A Lasting Memory

This is a HUGE reason why holidays are so much more fun with children. Koen's race track waiting anxiously to zip around cars. Daradie's cowgirl doll and doll bed waiting to be loved and cherished.

Fort Knocks

Dan must have no faith in me. A normal person would wrap Christmas presents up and place them under the tree. He has yet to do that. When Dan worked at the bank he'd hide my presents in the vault. Silly. Dan thinks once a sneak, always a sneak. Childish. Doesn't he realize that I'm an adult now? Adults don't peek at presents. Adults don't try to find their Christmas presents in drawers of the filing cabinet... inside suitcases... inside sleeping bags rolled up... inside storage boxes... under the couch... under the kiddo's bed... He brought the bag in, I saw him but where did he end up with it???...in the trunk of the car... inside black paint totes... behind the extra roll of carpet on the top shelf of the garage and using the lawnmower has a step ladder.

I'm beyond sneaking. I'm flat out tearing this house to pieces!

Perhaps a New Tradition...

We were running out of time. I don't recall why it took us so long to get a tree but we were desperate. No trees could be found at the grocery stores, the nurseries had a few but we didn't want to spend $75 on something that would be tossed out in a few days. We drove back home. Dan was frustrated. I was frustrated. Our kids were grumpy and needed their bed. We headed north for more tree opportunities. We drove past a gas station. "Look! They have trees!" That they did. And there were 3 left. We continued the search. Hoping for a tree not from a gas station close to a dairy. No trees at the stores. We had a small feeling of how Mary and Joseph felt--neglect, hopelessness and huge disappointment. The drive home lead us back to the gas station. There was one left. We bought it. It was ugly. It was small enough to fit in the back of the Tahoe. The road home was full of groans from the kiddos. "This tree stinks!" repeated 486,902 times in 15 minutes. We told them that was pine scent up close and personal. We put the tree up and decorated it. The next morning the house had a unique smell...stench. Every dairy atom alive clung to that poor little Christmas tree. Smells permeated throughout the home of cow stalls and gasoline.

Our Christmas memory from 2010. And yes. We bought a tree from that same gas station just yesterday.

(*Update: our children still have Halloween candy! So much so that it has clearly been forgotten. So much so that it's okay for their father to sneak a piece here and there while watching Hawaii Five-0.)

Haunted Halloween

Daradie and Koen saved two favorite pumpkins from her patch this year to carve. They were the biggest pumpkins. Koen wasn't so sure about the slimy pumpkin guts. Daradie suggested to pretend he was a doctor and he was pulling out human guts. That didn't go over too well either.

Their carved pumpkins. The devil, Daradie, went scary for her pumpkin. Grim Reaper, Koen, went with a traditional jack-o-lantern look for 2011. Dan's is the goofy one on the bench and mine is the oh so easy star in the corner.

This man went with the freaky Rodney Dangerfield and sorted through the kiddos' candy stash. However, he noticed a pile that was already sorted out from one particular child who does not like a lot of candy. A pile of chocolate, easily 30 pieces, was left abandoned on the table. Daradie quickly dove for the pile--finders keeper's, right? A plan was needed and fast. We counted how many days there were until Christmas. Fifty-five days. The kiddos had almost 70 treats in their bag that ranged from beef jerky sticks to fun dips and lots of mini-chocolate bars. We gave them 55 pieces to stay in their bags. They swapped and rearranged so they both had their favorites. Rules of the game: If they ate only 1 piece/day that would take them to Christmas. If they ate their last piece on Christmas then we would give them $55 each to put in the vacation fund to spend on whatever they want while on the trip. All or nothing for the reward. They agreed.

(November 1: too quiet downstairs. Kids should be up and getting ready for school. One was downstairs eating a pack of Skittles quietly in the closet. The other one was in the bathroom complaining of a hurt stomach. Let the games begin!)

What's in a Name, Really?

Proud you spelled everything all on your own! Love you too, Koen.

Stock Market

I'm buying stocks in Scotch tape. Both types. Invisible and masking. I go through more tape than I do gas. Tape and ketchup. Comparable really. Perhaps I'll buy into Scotch and Heine's. My household will support the recession in those two stocks alone.

Ohhhh, the Joys of a Mom....

While driving in the car past the river:
Koen: Look, Daradie! That river is just for you. It has sparkles everywhere. You love sparkles!
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While in the car, Dan and I were discussing where we put our stresses (like where we have that extra "baggage" of worries....and too many carbs.) Koen was sitting between Dan and I and to involve him in the conversation....
Dan: So, Koen, where do you put your stresses?
Koen: Come on, dad. I don't wear dresses.
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During testimony meeting:
Daradie: I want to bear my testimony. I know the Holy Ghost can help us. I know Thomas S. Monson is the prophet. Conference was special. I'm thankful for families. I really love my brother.

Daradie's Pumpkin Patch

Last year Daradie asked if she could have chickens and sell eggs. Well, a lot of the neighbor kids do that and we knew that would be tough competition. We settled on a pumpkin patch. We extended our garden last fall 30x20 feet. We hauled in extra compost and manure. She planted 9 mounds of pumpkins of all different varieties and colors. She watered. She weeded. She moaned. She groaned. She washed mud off. She clipped leaves. She cried.

She smiled. She jumped up for joy. She's now earning the money. Three dollars for big pumpkins, $2 for medium and $1/2 baby pumpkins. She brags to her friends and customers that checks are very much appreciated and she's already gotten two--with her own name written on them. Daradie is saving up money for high school. She's heard it costs a lot of money to have a convertible or Jeep.

***Update: Daradie counted her earnings and ended up with a whopping $80 from her crop. Way to go girl!

Nearby is a girl's camp with this rocking huge metal slide, teeter-totters and giant firepit. A wide creek accompanies all the other fun things to do. We spent hours here. The boys brought their bow and arrows and the kids had competitions with them. We cooked hotdogs and marshmallows for lunch. Then we slipped down to Driggs to have some hot pizza and onion rings. We all had a great time!


We would sit on cardboard to make us go even faster down the slide. It was a riot!

Life while Flying Solo

1. Absolute paranoia. I planted sunflowers willy-nilly in the flowerbed. One just happened to grow right by the bedroom window. The head of the sunflower is the same height and size as a human head. I wish I didn't have such an imagination.....
2. Watched a Toddler and Tiaras marathon. Don't ask why.
3. Hearing comments from children about "mom bums" and why they squish from side to side (with over exaggerated arm movements) when moms walk and no ones around to back me up.....kinda funny. I'm now imagining a mom backing up out of the dryer with those semi-truck-back-up beeping sounds. Sad but true.
4. Went grocery shopping. Spent over 90 minutes in the store checking prices, etc. and getting EVERYTHING on the list for once. Had groceries in my cart and bagged. Two carts actually. No money. No check card. No ID. But 2 rubber bands, 1 Kleenex package, sunglasses, 5 pens, 3 Hot Wheel cars, and 3 bottles of hand sanitizer. A clean nose and hands can't buy groceries.

Hurry home, Dan. You complete me.

Oh, the Joys of a Mom....

Daradie: I want to be an inverbtion for Halloween.
Me: Um...what's that?
Daradie: A name you make shorter.
Me: You mean an "abbreviation"?
Daradie: Yeah. It's going to be awesome.
Me: You going to be wearing a mini-skirt? (insert gallons of laughs from only me and a walk out of the room with eyes rolling from the daughter)

Some day my children will think I'm funny. Talk about funny.....
Koen: Is Jupiter a gas planet?
Dan: I don't know. Ang, what's a name of a gas planet?
Me: Uranus. (I'm still laughing over that joke and that was a few days ago.)

Dan

I am married to a great guy. Example, he found an awesome paper towel holder for me at the DI. Really. It was just what I was looking for and I love it. He gets me. Anyway, while in the car for three hours the other day he developed a proposal for my small business loan. What small business? Well, I've always wanted to own a bookstore. A bookstore with kid's books, overstuffed bright mismatched chairs with reading lamps and an art section and an out of this world story hour with crafts, dress ups and crazy voices for characters while kids are laying on the floor with their favorite stuffed animal. It would be something similar to "The Shop Around the Corner" as seen in the movie You've Got Mail combined with an awesome local store (if you still live in Utah) called "Three Little Monkeys." That store opens up the novelty toys for you to play with before purchasing. It gets crazy upstairs but it's my favorite store. This whole bookstore thing is something on my bucket list. Dan sat there and crunched out all the numbers and a list of potential investors and how many hours I'd have to work, what type of books to purchase and blah blah blah. He did that for me. While I just sat staring blankly at the road driving and thinking, 'wow. He thinks I can really do this. Perhaps I can.' And case number two, I've dabbled with the idea of writing a children's book. (Another item of my list.) He knows my general theme. All I've got is a title really. But I love the title. The rest of it is in the very back, dusty, mouse trap area of my brain that is rarely visited but it's still there waiting for the perfect time to run loose. He's asked me about it twice now in two years. Dan patiently asks why I'm not working on my writing. ("My writing" now that sounds professional...and should I have put a comma after "writing"?)

Yep. I snagged myself a good one.

Oh, the Joys of a Mom....

While driving the kiddos to dance (just Daradie's dance, Koen is the lucky weekly onlooker) Daradie sees the temple on the lil' hill and says, "If you can always see the temple, you're never lost." Stop the car. I didn't really. But felt like it. Wow. Did she hear that from somewhere? So that made me start to think about things.....

Wow! Watch this!

America's Got Talent is knocking at our door.

The Pep Talk

I've got some skills. Just not in the golf department. Dan knows it. Yet, he still signed me up for a couple's golf tournament for his work. His career. His employment. His boss and wife will be there. Our lively-hood at stakes. Along with 50 others who are into golf. They listed handicaps on the paper. Dan gave me some dignity and listed my score as 68+ (and I love that he allowed me some wiggle room with a potential 68). We will be golfing at the country club. Does that mean no white since it's after Labor Day? Focus. That's what Dan keeps telling me.

We have three days until the tournament. I apparently am not nervous enough. He reminds me that I need to care about this tournament. "You do really great at the things you care about. Can you please care about this for me?" he begs. Okay. Not really begs but I love the fact that he's so into this match...game...tournament?

During his lunch break we met at the driving range. A driving range that is watered by wheel lines. He gave me a few pointers. Told me that I needed to hit it further than 5 yards. I drove the ball a straight 100. "What are you so worried about Dan? See. I'm just fine," and then I missed the next 10. Literally missed the whole ball. I can see why he's a bit concerned. Clearly my skills are on the same level as the sprinkler system.

Here's to you, Dan. Game face is now on. Focused. Focused. Focused. And luck wouldn't hurt either. A tsunami would be even better.

Wish is Granted

The kiddos wanted to go camping one last time before school started. We headed up to Paul Reservoir. It's very small stocked lake with one campsite. On the way up we saw two moose. As soon as we unloaded the car, the temperature dropped 20 degrees and it began to snow. We ate canned chicken, chips, and apples. The tinfoil dinners would have to wait. After 1 1/2 hours of sitting in the car and telling stories, the rain/snow moved on. We crawled into our sleeping bags: Daradie, Koen, and I inside a double zipped up. Body heat proved to work that evening. Dan was left to fend for himself with a mummy. The next morning proved to be worth the wait.
We were the only ones out fishing for most of the morning. We couldn't keep up with all the bites. Daradie was content reading her book. But she soon got caught up in all the fun.

Everyone caught their limit--we fished until we ran out of hooks.

School Kids

Fall time is here. School buses, new crayons, and reading schedules are galore. Koen's kindergarten teacher is 6'6" at least. So, of course, he rocks for Koen. Koen was a little nervous for school. He doesn't like bullies beating up the other kids (I suppose size helps Koen in this situation). He was worried about it for days. He wanted to ride the bus there but I had to meet him at the school--just to make sure he went to the right class.

This is why I LOVE being their mom. Awesome. Sitting on the front porch and big brave sister is explaining how things are run at the school and calming all fears while waiting for the bus. When Daradie got home from school, it wasn't the "Mom. Are you home?" but it was "Koen, how was kindergarten?" She sat down and listened to his day. She's an outrageously awesome sister.

Muskrat Love....kinda

(The story is real. The characters are real. This is 100% factual actual.)
Me and the kids, along with my sister (forever known as TaNece) and her kids left for out of town. The game plan was to have Dan bring her car to meet us later on in the week. Three days later, Dan is leaving to meet us. TaNece's car will not start. He just got done driving the car earlier in the day. He decides to pop the trunk to jump start the ole battery. Holy cow! Not really a cow. Nor a muskrat. But kinda. A rock chuck. The bugger dove down into the engine. Dan tried poking the varmint out with a stick. Several rakes, brooms, etc. were not being helpful. The darn varmint chewed on a few wires. He donned on some heavy snow boots and thick gloves. He was going to catch this thing in 96 degree weather. He's at it now for over an hour. Dan decides to drive the car up Koen's ramp (see other video) to help him get under the engine better. He duct tapes a screwdriver to the end of a stick and Dan is ready for vengeance. The rock chuck squeals his words back at Dan. He got a couple of quick jabs but nothing too penetrating with the screwdriver tip. If this was his car, he would have shot the dumb animal by now. He no longer hears the squeals and figures the thing has run off. While packing, he's taping some engine wires together and he sees it run out. But runs on the exhaust pipe. He decides to drive and burn the little bugger's feet right off. He Dukes and Hazards over the railroad bumps for good measure. There is no way that thing is still hanging on...even after 2 hours of travel. He finally arrives at Lava late at night. Still no squeal after poking through the engine with another resort guest's broom. Daylight approaches. We all wake up eager to hear the story of Dan and the rock chuck. He takes us out to the car. Him and my dad lift the hood up. Hands react too fast but not fast enough (I didn't rush to the animal, heck no! If that thing can with stand Dukes of Hazards over the railroads and some jabs of a screwdriver, it is indestructible) to grab the devil himself, the rock chuck. Over night that rascal ate through wires all over inside--frayed off and devoured. I'm beginning to feel like Chevy Chase and the whole squirrel thing at Christmas.They drive to the local mechanic. He refuses. He doesn't want the devil/rock chuck near his business. They drive to a remote area full of rocks. They come up with a plan: Dan and dad open the hood, poke and scare the tar out of the dumb rock chuck while TaNece drives the car with the hood up (it kept running back inside the engine whenever they stopped) until it ran out and away. Plan worked. Dan felt immense relief watching that partially bloody animal run off. Relief would be an understatement for my worrisome sister now wondering how her car is going to behave.

After replacing the wires to two major things and one being the A/C in the car in Pocatello, my sister could finally take her car and family home. TaNece mentioned a few times that "Only bizarre things happen to you and now they are infecting those around you." Doubt she'll ever want to swap cars (or personal belongings) anytime soon for vacations or what not.

**side note: About the same time our neighbor down the road had a similar experience with a rock chuck. His rock chuck decided to make his freezer in the garage his home. After chewing the wires of the freezer, my neighbor discovered him hiding between the wall and freezer. After poking the animal, laying out poison and even shooting him (he missed and hit his freezer instead) he was giving up hope of getting that thing out. But he finally did. And later on we found out that rock chucks chew on wires because they like the salt--like a salt block for cattle.

A Burnin' Hot Volcanic Week

Okay, remember the days of doing nothing but swimming, eating licorice, and staying up late talking? We did just that for 7 straight days. The whole S/L Williams family went to Lava Hot Springs and had a great time. One thing as a parent "happy moment" is to see cousins play together and encourage each other. Good stuff.

We floated down the river. The river had hot spots along the way. Our little family (the Dangilee family) pulled our tube off the side and stayed along the hot spots for over an hour. It's like swimming in bath water. However, Koen was disappointed about not seeing any real lava while there.

We zipped down the speed slides. That is Koen zooming down the yellow slide.

We jumped off diving boards. Daradie could always be found jumping off the boards.
We traveled to Chesterfield. It is a historical town where we pushed handcarts. Daradie sang, "pioneer children sang as they walked and walked until their mom said to stop." Fitting.

Kiddos played on the original organ in the chapel! Can you believe that? They invited all to tickle the ole ivories. And we all walked away with an old fashioned candy stick.
We had a great time together. It' s just fun stuff to see kids play together and time to talk to brothers/sisters. I just thought it was soooo cool how my sister, Shalece, took her son to go fishing. Really. That is so not her thing (it didn't consist of shopping or a craft store) but that's what her son wanted to do and she did it. Awesome. And yes, they did catch some fish.

Ohhh...What do you do in the summertime?

Do you swim in a lake?

Do you find shapes in the clouds? Think about things while in the corn rows?

Do you make sandcastles? Find shiny rocks along the beach?Do you pick berries straight from the vine?

The Bestest Soccer Player

If you ask Koen, he's the best at soccer. He's the one that scores all the points (really truly, him and another boy that Koen occasionally stole the ball from so Koen could "officially" score the point but we talked about being a team player and all that other parenting talk stuff).
Koen was in his element. He's the kid that constantly asked his coach to play and would sit out for a nano-second and then ask to 'be put in as forward because he's good and can score points.' Wow. And he's five.

And yes, Koen. We saw you score the goal. Now focus and return back to the game.

My baby's got the moves! He would do the slide kick and score points that way. The referee told him he had to stop because the other "little" kids weren't ready for that level (that's what I heard but someone else may have heard that he had to stop the infamous slide kick to avoid tripping the players). Can't wait to see him excell even more.....in soccer, baseball, swimming, and football. Strict instructions from my lil' "bestest player" ever.

My Picture Window

I've said this many a times. Dan puts up with a lot from me. I've got plans. Ideas. And they don't involve just me. My ideas are master plans and huge weekend (plus a few extra days) projects. I convinced myself that our children needed a swingset. Not just any old swingset. But one like I had when I was little. Massive. Seventeen feet high and sturdy. Dan got to work. My dad dropped off old main line (irrigation pipes). We tracked down a portable welder. Neighbors stopped by wondering who would be crazy enough to weld in 95 degrees. Dan simply told them that his wife was on a mission. (Every man that stopped nodded in silent agreement. Reality?)
We cemented the poles in place. Begged every scout and friend that they couldn't swing just yet. The kiddos put their handprints in the cement. It took 3 days to cure in place.

And now I have this. Who needs a picture window? My picture window never sits still. My picture window laughs and sings. My picture window is priceless. I never see the same picture while washing dishes, getting a drink of water, or just staring out and enjoying the price of giant swingset.

Best of Friends

At times these two are infuriating. Climbing on the top shelf of the pantry to eat their "secret treats."
At times these two are hilarious and wacky in their own little world.

But whatever they are, they are inseperable.

I'm a lucky mom to have children that are more than brother and sister, but also best friends.

Just Like when I was Little

On Sunday afternoons growing up, we would all pile into the suburban and head up to the Ferry Butte. It was a riotous ride with the 3 big kids (Shane, Shalece and Klade) up front and us 3 little kids (TaNece, me, Kelly) in the back. Driving up and down the hills and dusty windy roads was a lot of fun. Before long TaNece, my sister, would be flinging herself over the middle seat gasping for fresh air before she threw up over everyone. (Not sure why she just never sat in the front to begin with...) Once at the top of the butte we would look down and see the giant blue slide just north of the cottonwoods by the river. After running around the butte through sage brush we'd pile back in and head down towards Pocatello. We'd stop at the Smith's and buy ice cream cones. Us and the rest of the Indians along the reservation. Now days, my family is doing the same thing. We head up to either the ski resort or to the dam on Sunday afternoons. We throw rocks in the river. Kids looking out windows trying to spot deer and bear. We cook marshmallows and hot dogs purchased at the gas station on a whim because fun ideas just keep getting funner and funner. We climb rocks (and at times it's more like scaling cliffs) and look over the fields and the sprinklers. Dan and I relish in the shouts of "You guys are the coolest parents ever!" as the car gets deeper and deeper into cavernous tree tunnels. We stop at the store and buy square ice cream cones. Us and the bikers heading up to the Tetons.

Ohhhh, the Joys of a Mom....

While hauling hoses around to water the lawn:
Koen: You know what I want are those sprinklers that shoot out of the ground.
Me: That would be nice.
Koen: But we're too young to have those.
Me: What do you mean?
Koen: Only old people have those kind of sprinklers and we're not old.
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While sleeping on the trampoline:
Daradie (while looking up at the stars): Do you like being a mom?
Me: Sure. Do you like being my dauther?
Daradie: I love it. But not when you yell at me.
Me: Do you think I like to yell at you?
Daradie: No. I know it's because I don't listen and ignore you. I love you mom and I'm glad that you're my mom.
Me: Love you too.
Daradie: Now can't you scoot over! You keep rolling on me. Get off of me!!!! Get off!!!!
(The downfalls of sleeping on a trampoline during those special talks.....)

Bear World Next Door

How can you not visit Bear World when you're a stone throw away, right? We had cousins come for a night and showed them the sights. Debbie and Dan took us through the park two times because they couldn't get enough of the bears and wolves. Really? I had enough sitting in the back seat with 2 hungry bears and 2 wolves that needed to take naps. Wait. Those were children. That stayed up laughing their brains out the night before. It's good for cousins to be together. Nothing better. Cousins Evan and Mary had fun staying in the country. They asked Daradie if she missed living next to stores.

Bear World even offers pint-size carnival rides. My kiddos were almost too tall to be on some of the them. They had more fun doing the rides than watching wildlife through a car window.
Daradie, finally had enough guts to pet the pig at the petting zoo. They all had a great time feeding the goats and deer and scratching the bristly pig.
And seeing all the bears was awesome. Wait. Those are children.

Don Quixote, Dancing Daradie

Daradie was bumped up a ballet class. It's nice to have such a tall daughter and one so graceful on stage, two things that are definitely a good ballet combo. She wanted to be a ballet dancer when she was 3 and she's still at it. The other day she said that she wants to be a mom and teach ballet when she's old. I think that can be done. Koen wanted to show off his dance recital attire. You know. One of those "discussions" about wearing a collared shirt and no jeans because it's something nice...and what he has on does fit within the guidelines. Lovely. Cowboy shirt and pj pants worn with boots. Gotta love it.

Bangin' Easter Traditions

I'm sure some families have traditions that are solemn, special and well....traditional. We don't roll like that here in the Peck house. We go shoot guns. Dan has quiet the collection of guns. He likes to bring them out every so often to keep them "fresh." We like to take advantage of that time.

He's instilled the fire of hunting and all things manly in Koen. Koen's proof of hitting his target.

Daradie even got on in the action. She was a little hesitant at first but that Annie Oakley quickly came out.

I even had to give it a whirl. (It might help if I keep my eyes open.)

Terrific Tree House

If you have been hiding under a rock then come out! Go visit the fabulous Tree House Museum in Ogden, Utah. My kids love it! They just can't get enough of all the magic storytelling and imagination going on in there.
Koen and Cousin Canon trying to pull out King Arthur's sword.

Koen showing me how to milk a cow. He now wants to own a cow.

A little queen that needs a moment to herself.