Season opener

Bennett had his first game of the season tonight. He had a bit of a hard game. His first up to bat he got nailed by the ball, but being the tough kid that he is, shook it off and took his base. After two others at bat, he rounded the bases and stole home! It was pretty cool. His second time at bat he got struck out. He has a hard time waiting for a good pitch, but at least he's trying. On defense he was out in right field, and the ball only came out to him once, but he did catch it and throw it home. The rest of the time in right field he was trying to pull out his tooth. Like I said, the ball only got out that far one time! After the third inning, Jason walked over, laughing, and handed me Bennett's tooth. I guess it's a good thing he's good at entertaining himself!! His team, the Dodgers, won 15-9! YEAH, GO DODGERS!! His next game is on Thursday (it is supposed to snow! so we'll see if he has one or not. Sometimes I really hate Idaho!)

warning: for female eyes only!!

Disclaimer: Read at your own risk. You have been warned. I will not be responsible for anyone being uncomfortable or offended. This post is for female eyes only.

I felt that with summer on it's way it was time for a little female waxing. That's right, bikini waxing time. I normally have this done during the summer months and then I let myself go during winter hibernation. The past few summers however, have been with out this summer ritual for two reasons. The first summer I was pregnant and my skin gets very sensitive while I am with child. The last time I had a wax while pregnant, I ended up with huge scabs above my eyebrows. So I avoid it, like the plague while preggers. Last summer I had a newborn and I was not quite myself, so I didn't bother. So last week, I decided it was time to buck up and have it done. I seriously had the full on fur bikini. The poor girl that did it had no idea what she was getting into! It took almost an hour and, yes, it was extremely painful, but oh, so worth it. I know it sounds strange for me to say I feel pretty because of a bikini wax. But the truth is, I do! This is something that I believe all women should do. So I am recommending it to anyone reading this. The first time you have it done is the worst, but after that, each one gets easier, and quicker. The great thing about it is, you don't have to worry about grooming that area for five or six weeks after it's done. Unlike with shaving, you have to do it everyday and then you deal with the painful in grown hair and it is never really smooth. Yes, waxing can be a little embarrassing at first, but the women who wax for a living do it all the time. They have seen it all, and once you find someone you are comfortable with, it really is no big deal. So I am challenging you all to go and get a bikini wax, (strange challenge yes I know) you will thank me for it! (and so will your husband!)

deluxe devils food cake

Since I had several requests for this recipe, I thought I'd go ahead and post it. It really is simple, and if anyone needs help while baking this, just give me a call and I'll walk you through it.

preparation: Spray 3 nine inch round pans with cooking spray and dust with flour. Heat oven to 350 degrees
In a large bowl add:
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 tsp clear vanilla (I don't have any clear vanilla, so I just used regular vanilla)
3/4 tsp almond extract
2 large eggs
Beat on med speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time.

In a small bowl add:
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
mix dry ingredients

2 1/4 cups buttermilk

beat dry ingredients into creamed mixture alternating with buttermilk on med speed. Beat 1 min longer. Pour into prepared pans

Bake 26 to 30 min or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 min, remove from pans to wire rack. Cool completely

Butter cream frosting:
1 1/4 cup butter at room temperature
2 tsp clear vanilla (the clear vanilla will make the frosting white, but you can use regular vanilla, the frosting will be more of an off white.)
1 tsp almond extract
8-9 TBLS milk
7 1/2 cups powdered sugar.

beat butter, vanilla, almond extract in med. bowl at med. speed until creamy. Gradually add milk and powdered sugar, scraping bowl as needed. Beat on high speed adding additional milk by the TBLS until the right spreading consistency.

Place first layer, rounded side down on plate. Spread butter cream frosting. Level off top of second layer. Top with second layer, top side down. Spread with frosting. Top with third layer, top side up. Frost sides and top of cake. Refrigerate cake to set frosting. Allow cake to stand at room temperature 10 minutes before serving.

So that's it. I promise it really is simple. Give it a try and then post your results.

my beautiful creation!

I am so proud of myself!! Today I made this beautiful three layer devils food cake, from scratch! I have never made one before and yes, maybe I am a little to excited, but I don't care. Look how pretty it is, and even better, it tastes SOOOO good! I did try to make one when Jason and I were first married for his birthday. I made it with a box mix, (which was my fatal mistake) and when I tried to stack them, the cakes crumbled and fell apart. That was ten years ago, and I thought it was about time I tried again. If anyone wants the recipe, let me know. It was really a lot easier then I thought it would be. I know I shouldn't say that, I should say, it was so very hard to make and really time consuming, only a really, really well trained cook should attempt to bake this. But the truth is anyone can make it!

Lillia's eye drama, chapter 2

This morning Jason, Lillia and I woke up very early and headed to the surgery center for Lillia's eye probe. (I don't know what the real term for this procedure is, but that is what they do.) I was really surprised at how happy she was, considering that she couldn't eat anything, and hadn't eaten anything for eight hours. Normally in the morning, she will scream until she gets a bottle. I know it was because of her blessing that she was given last night. When we got there, they explained everything to us again, and then the nurse took Lillia off to the operating room. It was only about ten minutes later that the nurse came to tell us that they were done and Lillia was starting to wake up. Dr. Fullmer said that every thing went really well and that it was a good thing we did it, because her ducts were really bad, and that we should see a dramatic difference. Lillia was really happy to see us and acted as if nothing had happened. She has been crawling around all day, just as happy as can be. So hopefully this is the end to all of her eye drama, well at least the eye infections. We will still have to keep a close watch on her vision over the next year,(she has inherited the bad Erickson eyes, or is that from the Holbrook side?) but I'm o.k. with that. If it hadn't been for her closed eye ducts, we wouldn't have know about her bad vision, and who knows how long it would have been before we would have found out?! So over all, this has been a good experience. That is until we get the bill!! :)

This was taken this morning while we were waiting for them to take Lillia back into the operating room. As you can see, she was a little confused as to why we were there, and why on earth am I up this stinking early in the morning! They gave her this cute little bunny, and she kept hugging and kissing it. It was really cute. I had to laugh at the nurse who was giving us our discharge information, He said, "you will have to put eye drops in her eyes four times a day for a week. Just pull out her bottom eye lid and put one drop in each eye." He said this so matter of fact, and very calmly. I thought, O.k. this guy either has never had kids, or if he does have kids, he has never had to put anything in their eyes! To put drops in Lillia's eyes it takes both Jason and I to do it. One of us to hold her down and one of us to pry open her eye and quickly put the drop in. It is no easy task. We are just happy to even get the medicine anywhere in her eye, let alone the bottom lid!

The Amazing Magician!!

Tonight we had pack meeting (ah, the joys of cub scouts!) The theme was ABRACADABRA. So each of the kids planned a magic trick to perform in front of everyone. Bennett was so excited to perform his magic trick! He practiced all afternoon, and had his younger brothers in awe, wondering how on earth he did that! It was really funny to see their faces as he would perform. You could see the wheels turning in their heads, but Bennett would just say "a magician never reveals his secrets!" He really is quite the showman, and loves to be the center of attention. (I know this has nothing to do with pack meeting, but it proves my point about Bennett being a showman. When he was a sunbeam, he was asked to give a talk in primary. He got up to the microphone, did a wonderful job on his talk and closed with "in the name of Jesus Christ, amen" Jason had been standing next to him, to help if he needed it, and started to turn to walk down from the podium. Bennett then wrapped both hands around the microphone and proceeded to say, "I will now teach you my favorite song" Jason quickly turned back around and tried to get him away from the microphone, but Bennett had a firm grip of the thing and did not want to let go and sit down. Jason finally got him down, and after the closing prayer, Bennett took off out the door. We finally found him in the gym, on the stage, with about twenty kids on the floor watching him as he taught them his favorite song! See what I mean, born showman!) Bennett did a great job and is looking forward to the next family get together so he can perform it again. I am the cub comittee chairman, and it really is fun to be part of the cub scout program, while Bennett is going through it. It is hard to believe that he is a webelos and will be a boy scout next year! They grow up so fast.

La Luchador

Jason's favorite movie is Nacho Libre! We have watched this movie so many times that I have lost track. It doesn't matter that we have seen it over and over again, every time we watch it, Jason laughs so hard, you would seriously think he had never seen it before. Even when he's not watching it, he's quoting all his favorite lines, and the kids have started following in his foot steps! They know this movie by heart and love to act it out! My Mom and Dad just got back from a trip to Cancun, Mexico and they found the best souvenir for Jason! Just look at the pictures, and try not to pee your pants laughing. (That comment was for you, Jake and Jed!)

WII fun

Today was a cold and rainy day, so my kids asked if they could play the Wii. I don't like to let them play to much because I think it's better to have them outside running around, but since it was such an ugly day today I let them. The truth is, the Wii is a great way for them to burn off any extra energy. I have always been against video games because the kids just sit there staring at the screen and would do it for ever if I'd let them. So Jason and I agreed a long time ago, that we would not get the kids any video games. That was before we found out about the Wii. This thing is awesome! After 15 minutes (depending on the game) they are exhausted! They are up moving around and interacting with each other, we love it. We got it for the kids for Christmas, (no easy task, since they are sold out in every store 5 seconds after they get put on the shelf) the next day they all woke up with stiff, sore muscles from playing! It was the funniest thing. Boxing is one of the hardest games, just because you get so tired after only a few minutes. My boys get so hot and sweaty, they have decided the best way to "box" is with their shirts off. I love to watch them play, I just sit back and laugh.

Lillia's eye drama!

Yesterday Lillia and I went into the Doctors office. We went in to get some medicated drops for our eyes, because we both have eye infections. Lillia always has one! We have tried the drops quite a few times, and they seem to work for a few days, but then her eyes get all goopy again. This time her doctor suggested that we take her to see an ophthalmologist, because he thought they were being caused by a blocked tear duct. He made the appointment for today, so this morning we went to see Dr. Fullmer in Rexburg. (Jake and Megan, he said to tell you hi.) He examined Lillia and put some fluorescent drops in her eye to see if they would drain right. He also dilated her eyes and did a quick exam , and we now know that Lillia is near sighted! Dr. Fullmer said it is uncommon for kids her age to be near sighted already, and that she will need glasses by the time she is two! After waiting a while to see if her eyes would drain, we found out that her eye ducts are clogged and need to be probed, and that in order to do this she will need to be sedated. We got all kinds of wonderful news! ( just in case you couldn't tell, that was sarcasm.) So Lillia will go in to the surgical center on Thursday morning. It is a really simple procedure, but I am still a little nervous. Having her put under scares me, mostly because she is so young and we don't know how she will react to the medication. The poor girl is so sick and tired of people messing with her eyes! She was so happy when we finally left the the Dr. office. More to come on this adventure on Thursday.

my little runaway

Bennett had a really difficult day today. He was a little off when he came home from school, but he said everything was o.k. He even got all his work finished at school, which doesn't happen very often. We were in the middle of cleaning the house when he got home so I gave him a list of his chores and he got to work. A little later I found him screaming at Isabel. Apparently they had different cleaning strategies and so I split them up by giving them jobs in separate rooms. I thought things were o.k. and then a little later Isabel was crying and Bennett was screaming again. Come to find out, Isabel was putting a toy away and had to walk by where Bennett was cleaning. Bennett didn't want Isabel in the same space and threw a hat at her, which hit her in the eye. Instead of apologizing he started screaming at her, telling her to get out and not to come back. I was really angry and told him, yelled at him, to knock it off, and to control his temper! While I was mad, I was screaming at him to control his temper! (quick someone sign me up for mother of the year!) A little later, Bennett finished his chores, so I said he could go out and play ball with his Dad. I was finishing up with the laundry, and having the kids put their clothes away. I called outside for Bennett and didn't see him, so I asked Jason to check upstairs in his room. Bennett wasn't there, so Jason went outside to look around while I checked the rest of the house. For some reason my kids think it is funny to hide in closets and under beds while I'm looking for them, so I was searching the house. Still no Bennett, I got this feeling that He had run away. He has never does this before, but I really felt that I needed to drive around and look for him. I quickly headed out the door, and went to the school first, thinking that he would go somewhere familiar, but no luck. I thought, maybe he went to his grandparents house, so I headed that way. About two miles down the road, I see Bennett walking on the side of the road. He has his back pack on, stuffed full, with his hockey stick poking out. I pull up along side of him and ask where he is going, he says "I don't know." I open the door and tell him to get in, trying really hard not to get mad, but the thought of all the bad things that could have happened to him start racing through my mind, and through my tears, started asking what he was thinking, where was he going, where did he think he would eat dinner and sleep. Then I saw my purse on the car seat, opened with my wallet out and opened. So I ask, "Bennett, did you take my money?" He shakes his head yes, and says "I thought I would need some for food." I was so angry by this point I thought I had better not say anything else, until I calmed down. We got home and Jason took him out and had a talk, then they headed to baseball. When they got home Bennett said he was sorry, and that he was mad because he felt like no one in his family loves or cares about him. We had a long talk, and I told him how much we all love him, that it is o.k. to get mad, but not o.k. to take it out on the people around him. I hope it sunk in, but I am really worried about him. He is at a really hard age, he is no longer a little kid, but still not a teen, and is feeling lost. I tried to explain to him about puberty, and that he would sometimes fell sad or angry because of the chemical changes in his body, and that it's o.k. to feel this way. That it's normal, but it is not o.k. to act out in these ways. That he can always talk to me about anything, and I will always be there for him. I don't know if it helped. I can remember trying to run away when I was little, and I think I turned out o.k. Maybe I am making to much of this. It just really freaked me out. Does anyone have any advice on ten year old's? I need help!

summer race schedule

Since spring has finally sprung, I am planning out what races I will be doing this summer. I have tried to find one a month, so that I stay motivated. I would love to run these with someone else, so if anyone is interested, let me know. Most of these races have a 5k, 10k, 13.1, and 26.2. So even if your not up to the 13 miles, you could do 3 or 6 miles. I am planning on running the half in all of them.

June 14th: Bear Lake 1/2 marathon

July 19th: Bryce Canyon marathon
(I was planning on doing the Boise, fit for life race, but Tresa reminded me it was the same day as Whitney's wedding!)

August 23rd: Mesa Falls marathon

August 30th: Salt Lake 1/2 marathon and relay

September ?: Rim to Rim in Twin Falls (this one is only 7.5 miles, but I have heard it is really hard.)

Hope to hear from some one who wants to run with me!!

family ride

It was such a nice day today! The sun was actually shinning, so we headed out back to see if the horses even remembered us. It has been forever since we have ridden them.(except for Jason, of course) Isabel did NOT want to get on and ride. Last summer she was bucked off and hasn't wanted to get on since. She was more than happy, however to get all dolled up in her cowgirl gear! She kept telling Jason she needed a new cowgirl hat. The boys on the other hand were more than happy to ride. Evan was really funny, he just wanted to gallop. every time I'd get Izzy running, he would laugh and laugh!!(if you have never heard this kid laugh, you are missing out. He has the best laugh!) Will just wanted to ride with his Dad. He's a little Daddy's boy, and follows Jason around like a shadow. Bennett has gotten really good at riding, and was off on his own, out in the pasture. It made me a little nervous, because like I said, it has been a while. But he did great. Jason can't wait to get a rope in that boys hand!

Here are a few pictures of the boys playing cowboy for the camera. I think it is so funny how they have to get dressed in their cowboy gear to ride the horses. Will was really upset that I wouldn't let him go back in the house and get on his "cowboy shirt". I told him it was possible to ride a horse in what he had on. He said "it's not as much fun".

message to Ava

The Erickson family is a tight group of people. Not just the siblings, but the cousins as well. Since Jed, Emily and Ava have moved away for school, my kids have taken it kind of hard. They love Ava so much, and miss her. The little ones don't understand why they can't go play at Ava's house today. We explain the best we can, that they have moved far away and it is a long trip to go and visit, but the kids, Will especially, don't like that reasoning at all! We just watched a video of Ava on their blog, and the kids couldn't stop laughing. At the end of the video, Ava said "when are you going to come visit me?" Well this started up the whole conversation again. No we can't go see Ava today...etc. So the kids decided to make a video for Ava to let her know how much they miss her. As you can tell it was scripted, they decided before hand who would say and do what. It took three takes before they were happy with the video!

Ava, We hope you like the video we made for you, and we hope you are having fun in Chicago!! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Always,

Bennett, Isabel, Evan, and Will

funny questions

I was sitting down eating lunch today with Evan and Will. We had the funniest conversation, it went something like this:

Evan: Mom, what day is it?

Me: It's Friday.

Evan: What day is it the day after that?

Me: It's Saturday.

Evan: What day is it after that day?

Me: It's Sunday.

Evan: What day is it after that.

Me: Well, that's Monday. (thinking this was the day he was looking for, since earlier he asked what day he had school again, but Evan continued)

Evan: What day is it after that?

Me: It's Tuesday. Evan why do you want to know?

Evan: Well, when is it going to be tomorrow?

Me: (through the laughter) Since today is Friday, tomorrow will be Saturday.

Evan: How can Saturday be, Saturday and tomorrow?

By now I was laughing to hard to answer. But really, how do you explain tomorrow to a five year old? Where do they come up with these questions? Sometimes they are to smart for their own good! This is just a normal conversation around the table in my house. I love my kids! They make my day a little brighter.

Baseball draft

Picture this, the sun is shining and temperatures are upper 40's, no wind at all, kids outside playing baseball enjoying the nice spring weather and preparing for baseball tryouts later in the day. Everyone very excited about the nice weather. Now picture this, Black skies, whipping wind, mixed snow and hail, temperatures lower 30's. Kids outside in winter coats and hats trying to play their best baseball for the coaches who will be drafting them later that night. Trying desperately to catch the balls with frozen hands and feet, and trying to run, but slipping on the now snow covered grass.

No these are not separate days, months apart. This was all the same day, yesterday in fact. I know I shouldn't be surprised. I have lived here long enough to know, this is typical spring weather for south east Idaho. I just felt so bad for all those boy's trying out for baseball. Bennett was absolutely frozen by the time he was done. And the amazing thing is, he had fun!! Bennett is not what you would call a big sports buff, in fact he usually complains when Jason takes him out back to throw the ball around. But today despite the weather, he really had a good time. which gives me hope that he will have a good season this year.

This season Jason and one of Bennett's best friends Dad are his coaches. I was a little surprised that after coaching basketball, Jason wanted to coach baseball. But I was so happy to hear that he would. Bennett improved so much this year in basketball and I think it is because his Dad was helping. I am hoping baseball will be the same. He has already improved so much in the last couple of weeks, just playing in the back yard with Jason. It is not that we are trying to force Bennett to play sports, we just want him to find something that he loves doing, to help keep him out of trouble as he gets older. Around here, sports are everything!! It is very competitive and in order to play in high school, you need to have started at a very young age. So we keep signing him up, thinking maybe this is the year he loves it. After having fun in the gross weather at yesterdays tryouts, gives me hope that, this is the year!!

The first picture was when we first arrived at tryouts and he was warming up with friends. The weather had gotten pretty bad by this point, clouded over and the wind had picked up and it was lightly snowing. We had no idea how bad it was going to get!

The second picture was about a half an hour later, trying to impress the coaches. The snow got a lot worse, but my camera batteries died. Bennett was picked as a fourth round draft!! We were pretty happy about that, there were 13 rounds! Good job Bennett!

Over active tongue!

Lillia has always had a "thing" for her tongue. When she was born she came out licking her lips and sticking the thing out as far as she could. She seriously did it for hours. Even now she comes crawling up to me with her tongue sticking out as far as it will go, panting like a dog. She even gives kisses with her tongue!(that's actually a little gross) I don't pretend to understand it and I'm sure she will eventually grow out of it, but for now, it is one of the funniest thing she does, so I thought I'd share it.

I don't know if Lillia just liked the way poor Eleanore tasted or what but she would not leave her alone! It got to the point where Eleanore would start screaming if she even saw Lillia! (here comes that girl with the over active tongue, LOOK OUT!)

conference weekend

I have been extremely worn down lately. Feeling the weight of being a mother of five, a wife, a sister, and even a daughter. I think the stress of my Mom's sickness has really gotten to me. It is so difficult when someone you love is sick and there is nothing you can do to help. I think that most women including myself, are born fixers. We see a problem and we just want to fix it, right here and now. I want to be in control, I want to find a solution. With my Mom's cancer, I feel very helpless. I want to help her, but I can't.
I have also been feeling a bit overwhelmed with being a Mom. I hope I am not the only one who feels this way from time to time. When you feel like your best is not enough. When you feel as if every effort you make goes unnoticed and unappreciated, and every decision you make is the wrong one, and you wonder if you are totally screwing up your kids!!
O.k. I do have a point, I promise this blog entry is not all gloom and doom. My point is I was so very excited to hear conference this weekend. I needed it so badly. To feel the spirit speak to me that every thing will be alright. I was not disappointed!! Conference was wonderful. It is amazing how a few hours can makes weeks of heartache disappear. How wonderful is the gospel that it can make even hard times make sense.
My three favorite talks were President Monsons, Elder Russell Ballards, and Elder David Bednars. President Monsons talk inviting the "less active, the offended, the critical, the transgressor" to come back "and feast at the table of the lord and taste again the sweet and satisfying fruits of fellowship with the saints." I loved that comment, and thought of my own brothers as he spoke. I loved that I could see that he truly meant it as he said, "come back". I could feel his love for them as he spoke. I also enjoyed his closing comments about his family and his wife. Its good to see his sense of humor. Jason told me that at the priesthood session he talked of a little boy he noticed at a conference that he spoke at. This boy kept copying his every move. When he would scratch his head, the boy would scratch his head, if he crossed his legs the boy would cross his legs. The whole meeting this little boy copied him like this. So when he got up to speak, he wiggled his ears. Jason was laughing so hard at this, because our new prophet has, well, very large ears, and he said watching him wiggle them was quite the sight. President Monson said he knew that this was one thing this little boy could not do. He is such an awesome man, and it was very cool getting to sustain him.
Elder Ballard's talk, was for me, very uplifting. To hear the wonderful comments he made on mothers and how difficult and yet wonderful, motherhood can be, I felt as if he was talking directly to me. I liked the comment he made that "there is no one perfect way to be a good mother" he said what matters is that " a mother loves her children deeply, and in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else." He also urges young mothers to live in the moment more, enjoying each day of their child's development, but still encouraging mothers to take time for themselves. Reminding us that we only have them in our homes for a very short period of time. I do think this is something I need to do more. I feel like I often rush through the day and my to do list, not taking the time to really enjoy my kids. I really needed this wonderful talk.
I also loved Elder Bednar's talk about prayer and action. It helped me to see that even though I feel helpless right now with my Mom's illness, I can take action and through prayer, get the answers I need. I feel so full of love and the spirit tonight. I am truly thankful for a prophet to guide and lead us. I know that President Monson is a true prophet, I know that the quorum of the twelve and the seventy have been called of God to serve today. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ is the only true church on the earth today. I am thankful for my savior Jesus Christ and for his atoning sacrifice he made for me. I am thankful for my Father in heaven, who I know loves me, and has made a way for me to return and live with him again. I am thankful for the plan of salvation, that I can be with my family forever . I am thankful for the Holy Ghost, that he bares witness of these things to me. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

JASON

How long have you been married?
We got married in December 1996. Going on 12 years now, WOW!

How long did you date?
We only dated for two months before we got engaged! I know it's pretty fast. I can remember Megan saying "wow, you guys are sure moving fast." It was before I really knew Megan, and didn't quite know what to make of the comment. But, she was right. We were moving fast and it all worked out o.k.

How old is he?
Jason is 35, five years older than me. His family likes to tease him about that fact a lot. Especially since I'm younger than his younger sister, Susan and his younger brothers wife, Megan.

Who eats more sweets?
With out a doubt, I do. I have a weakness for sweets.

Who said "I love you" first?
Jason did, although he now denies it. It was after only three days, which I clearly remember because I thought it was kinda weird. I didn't say it for a while after he did, but I do remember wanting to say it long before I did.

Who is taller?
Jason is taller, but not by much. When I wear heels, we are the same.

Who can sing better?
I sing better, although I think if Jason tried he could really sing. He is always trying to sing as bad as he possibly can. Especially when he gets with his brothers.

Who is smarter?
I think we both have our strong subjects, but over all, Jason.

Who does the laundry?
I do the laundry and Jason does the ironing. I think it's a good combination.

Who does the dishes?
Mostly me, but every now and then when I've had a hard day, he does them. It makes me smile. :)

Who pays the bills?
Jason does, I have no idea what is in the account. I spend and he gets upset, it's kinda our thing. Jason is really good with the money and takes great care of me and the kids.

What are his hobbies?
Roping, roping and more roping!!! He also loves to play basketball, golf, and tennis.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?
Jason does. I don't know why really, we just have always slept that way. It's funny how that happens.

What are his guilty pleasures?
My cookies, he loves my cookies, and I love to bake, so it's a good match!

Who mows the lawn?
Jason does now, but before we got a tractor lawn mower we shared that job.

Who is his best friend?
His best friends are his brothers. They have so much fun together, and it's really funny to sit and listen to them talking, I laugh until my side hurts.

Who cooks?
I do ALL the cooking. He tries every now and then, but for all our sakes, I cook. Once for my birthday, he made me breakfast. He made pancakes from scratch, because I like them so much better than the mix. He put in way to much baking soda, I mean WAY to much. Isabel took the first bite and told me they were really gross. So I tried a bite, and because he had gone through so much trouble I smiled and swallowed the bite. Jason saw right through me, and took a bite of the pancake, and about threw up! So i figured that I didn't have to eat them. The pancake seriously bubbled in my mouth. I do love him for trying.

Who drives?
Jason does all the driving. Every now and then when we are on a long trip he will have me drive when he gets tired. I think it's a guy thing.

Who wears the pants?
I think that depends on the issue, but we pretty much share the pants.

Who kissed who first?
I made the first move, and Jason was happy to go along with it. I am not shy about that stuff. I also made the first move when we met. We were at a club and I saw him watching me, so I asked him to dance. The rest is history...

What was your first date?
Jason took me horse back riding. It was really cool, except I am allergic to horses. I didn't know this because I had never been around horses before. I spent most of the night sneezing and blowing my nose. To be honest, I was a little surprised we had a second date!

Who proposed?
Jason proposed. Jason had a roping in Winnemucca Nevada, and asked me to go with him for the weekend. At first I told him no, because I had to work, but he was very persistent, so I rearranged my schedule so I could go. I didn't drive at the time so he had to come to Bozeman to pick me up (three hour drive) just to turn around and drive back and head to Nevada. I thought It was crazy to do all this extra driving just so I could watch him rope. We had only been in the car about an hour and Jason said he needed to get out and stretch. So he got out and I stayed in the car.( I didn't realize that he wanted me to get out also) He casually says "will you get my sun glasses out of the jockey box for me"(the "jockey box" is the glove compartment for all you normal people) I opened the "jockey box" and saw the ring box sitting there. I looked over at Jason and he was just grinning, it was really cute. I opened the box and saw the ring, gave a little squeal and jumped out of the car. Jason then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Now remember we were just on the side of the road, so all these cars were driving by honking. It was pretty funny. I said yes and he put the ring on my finger. It was about ten times to big!! It didn't even fit on my thumb. So on the way through Pocatello, where he bought the ring, we stopped and had it sized. I was not to happy because I had just been given the ring and now I had to give it up for a week!! He later told me that he was going to wait and ask me over a romantic dinner but he was so nervous and couldn't wait that long! He is so cute. When we got to Winnemucca, a lot of his family and friends were there for the roping. We told them we were engaged, but no one believed us. They thought we were joking because I didn't have a ring. Talk about rubbing salt in my wound!! Every time we drive past that spot on that highway, we look and say AHHHH. I know were cheesy.

Who has more siblings?
We both come from large families, but Jason's is bigger. He has 5 sisters and 3 brothers.

What is your favorite thing about him?
I have so many things I love about Jason. I love how adventurous he is. He is always up for anything even if he has never done it before. I love what a good Daddy he is, the kids adore him and look forward to spending time with him. I love how he takes care of me and the kids, and how we never have to worry. I love his competitive spirit, he is so much fun to watch when he's roping or playing basketball or tennis. He gets so into it, and he is really good. He's pretty much good at everything he tries, which can make me sick sometimes, but I really do like that about him. I love how he can talk to anyone, even if they are a total stranger, he can start up a conversation and talk forever.(he gets that from his Dad.) I love his smile. He has a smile that brightens my day. Even when I am in a bad mood, he will smile and it makes me smile.I love that I can be myself around him, and know that he won't criticize or make fun of me.(I am a big dork!!) He is a great husband and father and I still, after eleven years of marriage, feel that I am lucky to be with him.

I tag Yumi and Rachel!

U of U gymnastics

Isabel and I went to a U of U gymnastics meet on Friday. Trena had a few extra tickets and since Isabel is a big gymnastics fan, we were all over it. We had the best time. We left for Utah after Isabel got out of school Friday and we met up with my Aunt and Uncle, Kathy and Lance. Two of my most favorite people in the entire world!! They are awesome. They took us out to dinner, and then off to the meet where we met up with Kirk and Trena and the kids. Isabel and I had never been to a gymnastics meet before, and didn't really know what to expect. It was quite the show! When it started, the lights went off and as they introduced the team, the fireworks and the strobe lights got going. I felt like I was at a concert. Utah's team is ranked number two in the nation and beat the number one ranked team. They rocked, so it wasn't really a fair match against BYU. There is one girl on Utah's team that really stood out of the crowd, Ashley Postell. She was really amazing and so much fun to watch. She got a perfect ten on the beam, which was I think, the coolest part of the night. She did a back handspring, 3/4, into a handstand on the beam!!! It was incredible! She didn't even wobble. It is all Isabel has talked about since we've been home. We had such a fun time, thank you Trena for the tickets!!