The First Big Snow Storm of the Season

Yesterday we spent all day in Taylorsville with my family. They didn't get to much snow that stuck but we had no idea what to expect when we got home because we usually get a little more than they do. Well, this is what we came home to last night.... a good 3 inches!!! I'm not ready for the snow.






Chloee loved running around in it.........


And eatting it!!!

Happy Birthday Chloee!!

On Wednesday, November 11 Chloee turned 1 year old!! I can't believe it. She has gotten so big from when we got her on Christmas!

To show how cute and sensitive my adorable husband is, we decided to start taking Chloee to Doggy Day Camp once a week because we have to keep her locked up so much between us being at work and school. We started it this last week and Nate decided to take her both on Tuesday so she could get used to it and on Wednesday so she wouldn't be alone on her Birthday. He even paid a little extra for a special ice cream treat for her! She loved it, but I'm pretty sure those pore ladies were so glad to see us at the end of the day! They sent us home with a report card for her after both days. The first day she was to excited to rest, she "Romp 'n' Rolled" during play time (she wouldn't stop), and it took her a little coaxing to go potty because she didn't want to miss out on anything! They told us she was a "REAL party girl". The second day, she definitely didn't have as much energy. She napped really well, went potty great, and she rested a little while playing. Those poor dogs there were probably so annoyed by her and her energy but it was so nice to get her home and have her be tired!! She made two friends that she played tug-o-war and wrestled with a lot! They are Hope a Border Collie mix and Toona an Australian Cattle Dog. I was so glad to know that she was good, had a good time and made some good friends. We have such a good dog!!

Sami got Chloee Chocolate dipped dog bones from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory! She LOVED them! She would only eat them outside for some reason.


Chloee and her presents



Dad and Chloee playing with her new rope!!



Chloee wanted to go out and play with her Frisbee so bad but it was time for bed!

What peach tree?

During the summer once we got our yard done we decided that we would try and leave CHloee outside for a couple of hours at a time until we could figure out if it was something she would get used to and eventually enjoy. Nate left her outside one morning when he left for work and came home for luch that day to let her back in lock her up. Because she had been really good in the back yard for a while now, Nate didn't take the time to look around and make sure because he was in a little bit of a hurry to get to his next bid. Our neighbors called us that night after we had been home for a little while to see if we wanted to get snow cones. Of course we did but
because we didn't want Chloee to be locked up again we decided we would let her stay outside. Much to our suprise, when we opened the door to let her outside Nate noticed a nice empty spot in our yard. Before I even noticed anything was wrong he said "Where's our tree?" Being really confused, I looked toward the direction he was and this is what I saw......






And the Culprit......

Blast to the Past

We've had a lot going on lately with school starting again! With Nate and I both working full time and going to school full time we like to spend every possible moment together not leaving much time for blogging. Besides being on the go all the time takes a lot out of you! Now that I'm done sharing my excuses.....

We did a lot of fun things to send the summer out with a bang. So now that it's fall and cold and rainy out I figured I would take a blast to the past and remember the good old times, not so long ago, when it was nice and warm!

First things first,
My mom has a close friend who lost her husband to a car accident a couple of months ago. She was in awe at how many people came to support her and her family at the funeral and some really neat things were said about her husband. She mentioned to my mom after the funeral how sad it is that we don't more to celebrate people when they are alive. After hearing and thinking about that, my mom decided to throw my dad a Surprise Birthday Party. Boy was he surprised!! After my dad changing his mind many times about whether he was going to go into work or not that day (we were hoping he would so my mom could get stuff ready at home), he decided last minute to say home and work!!! So thanks to my amazing husband, we were able to get him out of the house by sending them on random errands. Thanks for your help babe!

We started it with his family







Then about an hour and a half later we had our family friends, people from the ward and his work start showing up!







The yummy food....









It was so fun surprising him!! With only his family there in the beginning he thought was it! But little did he know that after they started leaving, the next group would start coming. And they kept coming and coming!! We hope you had a good time dad!

To show how Red Neck my family is we were introduced to Demolition Durby by a family in our ward almost 10 years ago! We have gone every year since. We have now added Nates family to our tradition within the last 4 years or so. We go to the Salt Lake County Fair Durby and have some pretty crazy stories from all of our trips. The worst part of all is that we can't wait until next year when we can go again!!

Walking around with Brynnlee before the Durby





Yes, that's a tire!



It's hard to tell but the truck in front is on fire and the man in the green jacket is trying to get it out with a fire extinguisher. They came up with a new rule this year that after 3 fires your disqualified for your own safety. This poor guy had back luck and ended up being disgualified for to many fires!




We finished off the summer by spending Labor Day at Flaming Gorge with Nate's family. We took Jason and Lexi with us because dad graduated that same weekend in Washington from School and Sami wasn't up to watching them all weekend. I think they had a lot of fun. We learned while we were there that Chloee is 99% fish. She didn't care what she did as long as she could do it in the water. She probably spent 80% of the time swimming around! Nate's Uncle John has a boat that he brings up and lets us all take turns playing on it! Thanks for sharing your boat and all your fun toys with us! It makes is so much fun.

Going on a little boat ride to the rock!



Hanging out at the rock




Nicholas jumping from the rock


Nate's jump/belly fop


Nate and i


Jason had his birthday while we were up there. I made him some cupcakes and we brought up some gifts for him to open.



Nate and Brynnlee


Chloee playing keep away - She's not very good at sharing with other dogs!



Duke finally gets a hold


Duke somehow ending up with it


Crawdads the kids caught


Jason and Lexi with they crawdad


Going Fishing with Grandpa Keith


Camp


Nate, straping on wake boots to give it a try for the first time!


Just after getting up, trying so hard to keep his balance!


Nate Successfully riding his first wake!! He actually did pretty darn good considering he's never done it before. Way to go BABE~


Jason, Lexi, and Kyler on the tubes - Jason and Lexi have never been boating before but they had a blast! I think Jason outrode everyone on the tube. Everyone would get off to switch it up, except him!






Freezing after tubing


One of the only times Chloee was out ouf the water our entire trip. She looks so tired but you'd be suprised how much energy she still had left!!!




We had a a busy summer but we were able to get a lot done and have quite a bit of fun! Thanks for all the good times babe!

Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning....

September 11, 2001 is a day I'm sure none of us will ever forget. I'm also sure you all could tell me exactly where you were and what you were doing when you heard about it for the first time. I'm sure you can recall the feelings you had of sorrow, pain and confusion. I was walking up the stairs from the family room to the kitchen on my way to get some breakfast before school when my mom turned the TV on just as the second plane hit. I can still remember the shock of my family as well as the news reporters and the words they said as it turned into the tower. We can remember all the heroes of that day, all the flags, and memorials everywhere. I can't believe that 8 years ago today some hijackers did something that I'm sure thought would tear our country apart! However, it did the complete opposite. There were many many lives lost and many families torn apart be we all came together. I don't think I can think of a time ever where us as Americans were more unified than during those difficult months that followed that horrific day.




September 11th will be with all of us forever and it's up to us to decide what to do with those memories we have. When we look back on that day, despite everything going on with the economy and the government issues, we remember how truly blessed we are to be living where we are - The Land of the Free. That we think about those men and women who have sacrificed since the beginning and those who continue to do so daily so that we can enjoy the privileges we have from living in America. That we also think of their families and the sacrifices they are making as well. That we also think about those firemen and police officers who risk their lives as well trying to keep us safe. I hope we think about all the other blessings we have and continue to receive everyday - our families and friends, today, our safety, the jobs we have. Always remember, Always be grateful. ~GOD BLESS AMERICA~