Once again, a full year has come and just about gone. And I am left sitting here wondering what happened to it?  2012 has been a year of monumental changes in my family’s life.  After a move north from Utah to Idaho, our little family has experienced everything from adventure to trauma, fears to excitement, milestones to miracles, and sorrow to elation.  Pictures depict this range of emotions much better than words can ever describe:

Of course, being up north, we’ve had our share of cold weather, snow, and sub-zero temperatures.  However, we’ve made the most of it whether snow machining, building snowmen, sledding, or doing 360’s on a tube behind the 4-wheeler.

Living in a new area, my husband took it on him to show our little family around on multiple adventures including hiking, camping, sightseeing, 4-wheeling, and picking flowers in a meadow.  Where we live, we’re surrounded by some beautiful scenery and wildlife.  Rule 1 while we’re driving?  “Always look for game”.

Aside from being surrounded by mountains, lakes, and rivers, we are also not too far from a different type of landscape – the St. Anthony sand dunes.  Sure, the beach is relaxing, but riding on some sand dunes or simply walking barefoot in this fine sand is exhilarating.

And of course, we’ve made plenty of time for the fishing! Whether it be standing on a frozen lake, pulling fish from a 10 inch hole or casting from inside a boat in the warmth of the sun, we’ve caught some lunkers!  And these girls are becoming more and more versatile in their outdoors capabilities.

We’ve learned a few skills including riding a bike without training wheels (but still keeping it feminine with a skirt):

and learning how to ride a horse for the first time:

Along with other learned skills, the girls learned to take advantage of the 15,000 university students living in our midst.  Before school, on the cold mornings, these two girls sat near the crosswalk intersections selling cups of hot cocoa to the students walking to their 7:45am classes!  They were able to also learn the value of money, hard work, success, and sometimes rejection.

But life doesn’t come without its pain and grief.  C8 learned that the hard way (and so did her mom!) when she spent the beginning of the 4th of July weekend in the ER with a broken collarbone.  Because of that, she had to sport a blue over-the-shoulder sling for the rest of the summer.  

However, being a little girl of a positive disposition and an ingenious mind, she soon turned lemons into lemonade when we noticed how she was using her sling at the local parade.

The immense grief our entire family had to experience this year was one that no family, nor parent, should ever have to live through.  Many tears were shed as we said good-bye to our new cousin/nephew once he was called back to heaven with our Heavenly Father.  Such a perfect soul whose smile brought great joy to his parents and siblings, Grady slipped away quietly one morning and left everyone behind devastated.  He is missed every day.

Yet, amid heartache, our family grows closer together and are grateful to be an eternal unit.  We rejoice in our growth and achievements.

And as we look forward to a new year of 2013, we are already aware it’s going to be another whirlwind of changes:

Happy New Year from my family to yours!  May it be everything you’ve planned, hoped, and dreamed it to be!

One of my favorite parts of the Christmas holiday is the decorating of the tree.  Combining two families meant combining two traditions.   So, for my husband, who is used to decorating his own tree every year, in his own style, with his own ornaments, I’m sure it must have been a shock when a family of girls and glittered ornaments joined his bachelor pad.  However, by the looks on everyone’s faces the night we put up the tree, I’d dare say we’re all a match made in heaven.  Ad found a way to reach the top of the tree, C8 squealed with delight placing all the ornaments at her eye level, and I sat back with a camera, absorbing the moment of joy in our home.

I don’t tend to use this blog as a platform to brag about my husband openly.  Subliminally, yes.  But every so often, I just can’t help but shout my praises to what a wonderful catch he has been!  I mean, the simple day-to-day behaviors are typical for husbands in general, I’m sure:  For example, when he throws his arms around me and verbally thanks me for taking time to unload the dishwasher.  Or when he takes time to fold the laundry because I “do it too often”.  Those are all typical behaviors of men, right?  So, it wouldn’t be something out of the ordinary to blog about that.

But, what if your husband decided to plan something special for a date night?  And built it up by saying “This night is all about you!”  I knew we had tickets to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir perform at the BYU-Idaho Conference Center that night.  And I knew we were planning on eating out before the concert.  But what I didn’t know was what he had “up his sleeve”, and what kept bringing a mischievous smile to his face every time he’d refer to our “special evening”.  Disclaimer: this man is good with keeping secrets and surprises.  What he’s NOT good at is revealing any part of the details, even when I’m to the point of pulling my hair out with guesses.

So, finally the night arrived…and so did our transportation.

Ad, looking out the window: “Uh, Mom…there’s a limo outside our house.”  What in the… I look back at the hubs, with that same mischievous smile on his face.  “Well, we’d better get going, then!” he says.  The girls jump in,  squealing and bouncing, excited to take their first ride in a limo. However, their fun came to an end when we dropped them off for the evening.  The hubby scoots over closer to me, dotes on me about how beautiful I look that night, then watches my reaction as we drive by familiar homes to pick up some of our closest friends.

Apparently, he had arranged with the husbands of these friends to surprise their wives the same way he had done with me.  And not only did we ride to dinner in a limousine, but everything romantic you could dream of was included: chocolate covered strawberries, Sparkling Martinelli’s, and a red rose for each of the ladies.   We showed up for reservations he had made at a delicious steak house, then loaded back up in the limo for the ride to the Conference Center, where we sat and indulged in the amazing harmony of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir voices.  What an amazingly romantic, uplifting, and enjoyable evening!

What I learned this night:
* Apparently, limos don’t drive down the streets of Rexburg very often (by the looks of the public’s faces)
* Keep my composure the next time I see a limo. Even though the windows are dark, it doesn’t mean the people inside can’t see you!
* My husband will always be more creative and romantic than I could ever be!

My husband is so good about introducing us girly girls to the beautiful back country here in Idaho.   Coming from a lifestyle of glitter and Barbies, these girls and I definitely are expanding our horizons – whether it’s watching a sunset from the sand dunes, or ripping earthworms in half for the fish hook.  I’ve enjoyed watching them discover new activities, and gain interest in animals, wildlife, and nature.  

So, of course living this far north, we needed to take advantage of the mother of all nature and wildlife – Yellowstone National Park!  Ever been?  I hadn’t - unless I went as a child and just don’t remember.  So we wanted to give the girls some memories of the beauty and nature.

Even up close…

We saw many paint pots, which didn’t let off the best of aromas…

… many prismatic pools and hot springs (we didn’t touch the water, but the steam and heat that emitted from the pools were enough to convince me not to go for a swim)…

Not much luck on the “wildlife” part of Yellowstone.  We saw two bison clear off in the distance while driving, and we did see this elk just lounging in the leaves.  But other than that, we were cheated out of that grizzly bear encounter I so hoped for.

And of course, we saw plenty of what Yellowstone is famous for – Geysers!!  It makes me wonder why this place hasn’t imploded (or exploded) from all the activity that happens underneath the earth!  One day, I have a feeling it will…. but I won’t be there when it does!

Plenty to see and do in Yellowstone, just not enough time in one day to see it all! 

A few things I learned from our day in Yellowstone:

1) If planning on spending a night anywhere in the park (lodging), reservations need to be made at least ONE YEAR in advance!
2) The ice cream tastes like whipped cream.
3) Kids don’t necessarily enjoy all the walking on boardwalks and they need time to rest and nap in the car.
4) Always go prepared with a cooler of food – meals and snacks – and plenty of water to drink. Not many options inside the park and what food you will find isn’t a bargain!
5) I’m a VERY paranoid mom around the cliffs, hot water pools, and any sign warning of “danger”.
6) What a beautiful world we live in and I take it for granted most of the time.

We are living in a blog eat blog world these days!  I can’t believe how many different styles of blogs have been created, and with so many different topics – personal, crafts, kids’ crafts, recipes, home decor, and just plain fun to read.  The blog writer’s personality is usually demonstrated through their words and you get a feel for what type of person they are.

One of my blogging friends has decided to identify those bloggers that lift and inspire the blogging world.  To start it off, she has selected someone she feels is inspirational, then that bloggers selects someone, then that person selects someone, and so on and so on, until all of a sudden, there’s an amazing blog love fest happening.  A “pay it forward” type system.

Well, this person has selected ME to start her her project!  Apparently, her criteria for “inspirational” isn’t very details or demanding, but I was honored to be spotlighted on her blog.  Go check it out and stop by her blog every Tuesday for a new spotlight of a different blogger.

Oh how I look forward to those 3 day weekends, when the esposo and I get the holiday off from work.  Plus, we took an extra day off beforehand and made it a 4-day weekend to spend time with family, enjoy the outdoors, do some stocking up, and walk on water.  Sounds amazing, doesn’t it.  Need a little clarification?

Can anyone guess where we were? You Utahns will be able to figure it out!

Of course we had to take advantage of the East Idaho State Fair!  We experienced just about everything there is to experience at a fair – petting animals, checking out vendors, sitting on 4-wheelers and dreaming, stuff ourselves silly with so-bad-for-you, yet-so-delicious food, and of course the rides. 

For years, my mother, sisters and I have made a tradition to participate in Black Friday’s chaos.  Where most people go for the deals and discounts, we are driven by the actual competition and staking our claim.  Every year, we try to outdo the previous.  We wake up earlier, we enhance our systematic plan of attack, we find ways to hide the goods the night before to immediately find them the morning of.  Yes, you heard me – HIDE the goods.  It’s all about the competition!  Then, of course, all the players in the game meet at the local IHOP to discuss their attacks, bargains, and injuries over pancakes and hot chocolate.

Little did I know that my husband (and every fisherman of south-eastern Idaho) has the same frame of mind….with the opening day of fishing season. 

The Saturday over Memorial Day weekend , at 12:00am, marks the opening of fishing season on the lake.  And every year, my husband has been present and trying to arrive earlier and earlier.  Apparently, THOUSANDS of people show up that morning with their chairs, rods, and flies.  This year, my husband decided we’d out-do everyone and camp out two nights prior – you know, to stake our claim.  We’d set our chairs out the night before to “save our spot” on then rise up early with our rods to catch the first fish!

Mother Nature scoffed at us that night, trying to thwart our devious plan.

But that didn’t stop the fisherman.

(taken at 5:00am by me from INSIDE the camper)

Don’t even ask him how many fish he caught, or how many people were waiting along the banks of the lake to fish.  I’ll let you guess – with a hint: 

they’re both the same number.

For years, Memorial Day has always represented a day off (of work or school) to play.

This year, it has a little more meaning.

It still hurts…

For about a week straight, no matter where we went, my 7 year old consistently asked for me to buy her something.

At the check-out stand in Wal-Mart: “Mom, can you buy me this pack of gum?”
Driving home from gymnastics: “Mom, can you buy me an ice cream cone?”
Even watching a commercial: “Mom, can you buy me that toy? I don’t have it.”

It was when we went into a motor sports shop for accessories, that Ad saw this sweet little number, just her size, marked at $4500 and begged us to buy it for her, that I realized it’s time to teach her the value of money.

My dad was/is an accountant and I remember throughout my childhood (probably starting in my infancy), my dad instilled in our brains the value of a dollar, and how to earn it.  Yes, we even had our own balance ledgers were we were to document our credits and debits of money earned and spent.  I knew that if I really wanted that box of assorted donuts from the grocery store, I needed to earn my own money.  So, my sister and I would bake a variety of cookies and brownies and take them around the neighborhood in our little red Radio Flyer wagon.

It’s no surprise that I was pleased when my daughter decided to start her own money-earning project similar to mine.  Only, instead of selling baked goods, she wanted to sell lemonade.  And instead of donuts being the goal, she’s shooting for Disneyland!  I like her style.

Before we sent this entrepreneur out to make some money, we decided she needed to learn about it first.  So, we counted the money from the piggy banks, taught the difference between each coins and took turns role playing consumer and cashier, learning how to return correct change.

We discussed loans, inventory, and good customer service skills.  Once we purchased all the necessary products, and went over the sales plan, they were off!  Since we were still experiencing colder weather in Rexburg (shocker!), she opted for Hot Chocolate as the sales item.  So, bright and early, before her school started, we packed up the wagon with all the goods and set up shop right on the corner of the crosswalk across the street of the university.  Just in time to catch all the students trying to make their 7:45am class.

For little girls who normally are somewhat reserved around “strangers”, they sure found some confidence to walk right up and talk with these students.  Apparently, Disneyland is enough motivation to open up even the shyest of personalities!

  Before they knew it, they were not only selling cups of hot chocolate, but receiving tips as well!

Who says it’s not beneficial living next to a large university with 15,000+ student attending!

More to come after their next endeavor of selling lemonade now that the weather is warming up.  Will they make their goal??  Stay tuned…

Have you heard of Care.com?  It’s a world-wide website used by mothers, especially those needing daycare of any form. 

They make it safe and easy with :

• Mom-reviewed caregivers
• FREE background checks
• Recorded references
• Ability to post jobs for sitters and nannies

For the working mother, you’re very familiar with the phrase “It takes a village to raise a child”.  Care.com is running a series of “Who’s In Your Village” where they are highlighting 5 working moms who share more about their village, with tips, advice and “how they do it all“.  I hate to toot my own horn… but I was asked to be one of those 5 working moms to be featured!

I’m no super-mom, nor do I have all the answers, but I love this series of “Who’s In Your Village”… because in all honesty, we really can’t do it alone!  I rely on my village (and sugar) to help me through!

Thanks, Care.com for the feature!