Baby Magic?!

My littlest boy left a surprise for me in my nightstand drawer yesterday morning, a little bit of BABY MAGIC!!!


Kanyon is a little pack rat. He loves to pick up any item in the house that will fit in his hands, and transport it to a different part of the house. In particular, he places the objects in drawers or behind doors. This is a fork left in the bathroom drawer!


None of my other children have ever done this! It's good and it's bad. Good because it always makes me happy and smile and laugh when an object is surprisingly found in an unusual location. Like this photo: I couldn't figure out where all the forks were, and then I discovered them along with some bowls by the telephone stand. He had taken the opportunity to empty part of the dishwasher for me!


It's bad, because if you can't find something-you never know WHERE to look; the object could be anywhere in the house! I found some BINGO gamepieces we were searching for the other day in the bathroom closet. I found some fingernail polish in one of my shoes last week. We think maybe he threw one of our phones in the garbage, because we still can't find it! Not to mention his fascination with throwing things in the toilet. In this photo, it's his bathtoys. But it's also been garbage, his pacifier, and the toilet paper roll.


Yesterday morning, I was laying in bed, and I kept hearing the hamper lid open and shut, open and shut. This is what we found:


When I emptied the hamper, this is how many items he had thrown in!!! That's our baby boy! Always producing the "Baby Magic": he makes things disappear, and then they magically reappear!!!


He is SO happy when he is producing his "Baby Magic" and loves his new role as the Official Family Possessions Courrier!

The gift that keeps on bridging!

We live on the Tolman Ranch in Salmon right next door to Josh's parents. A large irrigation ditch designates the boundaries and separates the two yards. When we first moved into this house 6 years ago, the bridge across it was a broken narrow wooden plank. Josh and his dad replaced that with an old beam that was pulled from a torn-down old farm building. It was a lot more stable, but still only about 18 inches wide. Multiple times a year, kids would accidentally fall off of it into the water. Over the years, it began to rot. For Christmas this year, Josh surprised me with a new 3-foot-wide bridge that he built all by himself. It is so beautiful! It has a slight arch, and a hand rail, and he stained it to match the hand-built fence surrounding our yard. He made it during the winter at the shop at the golf course, so I had no knowledge about it. He even moved it into place across the ditch one day near Christmas when I wasn't home. When I drove up the driveway and saw it, I was so ecstatic! Josh has always been the best gift-giver and is extremely good at keeping secrets. Everyone who comes to the house comments on the beautiful new bridge, and now we even have plans for him to make another one identical to it on the opposite end of the yard where a narrow wooden plank still sits. We have all enjoyed it, especially Kanyon. We love to sit on the bridge in the summer and put our feet in the cool water on hot days, and because of its width it has already saved us from slipping off it and falling into the ice this winter! I LOVE it! It's the simple things in life that bring us joy, so I wanted to share my thoughts about this Bridge of Bliss with you!!!

This is just like the bridge we had before.

This is our bridge now! Isn't it beautiful?!! Our yard is on the right, and Grandma & Grandpa's is on the left.

Baseball...it was a HIT!!!

Spring is here! And that, for Ammon, means baseball! This year, Josh and I coached his team. Ammon is in the league between T-ball and minor league. For the 7-8 year olds, the coach pitches to the kids. Josh was a great pitcher and a super coach!

I was in charge of organizing the batting line-up and the out-field positions, which worked out perfect for me because I had to manage Jonah, Micah, and especially Kanyon as well! Interesting note: Ammon is right-handed when he writes, and left-handed for sports (baseball, golf).

Ammon is a great little player! It was a fun season and we had a great time seeing the kids on our team improve over the 6 weeks. But we are just as glad that the season has ended! Our life seemed to be scheduled around those twice-a-week games!

My Husband...the Politician?

Last October, we had some issues with the school board member that represented our area. She misrepresented us, and it really upset us. The school bus route that covered our area was completely removed, and nobody in the area knew. We fought with the school board for 2 months before we finally came to a compromise. That battle started a fire in my husband. Ever since the start of the school year, he has gone to every public school board meeting except for two. He decided last fall that he wanted to be on the school board. Our school board member representative's term is expiring. So, Josh is running against another fellow for the 3 year spot. It's quite a commitment and there's a lot of heated issues going on in the school district right now: new administration, teacher's jobs being cut, a new building being proposed, major bus concerns, as well as the regular disciplinary and personnel and budget issues. I'm so proud of him for taking a stand to better the schools for our children. I'm so glad that he is willing to make this sacrifice on his personal life (and, might I add, Monday night football in the fall--since the school board meetings are on Monday nights). I am so happy that instead of whining and complaining about things that are happening, he wants to be an active force. Because, if you want change, do something about it! And he's trying to do just that! The school board election is today, and I'm nervous and anxious for him! If he makes it, it will be a large commitment on ALL our part. Three years is a long time, and there will be lots of meetings and time away from home. It requires a lot of dedication, but he's proven that he's willing to go the distance, and we are too!!!

First Camping Trip 2008

We couldn't wait to go camping! All winter long, the children kept asking "when can we go camping?" or "is it time to go camping yet?" and the answer would always be "We will go camping after Easter AND after the snow has melted!" So, sure enough, the day after we returned from our Easter excursion to Utah, they all thought it was time to go! Apparently they forgot about the second part of "Before we go camping...." because the snow hadn't melted yet!! So we waited for two weeks, and on the first weekend in April, we took the kids camping at Challis Hot Springs. It's an hour's drive down the canyon, and a little more pricey than what we usually pay to go camping, but it was well worth it! It was so awesome! We went with some friends and had a great time chilling, visiting, and swimming together! As soon as we got home, the questions started all over again "When can we go camping again" and "How long before the next time we go camping?" Apparently not soon enough!

Micah, Kimi, Kanyon, Kala, and Ammon enjoying the heated pool. Jonah (not in picture) was sitting on the steps, afraid to come in all the way!

Kanyon after swimming in the warm pool for the first time. He didn't want to take off his swim shorts. He loved to be swimming!

Jonah and Micah playing with sticks and dirt at our campsite by the river.

Josh visiting with Kimi and Kerry next to our trailer and truck.

Ammon spent a lot of time in his cousin Ellie's trailer. He was part of their family for the weekend: he ate with them, played with them, swam with them, slept with them...

Kala and Amy. Kala-the unshowered one and Amy-the newly showered one.

WARNING! This is what unattended Camping Bed Head looks like! EWWW!!!

Cow Crap Contentment

We live in Salmon, a very isolated community in the midst of mountains, rivers, and farm ranches. Lots of farms and ranches. In fact, we live on my father-in-law's dairy farm and cattle ranch. You get used to the smell of cow crap.
I remember voicing aloud several times in high school that I would never marry a cowboy. I refused to belong to that type of "crowd" and so I thought it would be pretty easy to not ever be infatuated with a "cowboy", let alone marry one. I hated the sight of wrangler jeans, the sound of twangy country music, the apparel of the buttoned-up flannel shirts and the large belt buckles, and how can people wear hats THAT big? Anyways, you get the point.
So, I fell in love with my husband. He didn't wear wranglers, didn't wear the hats or the large belts, didn't listen to the twangy music. After I fell in love with him, he brought me to his home in Salmon to see where he grew up and to meet his family. It was then that I realized, I had fallen in love with a cowboy of a different kind. He loves to ride horses, loves to work on the farm, loves to ride his motorbike to change irrigation pipe, loves to be in the mountains on the summer ranch, etc. I had stereotyped cowboys, and had fallen right through the facade I had created.

In the beginning, I wasn't used to the horse riding or the cattle drives or the way 4-wheelers worked or accustomed to all the dust on my car from endless driving on dirt/gravel roads. But I have grown to love this way of life. We live 7 miles from town, and today on my drive to town, we drove right through a cattle drive. Right in the middle of the highway were 100 beef cattle, being herded by 4 or 5 cowboys on horses. The road was covered in cow crap, the calves were bellowing to keep up with their mothers, my kids were so excited that so many cows were within inches of our car and they were yelling and "whooping" at them to go!

I had a moment right then. A moment where I was lost in my thoughts. A moment where things all came together. A moment where my life was in complete perspective. I love where I live. I love the sound of the cows, the smell of the crap, the dust on my car, the dirt on my kids' shoes. I am so lucky to live a life out in the country. So glad to raise my kids in this environment. So glad for small isolated towns. So glad for the slower paced, laid back lifestyle. So glad for the familiarity of the timeless tradition of herding cattle. I am so happy to have had the moment, the moment full of thoughts and flashbacks and wishes for the future, for however brief that moment was, I was truly content.

And then the cows were all done weaving around our car, headed south. And we continued north to do all the errands in town. But for that one brief second in time, cow crap was truly a good thing!!!

Brilliant Great Britain

Two months ago, I took the vacation of my lifetime! Josh and I went together to visit England and Scotland for 10 days. 4 days were spent travelling, and 6 days were spent enjoying the countries! Other than the plane trips (that was the very first time I flew) the whole trip was absolutely amazing!
We arrived in London at 6:00am, and spent the entire day and half the next day seeing the sights. London is on the southern tip of the country. We went on the London Eye, and that was breathtaking. We took a 45 minute river cruise along the river Thames, with an awesome tour guide and learned a lot about the city and saw a lot of varied buildings and bridges. We toured the British Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Westminster Abbey. The Westminster Abbey was incredible. It’s where every king and queen have been crowned and where most of the country’s loyalty is buried inside in tombs. That was such an awe-inspiring visit there. London is rich with history! I watched the play "Wicked" and loved it! We used every type of transportation possible: train, bus, tube (subway), taxi, boat, and walking. Two things we didn’t like about London: (1) It is very crowded and fast-paced. Thousands of people are everywhere, hurrying to their destinations and people aren’t very friendly. (2) It is filthy! There are no trash bins anywhere. Apparently due to the threat of terrorism, all the trash bins in the city were removed because a bomb could be easily hidden in one. Street sweeping men walk around with vacuums attached to their backs and large bags to pick up all the trash left on the streets and sidewalks. But London was overall a great experience, and we are so glad we went there, as well as glad to leave.
We took a 2 hour train, jam packed with people, to Leeds. Because the large train filled up so fast with commuters returning home from work, we were standing in a cubicle with about 14 people. It was extremely uncomfortable. Leeds is in the middle of the country. While there, we got a rental car (remember they drive on the wrong side of the road! We had our only mishap right after we picked up the car, and never forgot again!) We spent the night in a nice hotel and took advantage of their hot tub. Next morning, we drove to see the Bolton Abbey, an older church with half refinished, and half in ruins. It was absolutely beautiful. It was on acres of lush grassy countryside. We enjoyed walking on the grounds and hiking to get a better view of the Abbey and the surrounding country. We visited Mary, the woman Josh baptized 11 years ago when he was on his mission there. That was neat. We went to the very big street market downtown and got lots of goods for rather cheap!
We drove to Grimsby next, it is on the Eastern Coast of England. We went to church there and visited people that Josh knew when he served there. We went to dinner at an old friend’s house and loved visiting with them and eating real British food and just relaxing. We have fond memories of Grimsby!
Next, we took a day’s drive across the northern end of England, from the east coast to the west. We visited Scarborough, a tourist town on the beach. I spent an hour just walking along the beach, searching for seashells, and loving every minute of it. We visited Thirsk, the hometown of author James Herriot, which Josh was pleased to see. We went to two sections of Hadrians Wall, the hand built wall built hundreds of years ago that follows the England/Scotland border. We saw so much farmland and sheep farms and land lined with hedges and stone walls. It is such beautiful country.
We stopped at Dumfries Scotland next. That was our favorite part of the trip. We love Scotland! In contrast to London, Scotland is very friendly, very laid back, very naturally beautiful. We wish we could have spent more time there. But it was only for a day. We went to the nicest restaurant we have ever been to. I have never seen such well-dressed waiters, such beautifully set tables, such a large amount of silverware placed before me. It was grandeur! Our bed and breakfast was superb. The owner was super friendly and so pleasant to talk to. Early the next morning, we set out for Caerlaverock Castle. We enjoyed every second we were there. We were the only ones visiting it at the time, and took in the breathtaking views with silence. It was so peaceful and so gorgeous. We stopped at a nationally ranked golf course for Josh to visit and see as well. I could go on and on about Scotland. Ahhhhhhh.
We drove south, stopping at Preston to see the LDS temple and visit my cousin Ben who’s from Boise, serving in the Manchester mission. In every town we drove through, a large old Church of England church is present. But I had only spotted two LDS chapels in all of England. It was so nice to see an LDS temple. It was perfectly manicured, and so beautiful. We ended the drive at Manchester, dropped off the rental car, went to a large supermarket for a few chocolate souvenirs (their chocolate is so yummy!) and we walked around the city and stopped for dinner and drinks at a pub.
I learned a few things on my trip about England. I thought it would be very similar to America, but it wasn’t. They have different words, such as: couch=settee, diapers=nappies, trucks=lorries, pants=trousers, underwear=pants, cookies=biscuits, dessert=pudding, boots=wellies, car trunk=boot, trailers=boxes, and so on. Their history is so rich. In comparison, American history is rather new. When you go over there and see things that are 1000 years old and still standing, you have a new appreciation for their heritage. Their way of life is so different. Everywhere we went, the majority of people live in little homes, mostly either duplexes or fourplexes. They drive little cars, they have little yards (called gardens), they have narrower roads, etc.
But one of the most important things I learned is that I have truly been missing out. This was my first real vacation anywhere. We never even went on a honeymoon. WE HAVE BEEN MISSING OUT! I can’t believe we have never done this before! The British have such a different outlook on life than Americans. As a generality, Americans live to work. We are workaholics, and never take too much time off to enjoy the wonderful things of life that are available to us. In contrast, the British work to live. They live to go on holiday (how they say vacation). They take long holidays, for 2 or 3 weeks at a time. They visit places and see things, and take a break from their life. I think they have it right. We need to enjoy our lives! If all we do is work work work, where’s the enjoyment in that? So now, Josh and I have goals and plans to go on vacations every year. We’ll do the big trips to other countries and overseas like every 5 or 10 years, and see things in the US the other years. We want to go to Las Vegas, Seattle again, DC, Chicago, California, etc. We are already looking forward to returning to Scotland and seeing Ireland and Wales as well.
Our trip was truly unforgettable. We are better people because of it. We enjoyed our time alone together (we only had 2 fights! which isn’t very much considering we were with each other 24/7 for 10 days!) and we were so relaxes and able to enjoy what we saw and visited. I relish the memories in my mind! I am so glad we took the trip, and we look forward to a new lifestyle that includes vacations in the future. Great Britain was brilliant!!!

The art (or stupidity) of being hypnotized!

Last Friday, a Hypnotist came to town. My husband bought tickets for him and I to go to the show, because he had never been to one before. Growing up, I had been to several. I never believed in it, but went along because he actually bought tickets for us to go on a date together-which is somewhat rare for him to do.
So we arrived, and our friends came and sat by us, and the Hypnotist began with a comedy act. He was hilarious, and we had a great time. After intermission, he began the hypnotist act. My friend Celyn wanted me to go up, but I said no. I asked Hailey if she wanted to go, but she said no. I asked Celyn if she wanted to go, and we agreed that we would go up together, Celyn and I. Everyone else who volunteered was still in high school and under the age of 18. Mind you, I am 28. Old enough to know better.

The hypnotist began his schpiel to get us to go to sleep. Celyn woke up after a few minutes of going under because of a loud noise and someone falling in her lap. That left me alone up there with teenagers. Which I was completely unaware of. Needless to say, I did the stupidest things, in front of hundreds of people in the community that I knew and didn’t know. He had us taking off our shoes and socks. We rubbed the stinky things (shoes) on our heads. We put the wet, nasty socks on our hands and sang the sponge bob song. We danced like belly dancers, acted like cows, supposedly got spit up on by a person chewing tobacco. To which I flipped the guy off, (and apparently the entire audience). It got so hot, I was trying to take my shirt off. I was so cold, I grabbed the guy next to me for warmth and held on for dear life. The list goes on and on.

After the hypnotist show ended, I went up and sat by Josh in the stands. I was in a daze. It felt like I just woke up too early from a nap, and I am a completely nasty person in the mornings and when I am awakened early from sleeping. So everyone around me is asking me questions, and I rudely reply to them all "I was just sleeping. Sleeping and sweating." Goll, I just wanted to be left alone. It takes me a while to get out of the daziness phase, and that night was no exception.

The hypnotist had played tricks on each person, and when he said the word "passion" I was to kiss my husband like he was the only man in the world for me and I wanted him with all my being. As soon as he said it, it was like I was a possessed rabid mad dog or something. I literally jumped onto my husband and for 30 seconds my tongue was down his throat and I was all over him. My friend recorded it on her cell phone and I couldn’t believe what I saw! Josh thought he was going to suffocate to death. But he also said it was the best kiss of his life!! I am an extremely timid kisser. I rarely use tongue. It was so unlike me, truly.
In the beginning, I couldn’t remember anything that happened. Later that night, I would hear or see something, and it reminded me of these dreams that I had. It was as if it was all a dream. And then it hit me a few days later. As I thought about that kiss, and then watched the video of it, I realized that that person wasn’t me. I WAS hypnotized. And then I felt like a complete idiot. Salmon is a small town, with about 3000 residents. But news travels very quickly here. Ever since that night, no matter where I go, people (many of which I don’t even know) talk to me about how hilarious they thought I was. People call me everyday telling me they had the best laugh of their lives watching me. Many people tell me they weren’t even there that night, but they "heard ALL about it". Lovely. I feel like a celebrity, and not the good type. I feel like Britney Spears or someone like that, a celebrity that everyone knows and ridicules.

Hypnotization is such a strange sensation. Needless to say, I will NEVER volunteer for anything like that again. I just can’t wait for the next idiot to make headlines, so that I can come out of hiding again!

2007 Christmas-time Rhyme

I spent hours creating our Christmas newsletter this year. It turned out pretty good and I am so proud of it that I am posting it!!!

D is for Dad, Josh is his name,
Doesn't matter which kind, sports are his game!
He coaches both H.S. cross country & little league baseball teams,
He refs basketball, watches football, and his work (play) at the golf course makes him beam!

Q is for Queen, since she's the only female in the home,
Kala claims the house with its day-to-day tasks as her throne.
She volunteers for PTO, MOPS, the county fair committee, and more.
She sings, scrapbooks, cares for the children, and washes the dishes and laundry galore!

A is for Ammon, at the age of 7 he's our oldest son.
He excels in math and reading in 2nd grade, and he's a talented one:
He plays piano, golf, and baseball, rides his bike, and likes to fish.
His loves are Pokemon, his friends, Nintendo, and the Satellite Dish!

J is for Jonah, twin number one of two.
The family celebrated their 4th birthday at the Hogle Zoo.
M is for Micah, the second twin,
He is full of mischief with a sneaky grin.
They go to preschool and get to ride the bus each day,
They sing the ABC's, and the numbers and colors they can say.
They like to play with cars & trucks, dig in the dirt pile, and help on the farm.
They enjoy being read to and have fun wrestling (which always brings harm!)

K is for Kanyon, who arrived in February as son number four,
Which means our family is full--there will be no more!
He's a busy boy; he crawls, stands, loves to eat, and explores.
He likes music, the cats, and his brothers, by whom he is adored.

T is for Tolman, our family of 5 boys and a girl.
We think the year 2007 went by in a whirl!
We went camping, swimming, and vacationed together.
Memories were made that will last forever!
We love you and think of you and wish you the best,
Not just for now, but also next year and all the rest!

My (not Pee Wee Hermans) BIG ADVENTURE!

2008 is going to be a big year for me! Among many other things, it marks the 10 year anniversary of my husband and I! I can't believe we're still together, but I am proud of it!! We had a rough couple of years (well actually 4) but we have really evolved into a marriage that I am grateful and happy to be a part of. So, to celebrate the landmark event, we are going to England for a week in February. This for me is HUGE. I have never been on a plane, I have never been out of the country, and I have never spent that much time alone with my husband. We didn't even go on a real honeymoon (unless you count two nights in a bed and breakfast in Logan).

I CAN'T WAIT! We will be spending time in London and Leeds and Grimsby and Manchester and Preston and a day in Scotland as well. Josh went on his mission to the Leeds England area and we are so excited to visit some of the people and places that he did 11-12 years ago. I have been making plans over the internet and do a little bit of research each day, but it's beginning to consume my life!!! Now that the vacation is creeping up on me, I'm starting to get overwhelmed and apprehensive. But I always do this. I require having events to look forward to get me excited and keep a focus in my life. I look forward to it and plan and organize and itinerize everything until the event draws close, and then I realize how much laundry and packing and all the details that have to be done and then I get bogged down and don't want to go anymore. So now that I've been excited and working towards this for almost a year now, I'm beginning to stress over the little details and beginning to get frazzled! It's just quirky me and the way I work, I guess. But then usually I enjoy myself when I'm on vacation or visiting family or camping, once the details are worked out anyways. So hopefully this will be the best week of my life!!! I am so glad that I convinced my husband to go last March, and to use the so-called tax returns on a positive thing in our life instead of just paying off more bills. Mostly I'm glad, because now that I am in the beginning stages of my "Trip Stress Anxiety" he is convincing me that we definitely need to go!

I CANT WAIT!!! Ten years ago, Josh proposed to me on Valentine's Day, and our plane arrives in London on Valentine's morning. Isn't that awesome!? I'm grateful I get to spend the time with my husband now. I think it's actually better that we are spending the time and money to go now rather than on a honeymoon. We are more comfortable with one another and more mature and more like good friends rather than new lovers. I think I will truly enjoy my surroundings more and appreciate the trip more than when I was a newly married woman. I can't believe that one of my dreams will actually come true! Do you know those goals in the back of your head that you dream of and desire and hope that "some day" they will happen? Well, since my humanities class at S.U.U., I have wanted to go to England and France. They are countries rich with history and beauty.

I CAN'T WAIT!!! I am so excited for the chapter in my life titled "Kala's Big Adventure". Mind you, I adapted it from Pee Wee's movie, but mine is so much more than a glorified bike ride!!!!! (By the way--this really has nothing to do with my blog--I used to love Pee Wee Herman's Playhouse on Saturday mornings.) Stay tuned for the post-trip blog!!!