Christmas Break

I know I haven't written much. I plan on doing better in the coming year. This Christmas Break has actually been a little quiet this year. Lynn has been taking the older kids to play Basketball at the Goldendale Middle School with our friend, Bob who coaches a 6th grade team. He has open gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the Christmas Break. On the other days of the week, Lynn has been taking them up to the church to play ball in the gym there. I am hoping that all this playing Basketball is improving their game. We will see in a week when they all have games.

For Christmas we gave Daniel and Jacob a Nintendo DSi and a couple of games. Benjamin got a Leap Frog Didj and Samuel got a Leap Frog Tag. All electronics. They like them all and have been using them quite a bit. We make them all exercise and do chores in order to earn their privilege of using these new electronics. I am hoping the Tag will help Samuel with reading and the Didj is actually teaching Benjamin his multiplication tables. I'm not sure Daniel and Jacob are learning anything except maybe cooperation and sharing. :)

Britni for the break has been sleeping in a lot and watching too much t.v. She always pulls out her homework but I'm not sure she has gotten much done. :)

This break would be perfect if I didn't have a cold with a nasty cough that only coughs at night when I want to sleep. Oh Well. I guess we just can't have it all, all the time. :)

I hope everyone else is having a great Christmas Break. Love ya all!!

The Grinch Unleashed

Grandpa let us borrow his Santa hat for the Christmas Party. Jacob just happens to have the perfect Grinch face. I wish the picture was better but I think you will get the picture. Jacob is such a fun kid!! I just love him!!

Communication??

Benjamin at 7:00 a.m. this morning "Mom, can you make 22 cookies for my class party today?" Mom "Do you need to take cookies?" Benjamin "Well, yea."

So Mom makes brownies but they don't get done before he leaves for school. So Mom being such a great Mom, drives in heavy fog and icy roads to take brownies to his class.

Mom "Did Benjamin need to bring cookies today?" Teacher "No, we have lots of food but it's o.k. if he wanted to." Mom "Oh,Well here's the cookies."

Then Mom drives back home in heavy fog and icy roads back home. I imagine that I will have many more days likes these. Oh Vey!!

Have a Happy Holidays. Good thing today is the last day of school for the Christmas break!!

Beautiful Day in December

I can't believe the weather. O.k. I know they are blaming everything on El Nino or El Nina or whatever but it really is crazy. Today we have sunshine and kind of warm for December. There was even a rainbow in the sky a few hours ago. I love the sunshiny days. They make me happy!! A happy Mommy makes for a Happy Family. That's what I always say.

I have all the Christmas baking done and hopefully tonight for family night we will deliver the majority of them. Then I just need to do some last minute shopping and I will be done with the Christmas presents and can enjoy the season.

The boys have a Basketball game tonight in Bickleton. Britni actually doesn't have a game until Friday. She will be traveling to Zillah. I really was hoping that the waiting up all night for her wouldn't start until she started dating. But that does not seem the case. Last Friday she had a game in Wahluke? and she did not get home until 11:45 p.m. That is a long night. Of course you just fall asleep and then she calls to be picked up. Then you start to fall asleep again and someone calls to make sure we have picked her up. Boy was that a long night. I just remember those days when she was a baby and kept us up all night long. Pacing the floors while she screamed. At least this is quieter but I really like my sleep. Welcome to Teenagerhood!!

Our Christmas Letter

Newsletter design created with Smilebox

Christmas is Coming the Goose is getting FAT!!!

Well, Christmas is almost here. I have been baking and making candy all week. I've been sampling lots too. I saw where Weight Watchers has changed their program. A friend of mine still goes and she is going to let me look at the new program book. It sounds like a good program. I lost 25 pounds on Weight Watchers a couple of years ago. I need to do something before I have to lose that much again. Maybe I will wait until after Christmas. I am still exercising which is good. But I haven't been walking the dogs as much. The little dog who is a people dog is running away and not caring about the shock of the dog fence. She needs the exercise for her energy level and her people time I guess.

Anyway, I am just rambling. My boys won their Basketball game last night. It's fun to watch and cheer for them. Britni has an away game today and a home game tomorrow. I hope everyone has a great day. I'll be posting our Christmas letter here also.

Love to everyone. :)

Comfort

I have had a cold all week. Started with a sore throat on Sunday and has progressed to really yucky yesterday. As I was getting my lunch yesterday, I realized that I have certain Comfort Food that I always go to when I am sick or depressed. Breakfast is Hot Cocoa and toast or english muffin and lunch is Grilled Cheese and Chicken noodle soup. Of course a little piece of chocolate afterwards doesn't hurt either.

Then I got to thinking when I am stressed the comfort is chocolate always. When I am bored it is salty popcorn, chips, pretzels. No wonder I have gained 10 pounds in the passed 3 months.

Now that I have recognized this, I need to PULL MYSELF TOGETHER.(what movie is that from? actually phrase is Pull yourself together) I need to get on the stick and do something about it. I hope that writing this in my blog will help with that.

I hope everyone has a super day. Feeling much better today. Need to go run some errands now. Love to you all.

Tomorrow is December

We have had snow for 2 weeks now which is unusual for Goldendale. It seems like we have been in December for 2 weeks now. Not that we usually get a lot of snow in December either. The kids are enjoying the 2 hour delay this morning. I love to look at the snow. It is pretty but if I have to drive in it that is another story.

I woke up on Sunday morning with a sore throat which has progressively gotten worse. Thanks to Lynn and Britni for "sharing" their colds.

The kids are doing well. The snow makes me want to decorate for Christmas. However, I don't feel very good today. So maybe we will work on that another day. I suppose I could have the kids get down the decorations while they are still home this morning.

It is still snowing outside. Maybe if I turn on some Christmas music that will help.

Have a great day!! Stay warm and dry!!! Love to you all!!

Can't Believe Thanksgiving Already

Next week is Thanksgiving. Boy the past few months have gone by really fast. O.k. the whole last year went by really fast. I guess that is what happens when you are busy and having fun.

Britni, Daniel and Jacob have started Basketball practices. They are having fun and learning lots. Benjamin is learning lots by his mistakes lately. Samuel is very excited for the Christmas program at school. His teacher says that he loves to sing.

We had parent teacher conferences last week. I can't remember if I have reported on that yet. So here are the standings. Britni had hers several weeks ago. No surprise. Straight A's. Never any problem with her.

Daniel - needs to learn how to organize his schoolwork so he remembers what school work is due when and when his tests are. He still had A's and B's but he would have had worse grades if it wasn't for Britni writing his teacher a note on what Daniel wanted to do to get his grades up. Thank you Britni for always taking care of her brothers. Daniel also reads so much in class he is not getting his work done. Go figure!

Jacob - has better grades than Daniel. However, he needs to read more on his own instead of having his Mom and Sister read to him his AR book so he can get all his points by the deadline.

Benjamin - is a good student and loves to read but the teacher is concerned with his reading aloud. He is slow and guesses on words and doesn't read the right words. He'll get it eventually.

Samuel - is very cute and sweet. His teacher is impressed with his attentiveness during story time and how he loves to sing songs. She was concerned with his speech so we had him retested. But the therapist said that he makes common mistakes. He never had to talk much until this year at school. We all knew what he wanted so he never had to say it. I guess that is what happens with the youngest kid.

Overall we had very good conferences.

Now to prepare for Thanksgiving and then Christmas. Grandma Morgan is making the pies. I do the rest for Thanksgiving. I am glad because I am not a pie maker.

We hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving!!! Love to ya all!!

A new week

O.k. so it's the middle of this week and I am finally getting to posting on our blog. Lynn and Jacob finished up the soccer season. Now we are prepping for Basketball season. Britni will probably be on JV because there were not enough girls for a C squad team. Which can be good or bad. She will be having a coach that plays favorites (so I've heard). Daniel and Jacob just need to keep their grades up. Next week is parent/teacher conferences. I'll find out then. I usually enjoy parent/teacher conferences. I enjoy visiting with the kids teachers and finding out what my kids are like when they are not at home.

I have been working on a big photo calendar project for the Bischoff's. I'm almost done. I got all the copies made yesterday. I will be assembling them the rest of the week probably. 14 calendars is a lot to do. It' almost worth it to pay the extra to staples so I can save my time and work on other stuff. (Like the Morgan family calendar) :) I am going to be doing the Morgan family calendar through a website that will be much easier. And somewhat cost effective. I wish I would have found it sooner. Oh Well, we all live and learn. Sometimes the easy way and sometimes the hard way.

Have a great day everyone.

Winter is coming!!

The First snow on the Simcoe Mountains means Winter is coming. Just like in the Spring when the snow is off the Simcoe Mountains, you can plant your garden but not before then because it could freeze. :)

Here are the pictures from out back door. We have a great view where we live!!

Now on to family news. Benjamin is done playing Soccer. His team lost every game but at his age they do not count the score so technically I guess he didn't lose but had fun. He did have a lot of fun and was one of the scorers for the team. He says he will play next year because the goalie can use his hands next year to stop the goals. Not that he wants to be goalie but he wants to try he said.

Britni's last Soccer game was last night. They lost. Their record was 4-8-1 according to the newspaper. They had some exciting games where the other teams coach was red carded and kicked out of the game. Last nights game had 3 yellow cards from the other team. I'm glad she is on a team with a good coach and a team that just loves to play soccer!!

Jacob and Lynn's last game is on Saturday in Hood River. They their team was winning every game until one of the players was bragging. They have lost the last 2 games which is good for character Lynn says!! :)

That is the Soccer news. My Birthday was really great. My friend, Carollynn, took me to The Dalles in her sons Mustang and we went and did a little shopping and then she took me to lunch at Anzac Tea Room. They serve all sorts of tea and the little sandwiches and etc. We had a Jasmine dragon tea that is herbal. Very good. We had scones and Devonshire cream and ate in this cute little room that was very girlie!! As Carollynn says "Every girl big or small just loves to have a tea party!!" This tea party was way better than the tea parties I used to have as a little girl with the mud pies or the water and crackers with my dolls. :) We went to McDonald's for Dinner which is usually not my choice of places to go but I was so cold it didn't matter. However, the Chicken club sandwich I had was very good. Then Lynn got me a DQ Bizzard cake and we ate that when we got home!! And I had the best phone message from my brother, Danny!! He sang Happy Birthday to me like Elvis!! It was so funny!! I have the greatest family!!!

I better get going now. We have Young Women's tonight. Tonight we are having a police officer from our ward teach the girls about Self Defense and Awareness. He won't be doing any physical examples but just talking which might be boring to the girls but it's something they need to know especially now in this world we live in.

Last weeks Combined Activity with the Young Men. Britni was in charge and they had a Tater tot and French Fry challenge. They had to build things with Tater tots and French fries using toothpicks and scewers. I recommend no scewers. We had more injuries from scewers than anything else. Also Thaw out the French Fries and Tater tots before you do the activity. They were too hard frozen and the toothpick broke easily.

Have a great week!! Love ya all!!

Baptism Pictures and Funny Weekend

Well, Here are Benjamin's baptism pictures. And then a funny weekend. It started with Britni's Soccer game. It was a beautiful day and so I wore capri's and a t-shirt. Little did I know that you can still get a sunburn in October. :) So my legs are bright red stripes right now. Pretty funny looking.

However, the boys have learned today that watching General Conference and keeping the Sabbath Day Holy is pretty important. So outside they went and started to be boys digging around and playing. When Daniel dug up a hornets nest. I was in taking a nap when I hear Samuel yelling Mommy, Mommy!! And Daniel and Jacob screaming as they are running to the house with several hornets on their tail. As I get up to access the damage, a hornet lands on the top of my head and stings me!!! So the outcome of the hornets vs. my boys is : Daniel 1 sting; Jacob 4 stings; Samuel 2 stings; and me 1 sting. Everyone else came out with none!! Lesson Learned!!

Have a super day!! I hope everyone has a great week!!

Finally!! I have time to Write!!!

Well, as you can tell last week must have been busy since I didn't write as much. This week has slowed down a bit more. My house is cleaned up and laundry is caught up for a day anyway.

Benjamin was Baptized on Saturday. It was a very nice baptism. It's great to have enough family to take care of the whole baptism. :) Grandma and Grandpa Bischoff came from St. Anthony which was great for Benjamin. I will post pictures later.

Britni had 3 soccer games last week. Jacob had one and Benjamin didn't have a game. Britni's team tied the first game, lost the second game and won the last game. Not bad for the week. Jacob's team one too. They were short players so both teams just played with 9 players instead of 11. Britni has another game this afternoon. It's at home which is great. She is hoping they will start a JV team so she can get more playing time. She is one of the first that the coach will sub in when they are winning but still she loves to play and be in the action.

Jacob is doing well with his team too but he keeps hurting his leg muscles. He's pulling something. Our Jacob, we love him so, seems to like playing on the ground more than on his feet. He likes to slide kick the ball away and he does that a lot. Which in turn pulls a muscle.

Benjamin just loves to play but he is our moody boy lately. We told him if he is moody his coach won't put him in to play which he really likes to do. So he is trying to do better (I think) at least at soccer.

Daniel had his first home Football game last week and then found out they didn't have a "B" team to play. They were winning by so much that he got in for 2 minutes in the 4th quarter. He has found that Football is not his true love to play anyway. "You can get hurt." were his words to me. My response "You think?" He still loves to watch football though.

Samuel loves Kindergarten but is having problems with some kids on the bus who are being mean to him. I told him to sit by himself and that seems to help. At least for this week. He is a lot more talkative since he started Kindergarten. He has half day Kindergarten so he is home by 11:30 every day. He always asks "When are my brothers getting home?" He thinks he is bored without his brothers.

Lynn is busy with being Jacob's Soccer coach and his Stake calling and they also called him to be a cub scout den leader which he doesn't have time for yet anyway. One of these days cub scouts will start. Benjamin is excited to start cub scouts. He told me on Sunday "The best thing about being 8 is Cub Scouts and the worst thing is fasting."

Well, Samuel is home from Kindergarten so I better get going. Now that I have written a novel to catch you up to our family news. I'll do better in the future. Love ya all!!

Slowing Down Slowly

Well, last week was very busy with Dr. appointments and sports practices and games and a Birthday Party. Benjamin had a fun Soccer Party. I always wonder why I do them for the kids and then I remember that I never had one as a kid. The things we do as parents so our kids won't feel like they missed something in life.

Today is cleaning the house and drying pears that are very ripe. Also lots of laundry. It always ends up piling up on me at once.

This morning I learned that my dog, Mandy, (the white one) is very strong. I am trying to retrain her and also train our new black dog, Misty. Britni trained Mandy 3 years ago with 4-H. Jacob is going to do the same with Misty but it doesn't start until November. Misty is driving me nuts (chewing everything) so I have been reading the Cesar Milan book (the Dog Whisperer). My neighbor says I am too nice. I need to be more forceful but Cesar never is forceful with his dogs but he sure knows how to train them. I'll keep reading and training and see how it goes. I think it's going to be a long process.

Here's a couple of pictures of our dogs. They are kind of cute!! :) Not the best picture of Mandy.

Quick Note

Just a quick note to let you know I am still alive. Last week was just really crazy. With Orhodonist appointment for Benjamin that was last minute and sports practices. Benjamin's first Soccer game. He did a great job. He comes up to me after he was subbed out and says " I didn't realize how much fun Soccer games are!" He is so cute. He turns 8 years old on Friday. We are having a Soccer Birthday Party for him and his friends.

This will be another busy week. Daniel's first Football game on Thursday. It's an away game. Then we have Britni, Jacob and Benjamin with Soccer games on Saturday. One right after another. We will be spending all day at the Soccer fields.
Britni has an eye Dr. Appointment on Wednesday and Benjamin has another Orthodonist appointment on Thursday!! The last one hopefully!! All these Orthodonist appointments are a pain. Especially when you have to drive to The Dalles to go to them. Last week I had to drive to Hood River for a 5 minute appointment. (That's an hour one way of driving). Oh well, at least his teeth will be fixed eventually.

Have a super day Everyone!! I love ya lots!!

Personal Progress and Wishes

Well, I finished my Personal Progress this morning. Britni is finishing up the Book of Mormon right now and she will be done with her Personal Progress also. It has been so much fun doing it together. We have been "competing" in a fun way to get it done. So another goal completed or maybe that may be the first goal completed of the year. I need to do a review like my sister-in-law, Marvelle, does on her blog. Then I would know how well I am doing on my goals.

I just read a really good book called "Twenty Wishes" by Debbie Macomber. It was about a group of widows who just don't know what to do with their lives and they get together and come up with making of list of Twenty wishes. These are not necessarily goals more like things that you have always wanted to do or things you have always wanted to have. Some are silly and some are serious. One person wanted red cowboy boots while another person just wanted to be loved again. It really got me thinking. I have heard of bucket lists and have wanted to make one of my own but just haven't gotten around to it. Maybe I will start with a Twenty Wishes list.

#1 Learn to Swing Dance with my husband. I think it would be really fun. Too bad we live in such an area where there are no classes. Maybe someday. Hopefully before we are 90 and in wheelchairs. hehe :)

That's a start. What's your Twenty Wishes?

Britni's First Day of School

Before I head out to the corn patch to pick the rest of the corn so I can freeze it, I wanted to write real quick and include Britni's first day of High School pics. She was so nervous. I remember all too well my first day of High School. I was so nervous as well. She is o.k. when it comes to new friends. It's the changing from class to class and knowing where to go and etc. She will do fine. Her cousin, Nathan, picked her up for school so she didn't have to have Mommy take her. :)

And for other news. Lynn is Jacob's soccer coach this year. He has a way bigger team and they travel. It will be an interesting Autumn. :)

Have a super day everyone!! :)

Boys First Day of School

Well, it is official. I now have all my children in school. WOW!! I thought I would be bawling my head off. But Samuel was so cute. He sat in his Kindergarten chair with his name tag and colored a picture. His friend Patrick was there already so that helped. No tears from any of us. WOW!! I feel a little lost being at home alone though. I am still nervous however. Why do I always get nervous when my children are nervous? My husband thinks I'm nuts. But I do. Britni played the piano in Sacrament meeting a couple of weeks ago and I was so nervous for her.

Here are the first day of school pictures for the boys. Britni starts High School tomorrow. However, this morning she is at orientation. So I am alone. In my home. All the possibilities are endless. What project to begin? Where to look? What to clean? What to do? Hmmmm!!

Have a great day to all!! :)

On the Lighter Side

Last post was too serious. So I will tell you of the things my family has done this weekend. Last night Lynn, Daniel and Jacob went paint balling with his brother and his boys at the Thompson's house. Why guys like to hit each other with paint balls is beyond me. I told Lynn I don't have to get hit with paint balls to get my bruises. I walk in enough walls and fall down enough with my clumsiness that I don't need paint balls to do it for me. LOL Then they came back and had to show me, Britni, Ben and Sam their "WAR" wounds along with the stories that go along with the "WAR" wounds. :) I am glad that they had fun though. The Thompson's are moving so that is the end of paint balling as we know it for now.

Then Britni made Gingerbread Waffles with Ice cream for dinner and we watched Julie and Julia from Netflix. Way Girlie night. I love girlie nights. They are fun.

After the movie, Benjamin, Sam, Britni and I were watching Iron Chef America and they were cooking with a very big fish. (I can't remember which one). Someone asked how they caught such a big fish and Benjamin said with a very very BIG Worm!! He is so cute!!

Well, I hope everyone had a great weekend. We love ya always!!

Reflection

I just got back from the funeral of a dear friend who had been fighting cancer for 8 years. She was an amazing woman. She had strong faith even though she never made it to church very much because of her illness. Her family loved and adored her as much as she loved and adored them. She loved the youth and always had time for the teenagers in the neighborhood. Her husband always said the stray kids and stray dogs were always welcome at their home. Funerals for me is a time to reflect on eternity. I have noticed that the veil is very thin at funerals. You can feel the spirits on the other side comforting and loving the people that are at the funeral.

My thoughts at Charlene's funeral was "Will my kids say that I adored and loved them?" "Will my family feel that I took the time to support them in all the activities that they were in?" Her family was her life and she put her all in it. Am I putting my "all" into my family? Just some questions I need to ponder on, I think.

Have a very non windy day to you all. :)

Busy Week Again!!

Well, It is going to be another busy week again. I just got back from a garlic pick with Gleaners. I may have to quit Gleaners even though I am Treasurer. It is a lot of work. We do get some good produce. We also got Hermiston Watermelons and Tomatoes and Corn on the cob (which I didn't take because we have a ton of it in our back yard). That was just today's pass out.

Britni starts Soccer practice tonight. I hope they move up the time from 6 p.m. to earlier in the day. Daniel will start Football practice on Thursday. Benjamin has another Orthodonist appointment tomorrow. He has to have spacers on the bottom and then an expansion thingy for his narrow top teeth. Not really sure what that is but it sure doesn't sound fun. Poor guy!!

I will be working 2 days this week cleaning houses. If these people ever saw my house they would probably fire me. :) I'm glad that I have work though. The little bit I make each week does help. I think. :)

I'll write more later in the week. Have a super day!! Love to ya all!!

A Cool Baseball Video of my Jacob!!

I hope this works. I did just like the directions said. It's a pretty cool video that I made using Smilebox. I love this Smilebox. I have just started using it and it is AWESOME!! I am going to use it to do the Morgan Family Calendar and the Bischoff Family Calendar this year. By the Way, Please send me your pictures by October 1st. Thanks!!

This scrapbook design made with Smilebox

New Shoes and Other News

O.K. I have learned my lesson. My brother, Kevin, told me long ago about Saucony running shoes. I have bought them ever since. They are amazing. My knees don't hurt. I don't get shin splints and etc. Well, a couple of weeks ago I went to get new shoes and I decided to try a different brand. They were about the same price maybe a little cheaper. Anyway, I have learned that they give me shin splints and knee problems. Why didn't I just buy the ones I always do? I have learned my lesson and will always buy Saucony from now on.

Now things that were fun at Girls Camp. Our Camp Director is so wild and crazy. She made the whole week fun even when she didn't get any sleep the night before. The girls were fun to be around. The hike was fun even though we ended up in a red ant district of the forest for our games. The commitment hike was great!! It made me cry!! The classes on Friday were great too. They made me think. Meeting new people from our Stake (Who are AWESOME!!) The Lake was beautiful. I loved how organized it was too!! It makes it more fun for me when everything is organized.

The kids are very ready for school to start. Daniel went through our year supply of school supplies yesterday and we inventoried them . I don't have to buy too much this year because I bought so much last year!! Yea!!

Have a super day!!! Keep Smiling!!

Back to the Real World

Britni and I are back from Girls Camp. I can say it was a good experience for me but I have never been a "real" camper so it was rough. I enjoyed getting to know the girls and meeting people from our stake. The girls had a great time. Lynn survived taking care of the boys for the week. They ate spaghetti and pizza.

I will say I never thought I would ever get homesick but I was homesick the whole week. I really missed Lynn and the boys. Someone in a talk would mention Jacob from the scriptures and I would almost cry thinking of my little Jacob at home. I just don't feel complete without all my family around me.

When I got home, green beans were on so today is canning beans and then I have peaches from gleaners that need to ripen so they can be canned too. At least they are not all ready at the same time. :)

Well, off to work I go!! Have a Super day!!

Cleaning and Packing - Girls Camp Tomorrow!!

Today I am cleaning up the house a bit and finishing up the packing for Girls Camp. I think I am getting excited and a little nervous as I don't know many of the girls but it will be fun to meet new people and spend time with the girls.

I have taken care of the peaches that I got from Gleaners (I'm drying them), and I have cleaned up the kitchen and I am mostly packed so far. Just the last minute stuff left.
I hope everyone has a great week as I won't be able to do my blog the rest of the week. Unless Lynn wants to write something.

Daniel and Jacob are at their friend Zach's house today. His dad is a police officer and he came and picked up the boys in his police car. Here are the pictures. A look at our boys first and hopefully only police car ride!!! :) I'm sure they will have a fun day!! Little do they know that they still have chores to do when they get home!! :)

Soccer and more packing

Well, Benjamin had a soccer assessment day today. He did really well for this being his 1st year playing soccer. He is a head taller than all the other kids which is kind of funny to see. We will find out in a few weeks what team he will be on. He is U8 division since his birthday is in September. He is excited now for Soccer!! On the way home he said "I even made some new friends!!" That's my Benjamin!!

Now I need to go do more packing for Girls Camp. For those of you who are Girls Camp professionals, I know you think I am crazy!! And maybe I am a little!! :) Have a great weekend.

Preparing for Girls Camp and Summer Colds

I am preparing to go to Girls Camp. Who knew that going to Girls Camp would take so much stuff!! I think Boy Scout Camp would be easier. Decorating tents and night time treats and awards and handouts can get a bit much. Even though I enjoy putting it together, it gets a little stressful in the end. I'm sure I will have a great time though.

Some of the kids have gotten summer colds and are now looking for hot chocolate to drink. I think Summer colds are the worst. At least they seem harder than those that we get in the Winter. Maybe because it's summer and we are not suppose to be sick this time of year!! :)

Have a super great day! Time to make my to do list otherwise I will never get anything done today. Tally Ho!!! :)

A Day At Home

This summer has been so busy so far. It is nice to have a day at home. Listening to Britni practice her piano and the boys riding bikes outside makes for a nice day. If only the boys had finished all their chores before the bike riding, it would be perfect. But I know better. :)

Here's a couple of pictures from our vacation. We had such a great time.

Home Again, Home Again

We are HOME!!! It was a really fun visit to Idaho this year. We met old friends, met new friends and had fun shopping, going to the movies, and spending time with family. I will add pictures soon when I get them downloaded to the computer. We took LOTS of pics!! Thanks to Mom and Dad for keeping our home and dogs happy!! We have a new puppy that is quite challenging!! I hope everyone is having a super Summer!! Love to you all!!

Idaho Here We Come!!

We leave for Idaho tomorrow for our yearly trip to the farm. It will be very fun to see family and friends that we haven't seen in a long time. There is going to be a Bischoff Family Reunion in Blackfoot with all the extended family. I'm sure I'll be meeting family I never knew I had. I probably won't post for a week or so because Grandma's has slow internet. I'll post pics when I get back. Have a SUPER Summer Week!! We will be!!

Just another day in Paradise!!

Well, I will not bore you with our troubles. I need to concentrate on positive right now more than ever!! So we are healthy, we are relatively happy, it is sunny outside today (always a plus), we have the gospel, we have our family, we have great friends (the Brokaws let us use their car top carrier for our trip to Idaho), we have electricity, running toilets, and running water, we have 2 great dogs, our garden is growing really good right now (even our green beans, they haven't done well in the past), we will be in Idaho visiting family very soon, and we have each other. I guess we do have a lot to be grateful for. I need to do this more often. It makes me feel much better. :) We hope everyone else is having a Great Day!!

Scout Camp?

Well, I took Daniel up to the church so he can go to Boy Scout Camp this week. He was a little nervous. It's his first time this long away from home. Camping has not been our family strong suit. I remember camping as a kid. We had a lot of fun. I love nature and being outdoors. I prefer places with bathrooms though. I'm not big on no toilets. :) Lynn never camped as a kid. His family are dairy farmers and they always had to milk the cows. So Lynn is not big on camping. Last year we did a trial "camping" at Jared and Amy Wade's house. We pitched tents in their back yard and cooked meals on our camp stove. It was fun. Maybe this year we may have to try the real thing. Jacob does need to go camping for his Outdoorsman pin. But I think we'll wait until after girls camp. :)