Mr. Bob's Belongings {Part Two}

That's right! Here is the second installment of the critically acclaimed posts entitled "Mr.Bob's Belongings". Enjoy!

Mr. Bob has a lot of wall art. A LOT.

This lonely cowboy cookin' his supper over the fire compliments the paper butterflies that hang in the laundry room...

Well, they don't exactly compliment each other, but they add a little flare to the collection...

Hold onto your seats because this next one is spectacular.

No home is complete without a luxurious "Fluffy Buffalo" wall hanging...

And of course these two skulls are great additions to the garage walls...

So, if when you come for a visit to see all of these inspiring items for yourself, be sure to watch for the large red letters at the end of our driveway, spelling out Mr. Bob's last name...

And if the red letters don't alert you to the fact that you've got the right place, perhaps the tree face will...

Don't worry...he's quite friendly...

Another Weekend...

The weekend started with movie night Friday & we watched the third Chronicles of Narnia movie. When the boys & I were in Emmett we watched the first one with my mom & the boys really liked it, even though Kamden thought it was a little scary. Luckily enough, the second & third dvds were at the library.

Our plan for Saturday was to head to the golf course since Ethan has been begging to go. When we got there it was 10:00 & starting to get hot out...but there was a tournament going on so we went to the fish hatchery instead. There were FINALLY fish to see & we watched this guy feed the little ones...look how crazy the water gets as he throws food in...

There were also a lot of big fish to see, but they didn't show up very well in the pictures.

We grabbed some lunch & everyone voted on golfing or bowling &, thankfully, we headed to the air conditioned bowling alley instead of the 90 degree golf course.

When we got home we used the boys' slip 'n slid, some garbage bags, Owen's frog pool, & some tent stakes to make a water slide down the hill in the front yard. Despite a few scratches, it worked out really well & the boys stayed out until dinner time.

Even Pudge joined in on the fun...

Then we noticed 2 disgusting ticks on the dog and it was SO GROSS getting them out. And we are now down to only 1 kitten as Pudge has sadly ended the lives of Sampson & Fin. The kittens really didn't like him and they would arch their backs and hiss anytime he was around & if he walked near them they would attack. We told the boys that the kittens had to find another home since they weren't getting along with Pudge, and now poor little Gilbert is all alone and cries by the back door. Although we discovered that Gilbert is actually a girl, so now we have to come up with a new name for her.

Today Jeff taught Sunday School and I taught Relief Society for the first time. It will probably be the last time for quite awhile since now I am the Laurel Advisor for the Young Women. Which shouldn't be terribly difficult since there are only 3 of them.

We had some yummy lasanga for dinner and now it's time to start another week!

The Naked Cowboy & A Growing Family...

Lately Owen has really been into being a cowboy. It doesn't matter if he has pants or not, all that matters is his hat, gun, and vest. Some days it feels like all I do is put that vest on him and take it off, then put it back on him again.

As for the 'growing family' part of this post's title, we added several new additions over the weekend...

Yep. Cats.

I know, I don't like cats. They creep me out. But we've been told that if we have cats to eat the mice around the place then the snakes won't be tempted to slither up here and eat the mice for dinner. And I would much rather have cats than mice or especially snakes. And a lot of people have mentioned the abundance of rattlesnakes in the area and that they often get run over on the roads because they like to lay on the pavement and warm up. Awesome.

So anyway, we saw a listing on craigslit for free kittens and I called the lady. She gave me directions to her place that went like this:

"Head up the mountain to mile marker 7 then turn at the mailboxes. Watch for the place with the black cows, don't turn there 'cause that's Bob's place. When you get to the field with the goats, that's our driveway."

Since when do people give directions involving their neighbor's cattle and their own goats?

Well, we followed the directions to mile marker 7 and couldn't find anywhere to turn so we called the lady & she told us the name of the road...which probably would've been nice the first time she gave directions, but oh well. Her husband made sure we were in a 4 wheel drive vehicle because "it can get kinda rough". He made no mention of the fact that we would pass a sign reading

Local Traffic Only.

Primitive Road.

We continued up the narrow 'road' which was more like a pathway with tread marks and overgrowth from trees and bushes, then we finally passed "Bob's place" after noticing the black cows. Needless to say, we were relieved when we saw the goats and the lady standing on her porch waving us down. The boys each picked out a kitten and we began our trek back down, hoping that another vehicle didn't start heading up toward us because there was no possible way that two cars would pass each other on the "Primitive Road". But we made it home and after much deliberation and even some arguing among the boys, have named all three kittens and are trying to help them get used to their new home. They live in the garage for now and like to hide beneath the freezers, so we've got to figure out how to keep them out from under there.

This morning Pudge raced in the garage and stole the kittens' bowl of food, then he took it outside and scarfed down their breakfast. And, as if stealing their meal wasn't enough, he finished the job by peeing in their bowl. I guess we've got a little jealousy brewing among the family pets. It's a bit crazy that in two months we've gone from no pets to one dog, three kittens, a pond full of goldfish, and three frogs.

The grey and white kitten is named Gilbert, the black one is Sampson, and the striped kitten is Fin. We have no idea if they are boys or girls, but hopefully they will be good at catching mice and staying away from coyotes and whatever else wanders around here.

We've been seeing so many deer lately, there were two in the front yard when the boys and I got home this afternoon and when we drove down last week we counted 13 in one field, along with one elk. We've seen elk twice at the neighbors house and downtown on the hospital lawn on Sunday we saw two bucks, about four does, and four fawns. Jeff saw another wild turkey and on Friday a little bunny hopped across the lawn. So we are enjoying the wildlife and hopefully we don't accumulate any more family pets for quite awhile.

A Birthday, A Camping Trip, & A Miserable Night...

I usually feel bad about Owen's birthday cakes because Ethan & Kamden's birthdays are during the cold, winter months which means there is usually less going on. I put more time and effort into their cakes, hence the horrid frog cupcakes I made for Owen's first birthday that turned out looking more like aliens. Anyway, I knew we were going to do an Elmo cake for him this year and I had an idea of what to do...then I realized that it would just be the 5 of us for his birthday instead of having family and friends over like usual. So we would't need a big cake.

Then I started procrastinating and putting off making the cake. This is what I came up with and I couldn't find any black frosting at the store, then Jeff someone ate all of the Oreos and left only one for Elmo's mouth and eyes. His mouth used the entire Oreo so Ethan had the idea to use cocoa puffs for the eyes. Elmo sat on the bottom shelf of the fridge until it was time for Owen's little party, and everytime I'd open the fridge and catch a glimpse of Elmo's red fur, I'd wonder where all that hamburger came from.

But Owen was happy with it and the boys kept talking about "eating Elmo" so I guess it's alright that he sorta looked like hamburger...althoug I know Elmo is a puppet, not a cow.

Anyway, he tasted good and here are some pictures of Mr.Owie blowing out the candles:

The first candle went out rather quickly, but the second one was a doozey and required the assistance of Owen's more-than-willing older brothers.

Owen had already opened most of his gifts and we were heading out on a camping adventure, so when we picked Jeff up at work Owen opened the remaining present in the car:

A dvd starring Elmo that is all about using the potty! And if Owen would start using the potty, that would be a great gift to me! I can't remember my life before diapers...I've been buying diapers and changing diapers for nearly 7 years.

Jeff had done some research on nearby camping areas and we went to Winchester Lake State Park. I learnd two things on this camping trip:

1. No matter how many warm clothes and blankets you bring, you will never have enough.

2. I do not enjoy camping.

Well, I could enjoy it, I suppose, but the park was full of campers with every site taken. We went to bed around 10:30 and there were people talking, laughing, riding scooters on the pavement and doing tricks in the parking lot, and kids running around our tent with flashlights.  Not to mention that it was a pet-friendly campsite and dogs were barking and howling throughout the night. All that noise was strange to hear after living on an isolated mountain for two months.

Except for nights when I've been sick, this was the most miserable night of my life. I don't know if I slept, it was so cold. The Park Ranger said that it got down to 32 degrees. I just laid there wishing that I was in my warm bed and wondering if I could somehow sneak into the gigantic motor home that was parked across from us. When I finally forced myself out of the tent the next morning, I kind of hated the man inside, sitting at his little table, all warm and cozy.

But the boys had fun.

And that's what matters, even though it seriously was miserable. Ethan, Kamden, & Owen all stayed warm and snug during the night but I was waiting for hypothermia to set in. Again, I am glad I wasn't a pioneer.

When it warmed up a bit we ventured out and did some fishing. Well, we did some casting, anyway. The fishing wasn't very good, though Jeff said he caught 5 when he decided he'd had enough of the misery and got out of the fridgid bed around 4:30am. But they were all too small to keep.

Owen was more interested in throwing sticks and rocks into the water...

And then he found this fishing pole and used it to catch the 'grass' in the water.

No, camping isn't my favorite thing.

But if it means spending time with these four, I think I could try to enjoy it...

...as long as I have enough warm clothes and blankets!

Happy Birthday Owen!

Today Owen is 2!

I miss those chubby cheeks and still can't believe that I gave birth to a 9.3 pound baby. 

These past two years have gone so quickly.

He might be the youngest, but he sure knows how to hold his own.

Sometimes he is quite the stinker but our family wouldn't be the same without him.

Some of the things we love most about our Owie are:

His hugs and kisses, even though sometimes we have to beg and plead...he doesn't just give them away, he makes us work for them.

The songs he always sings, especially when he's riding in the car. The one he sings most often goes something like this: "Happy Mommy, Happy Daddy, Happy Happy Mommy, Daddy, Happy Owie..." He also loves to dance.

His animal sounds and car noises that he makes when he's playing.

His laugh, his smile, and the funny expressions he makes.

Happy Birthday, Owen!

If I Had Been A Pioneer...

5 hours in the car

4 potty breaks

3 boys

2 pages of directions

1 momma

We survived the drive from Emmett to Orofino. I was pretty nervous about getting here since the first time Jeff drove and the second time I followed behind him when he drove the moving truck. I'd printed off directions from mapquest the night before I left Emmett and rearranged the car several times before I felt like the boys would have the space they needed and we wouldn't have a lot of fighting or pestering during the drive. I'm sure that there were several prayers on our behalf because the boys did so well and I only had to call Jeff once to make sure I was going the right way. I'm very thankful that I wasn't born in the days of the pioneers because I don't know how those mothers crossed the plains with their children in tow and no modern convieniences to help keep them occupied. If I had been a pioneer I would have definatley needed...

DVD players and episodes of Tom & Jerry cartoons. That cat and mouse entertained Ethan & Kamden for a few hours while Owen napped, watched episodes of Elmo's World, looked at books, and ate M&M's.

An ipod. Full of music to help the time pass for me, but also with songs for the moments when Owen is starting to loose it and the only diversion is to play 'Wheels on the Bus' over and over and over while Owen does the motion for the wheels going round and round during the entire song and yelling "Again, Mommy! Again!" Before the song is even finished.

And for the times when Ethan & Kamden are getting restless way in the very back of the Yukon, I must have Lee Greenwood's song, 'God Bless the USA'. We listened to this song 13 times in a row as we reached Orofino and drove up the mountain.
I'm not kidding.

I also relied on construction paper, stickers, and lots of drawing and coloring. There were also bribes of stopping for Bug Juice and maybe some threats of not stopping for Bug Juice...

...and Owen squirted most of his into his lap, turning his clothes green and requiring me to strip him down to his diaper for the remainder of the drive.

If I had been a pioneer, this trip probably would have taken me at least an entire day. Then I

would've had to wait even longer to get home to my husband and find this on my nightstand...