but we all survived somewhat unscathed and now I'm ready to start enjoying some time away.

Jay and I leave for our Grand Canyon adventure tomorrow. The game plan is to hike the canyon rim to rim to rim. We've got our packs packed up and the car almost loaded, so hopefully it will be smooth sailing tomorrow.

The boys will be with the grandparents while we're gone, so they'll be having some adventures of their own. :)

I'll try to get some pictures and information posted when we get back...wish us luck!

Merry, Merry Christmas!

2008-12-27T13:35:00.001-08:00

It was wonderful to wake up to a White Christmas! It has been snowing most of the week and so we had a beautiful view out the window. . .everything covered in white fresh snow, and even more coming down.

The boys were fabulous and didn't wake up until about 8:00! They were excited to look in their stockings to see what Santa had brought. When they had seen everything, Jay passed out the wrapped gifts from family.

The boys are at a great age. . .they think any gift is the best thing ever! We love to see their joyful faces as they open up each gift look so excited each time.

The batman action figures were the biggest hit, but they did enjoy the sock monkeys that mommy stayed up all hours of the night sewing! I don't know why each year I think I should make some sort of impossible craft project. They were fun, but a lot of work and then, as always, they didn't quite turn out the way I would have liked.

Tammy and Kelly had us for Christmas and gave me and boys aprons, so we put them to good use making crepes for breakfast.

We spent the rest of the morning sledding at the Trian Depot and building a giant snowman in the backyard. Then it was time to get ready and head into Nampa for Christmas dinner with the Morgans. We had prime rib with all the fixings and we stuffed ourselves accordingly.

The boys enjoyed opening more gifts and watching to see what everyone else got. We had brought their jammies to show off and so we got them dressed, bundled up again, and thankfully had clear roads for the drive home.

It has really been a lovely Christmas season. I'm writing this on Saturday and we have enjoyed another day of snow. At 2:43, it is just barely tappering off. What a beautiful season we are enjoying.

Hope everyone is enjoying the season as well. Happy Holidays!

Christmas Eve Traditions

2008-12-27T13:03:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa Briner's. This is a family tradition brought over from the Closners. Katie and Bryce were in town with their girls, so we had a very full house. We ate the traditional steak dinner, thanks to Jay's amazing BBQing skills. Joe was trying to get the pellet stove working, so Jay was volunteered to do the cooking. We ate at two tables to accomodate all of the family and enjoyed good food and conversation.

After dinner was finished and the dishes were done, we got the grandkids dressed up to perform the nativity. The kids all looked great and Nikolai was able to read the story this year, which he really enjoyed. It was fun to have enough little people to play the parts.

We played games and then had the kids open up their grandparent gifts. Grandma makes them pj bottoms every year. They ooohed and aaahed about their jammies and Hot Wheels cars. We got them dressed up in their new jammies, took some, well several, pictures and then bundled up and headed for home.

We drove home in near white out conditions and were happy when we were finally safe and warm in our house!

STICHES!

2008-12-21T16:49:00.000-08:00

I came home from work on Wednesday to find that Aleksi had tripped and hit his forehead on one of the kitchen chairs. Jay had bandaged it up so I didn't see the wound until that evening when we were changing the bandaged. After much deliberation after looking at it closely, we decided that we should probably take him into the Emergency Room for stiches.

Jay took him in around 8:30 and they were back by 10:30 with five stitches in Aleski's forehead. Jay said he didn't cry at all and did very well.

I can't believe one of our kids has gotten stiches already! I've been lucky enough to never have been badly injured, although Jay is another story. I guess it is inevitable with kids, but still sad to see the little guy all sewn up.

I took him in today and they cut the stitches out, so now we just need to keep ointment on it and hope it doesn't scar too badly. It is under his bangs, so even if there is a small scare, it shouldn't be visible unless he joins the army.

Gingerbread Houses

2008-12-21T16:27:00.000-08:00

We spent last Sunday at Kim's house celebrating my birthday, eating lots of yummy food and making gingerbread houses. The gingerbread houses has been a tradition that Mom started a few years ago with the grandkids.

We're still working out the kinks with the houses. . .they tend to always fall apart. Nikolai was creative this year and just made his house with a flat roof.

The kids loved putting the candy of the houses with icing, and were pretty good about not eating all of the decorations. :)

The houses didn't last long once we brought them home. . .the boys really wanted to eat them and we said okay, since they aren't good if they've been out too long.

But they sure were cute while they lasted.

Nikolai's Music Program

2008-12-06T18:43:00.000-08:00

Nikolai performed in the Veteran's Day Concert in November. The Kindergarten through Third Grade students performed patriotich songs and many of the kids had parts to say. Nikolai had a part to say and did the whole thing with his eyes closed. I thought that he was consentrating on remembering the part that he had memorized, but we got a different story when we asked him about it later. He explained to us that he closed his eyes so that he wouldn't cheat by looking at the part on the music stand! Nikolai also sings in the volunteer choir and they performed a few songs as well, so he did a lot of singing since they did the program twice. . .once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Nikolai was pretty excited about the program and had a great time performing in front of the crowd.

Vacation!

2008-12-06T18:21:00.000-08:00

Jay and I are in Seattle having a wonderful, although quick, vacation. We left on Friday around 11:00 and arrived in Seattle around 6:00. We're staying with Darby and Rob, my cousin and her husband. They live on the west side of Queen Anne in a beautiful home that they have redone.

We headed out to downtown this morning by foot and enjoyed the brisk air and beautiful views of the sound. We walked through the sculpture garden, hit the art museum and the Experience Music Project, and took a quick stroll through the market. We ate lunch at a street front Italian resteraunt and enjoyed some warm food after so much outdoor exposure.

We're now warm and cozy inside the house and getting ready for a homemade pasta dinner, courtesy of Darby the Chef.

Family

2008-11-21T21:30:00.000-08:00

We spent some time last Sunday at Alberton's Park taking family pictures and letting the boys run wild and free.

The weather was beautiful so we had a great time being outside of the house for a few hours.

I finally took the plunge and cut all of my hair off. I'd been growing it out for no reason and had finally had enough! I went to the beauty college and I was very happy with the results. I feel SOOOOO much better!

2008-11-21T21:28:00.000-08:00

These are some pictures of the boys' room. Unfortunately I didn't take them right after we were finished, so everthing is messy, but at least true to life. We painted the beds and dressers and then I gave the curtains a face lift. The room looks tons better, although with the extra space, the boys just tend to get out more toys.

2008-11-21T21:10:00.000-08:00

We spent this Sunday in October checking out Bev's giant pumpkin and gathering pumpkins at Grandma Lillian's. It was a perfect day for spending time together and enjoying the harvest.

2008-11-10T05:43:00.000-08:00

Here's the four of us. This is from last year, but not much changes. . .

And so it begins. . .

2008-11-10T05:40:00.000-08:00

Okay, I finally did it. I don't know that I'll be able to keep it up, but it's worth a shot. I spent all weekend in a class and we're using computers, so I actually got a chance to see everyone's blogs. I do have to say, it appears everyone has way too much time on their hands. :)