Kayak Sledding

Leave it to Jeff to find a way to kayak in the snow. A few weeks ago he took the kids sledding - and who needs a sled when you have a garage full of kayaks? This one is actually Peyton's kayak.

Hannah Montana! Hannah Montana

Hannah Montana, or as Ashley says, "Hannah Montana! Hannah Montana!" is Ashley's latest "favorite." She got a Hannah Montana! Hannah Montana! guitar for Christmas and plays "Best of Both Worlds" over and over and over and over and over and over and well, you get the idea. When we told Ashley about the Hannah Montana concert "now in theaters" it was all she could talk about. She ADORES Hannah Montana! Hannah Montana! The show is in 3-D so during the movie she kept reaching out her arms and trying to touch Hannah Montana! Hannah Montana! During the dance songs she would bounce up and down on her chair so fiercely I was afraid it was bothering the other theater-goers. When I asked her to settle down she said, "but Mom, I'm dancin'!" in a very teenager-like-voice. She was not happy when it ended after only 1 hour and 15 minutes - neither was I - for $15 it should've lasted at least 4-5 hours! Oh well, it's cheaper than any other concert these days. I'm turning her into a concert-goer early - when I was 8 months pregnant we went to a Barenaked Ladies concert together and sat on the 13th row! Our little Ashley is growing up so fast! Ashley Banks! Ashley Banks! We love you!

McCall, Idaho

We spent Saturday in McCall to take in the Winter Carnival--basically a bunch of very cool snow sculptures. There was so much snow! Peyton and Ashley loved running through the "maze" of plowed snow. Did we take pictures of all the cool snow sculptures? Of course not, we left the camera in the car, but here's a picture of how much freakin' snow there was! Thank goodness Jeff drove. You know what all this snow means, don't you? Big-a** rivers in the spring!

Peyton's 1st Sleepover!

So Jeff had this "great" idea to let Peyton have a sleepover and invite 3 friends! Isaac was sick so it was Matthew, Tenje, and Peyton from 6:00 pm Friday until 10:00 am Saturday morning. Ashley and I snuck out to see a girl movie ("27 Dresses" which was very cute and I'm sure Ashley would agree that you must go see it), so Jeff was left to entertain the 1st graders. Luckily, the Playstation did a good job of entertaining them. Jeff's hut-building-ability, popcorn-popping, and storytelling entertained them as well. Unfortunately, Peyton didn't like the idea of Mom taking pictures at his sleepover so you may notice that he's missing from one of the pictures and looking a little grumpy in the second one. Ashley had no problem getting in on the pictures!

Cross Country Skiing at Bogus Basin

The kids are in ski lessons for 1/2 day each weekend so last weekend Jeff and I took the opportunity to go cross country skiing together while they were busy on the downhill slopes.






Two hours of quality "us" time. It was so beautiful up in the mountains, above the inversion. Yes, we get inversions in Boise but luckily they don't stink like they did in Layton & Farmington! Hopefully you can see by these pictures why we are in love with Idaho and why you should all come here! I hate snow and still had a wonderful day.

Peyton lost his 2nd tooth!

Peyton lost his 1st tooth!

Yay! Peyton lost one of his teeth on the bottom row - I'll post pictures soon - we're so excited we can hardly stand it! The 2nd one is already loose...

Did you know the tooth fairy has raised her prices for teeth? Kids these days are getting paid in dollars instead of cents. I remember when I was happy to get silver instead of copper... (just kidding, Mom)

Ashley and Great Grandpa Bob O.

Since her Great Grandpa Bob O. passed away almost a month ago Ashley has been full of questions. We tried to explain to her that Grandpa's spirit is up in heaven now even though his body is buried at the cemetery. Here is a list that should make you smile.

• "When is Grandpa Bob O. going to wake up?"
• "Is Grandpa Bob O. going to be cold at the cemetery?"
• "Oh, so Grandpa Bob O.'s up in heaven with Jesus?"
• "Why is Grandma Margaret on her own?"
• (After we're back in Idaho) "When are we going to Grandpa Bob O.'s funeral again?"
• (And every time I look the least bit sad) "Are you sad about Grandpa Bob O.?"

Every night when we say prayers she remembers to tell God to take care of Bob O. and have him watch over us. And we've always told Ashley that Jesus's spirit is inside church so every time we drive past a church, it doesn't matter which one (Ashley knows Jesus is nondenominational), she exclaims with glee -- "Bob O. 's in there with Jesus!"

Making a Snowman!

It finally snowed enough in Boise to make a snowman. Good thing Daddy Jeff was around to help pack and lift all the snow. OK, Jeff did the whole thing, but Mommy Jen took the pictures! And thanks to Uncle Justin and Aunt Erika's gift of a "snowman-making kit" we had all the right supplies. Ashley named the snowgirl "Madi," but Peyton changed its name to "Madi-Maximus."

To My Family...

Jeff

You have survived me for 10 years
You have weathered my family, friends, career, and school
You have given me two wonderful children
and have fostered a loving family for all of us
You made me a homeowner, a college graduate, a mother, and a career woman
I wouldn’t be where I am today without you

You are my rock
You are my adventure and my courage
You give me the strength to try something new or persevere something difficult
You are my mentor, counselor, and friend
You hold my secrets and praise my successes
You handle my idiosyncrasies and manage my habits
You give and give and take and give some more

You are the man who walks on a song
You are the man who awakens to the flow of a river
and breathes deeper in his kayak or hiking boots
You share these passions with me
Better yet, you teach them to our children

You are a conscious and thoughtful father
able to make smiles out of tears and laughter out of screams
You are a loving son and brother
You are successful and personable and likeable and social
You are gorgeous inside and out even if I neglect to tell you
You are crazy to be with me this long
but I hope you never change

I love you!

Peyton

You keep reminding me that you’re almost 7-years-old.
7 seems so much older than 6.
You are a 1st grader now,
trying to gain independence.
You seem to thrive at the new experience
and I watch you work through your shyness
much better than I ever did at your age.
You ask questions and aren’t satisfied with generic answers.
You have friends, a lot of them, and never complain about enemies.
You didn’t want me to walk in to school with you on the 1st day
but you let me come for lunch and stay and play with you at recess.
You say “I love you, too” quietly when I drop you off at school
and before I go to school at night.

You still drape your arm around my neck when we snuggle together
and your hugs can’t be beat.
You are impressed with my shoe-tying ability
and ask for my help even though you’re capable—
you know I’ll keep tying your shoes
because I fear the day you will no longer want my help.

You like to do “boy” things with Daddy
and “dates” with Mommy.
You watch out for your sister and are her teacher and disciplinarian, too.
You are sweet and kind and stubborn and determined.

I love you!

Ashley

You don’t like being left alone
or loud, sudden noises.
You take to organizing our bathroom cabinet
and carefully removing all the items from my make-up bag,
placing them in precision on the floor,
lecturing them as if they are your students,
and then placing them one-by-one back where they belong.
You like the taste of Listerine
and prefer to use Mommy & Daddy toothpaste.
You love music and dancing and reading stories and making pictures.
You always offer to help do laundry, the dishes, or vacuum the floor,
but you hate getting your face washed
or your hair combed.

You are a Daddy’s girl
and a Mommy’s girl
and know which one to be when it benefits you most.
You love your Big Brother and always want to sit by him,
jump on the trampoline with him,
play Power Rangers with him,
or watch High School Musical with him.
You talk to Charley and Figaro as if they will understand you
and you always remember to include them in our prayers.
You can get Daddy to do whatever you want by saying “it makes me happy.”

You are uniquely you.
At times a princess,
at times a mischievous 3-year-old.

I love you!