My Little Stars

Sunday was our ward's primary program and both set of grandparents came to hear Bradock and Raylee sing and give their parts. I loved that this year the kids got to write and memorize their own parts based on their classes' theme. They both did so good and did their parts all by themselves. Bradock's part was "I like to choose the right by exercising and eating healthy food, so I can be strong and powerful like my dad and the Hulk!" No joke he made that up all by himself and he was so cute when he said it. Raylee came up with her part too and she said, "I like to be a good helper and help my mom unload the dishwasher and help her cook." These two just amaze me at their memorizing abilities. They are little sponges and so eager to learn and do what is right. I even had a little speaking part since I teach the Valiant 9 class. I told about one of my first lessons with the class a couple weeks ago and how we were talking about the Savior and the second coming. I asked the kids if Jesus were to come tomorrow what would they do, how would they feel? They responded that they would be happy and excited, but my favorite response was that they couldn't wait to meet Jesus, so they could take a picture with him and post it on Facebook. What a blessing it is to live in a time with such amazing technology and that these young kids are so excited to someday meet their Savior and share it with the world. It is amazing how much I, as a parent and teacher, feel the responsibility to teach my kids and those that I am called to serve and yet I find that I am most often taught by them. It is a humbling feeling and I feel blessed to have these experiences.

He Shoots...He Scores!!!

My mountain man just become the proud owner of a nice 6x6 elk. I got a text Friday night while I was out with my girlies with this pic of Brett and this huge elk. My response was "Is this really yours?!" I was schocked...I was expecting another week and a half of no husband. With the help of Brett's best hunting buddy, Chance, they got the perfect set-up for this poor elk. Brett said he has never had such an adrenaline rush as he did hunting this thing. I am just in awe of how hard these guys hike, run, elk call and everything else that goes into making a kill. I am also super impressed that he did it with a bow...I mean anyone can shoot a gun right?...but to get in close enough range to shoot these massive animals with an arrow is pretty darn impressive. We now have about 300lbs of elk meat being processed...I just keep telling myself there is nothing better than grass-fed free range meat:) Chance and Brett headed up to Flagstaff afterwards to help out Chance's brother, Blake, get an elk. They surprised me by getting home early...with the full European mount in hand. Hmmmm...I wonder where Brett is going to find a place to hang that. My only rule with hunting was no dead animals in the house, so he's going to need to find some other place for it. Brett is one happy man and to be honest I am one proud mama:)

Crazy is How We Roll

This week has just been so crazy and so busy. Camp stuff is full throttle right now and with Brett gone I have had to try and juggle it all. However, even with all the chaos we are still managing fun stuff too. I picked up Raylee from school the other day and she had this nice pumpkin to take home. I found out that her class walked over to the community garden and got to pick out whatever pumpkin they wanted...the deal was you pick it you carry it. Of course, that didn't stop Raylee from picking out a nice, little hefty one. She used those little muscles to carry it all the way back to school...love me some muscles:)

On Thursday the kids had soccer practice and afterwards we rushed over to Bradock's school's fall festival. The kids had a blast playing all the games, eating hotdogs and cotton candy, hanging with friends and meeting Clifford.

This pic just makes me smile. I have new Visiting Teachers and one is a big time gardener and put together this awesome basket of organic fruits/veggies for me...I am in heaven. The canteloupe just smelled like a canteloupe should...so delish! I am really wanting to start my own garden, but haven't got the slightest clue as to how to begin. My visiting teacher just might become my gardening expert...yipee!

Friday the kids and I headed down to Mesa. I decided I was in desperate need of a GNO. So, my sis, Meegan, Rachel, Chelsee and their friend Shelley all went out to dinner at Cibo's in Phoenix. We had such a fun time hanging out and laughing...my perfect therapy.

Saturday morning was Carson's baptism. For the convenience of grandparents and family he was going to be baptized with my in-laws' stake instead of out in Queen Creek with his ward, but there was a little mix up on the scheduled baptism date. After a few phone calls and a lot of anxiety they got permission to have the baptism at the Flaherty house in Bob and Terri's pool...how cool is that?! A baptism to remember for sure.  It all went so great and we were so glad to be there for Carson's special day. 

This gorgeous little diva is seriously growing up too fast. She makes me smile and I love that she requests red lips everyday...my kind of girl:) As I was doing her hair that morning for the baptism she says mom, "Genesis 1:1...In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth." "Mom, God created everything...the sun, the moon, the stars, everything." She told me she learned this scripture at school...man I love that Christian preschool. She loves school so much and I love that she learns so many different things...including bible stories and principles.

Sunday Hiking

Last Sunday Brett came home so he could go to work for a couple of days before he headed back out hunting, so we decided to take advantage of some family time and the awesome, cool weather. We drove up to a little turn off, so we could hike back into Ellison Creek. It's such a fun little place with this really cool log "ladder". Bradock was seriously Mr. Spiderman the whole time...climbing and jumping off rocks and ridges while Miss Raylee girl strolled along with her purse. Yes, that's right a purse...she refused to hike without it...hmmmm I wonder where she gets all her girliness from?!:)

Wife of a Hunter

The time has come and so it begins...the dreaded hunting season! Brett actually got drawn for an early archery elk tag, which is a pretty lucky hunt to get drawn for. To say he is excited is a huge understatement...he's like a little boy on Christmas morning. So, he has 3 weeks total to shoot an elk, which means I am going to be flying solo until that time comes. I saw this quote on facebook and died laughing...because well it's so true:)

I swear animals are smart, little creatures. They totally know when it's hunting season. Since Brett is gone we have had herds of elk coming through our yard and even some good size bulls. Too bad his tag doesn't count for our yard.

One good thing about Brett being gone is that I get the bed all to myself. Don't get me wrong I love Brett, but man I sure do sleep good when he's not around. No worries though Raylee is my little, morning snuggler keeping me warm during our chilly, morning weather.

Bradock and Raylee had their first soccer game last Saturday...go Lightnings! They are so darn cute out there and I can't believe how good Mr. B has gotten. He even scored his very first goal. He is so excited to score some more. I also think we have found Raylee's little nitch. Forget dance and gymnastics this little girl loved it out on that soccer field and is one tuff cookie. She got right in the middle of the mass chaos and kicked the ball hard several times...I'm so impressed with this being her first season and all.

Right after the soccer game we headed over to the Payson Library for the "Get Your Brave On" Tea Party. Raylee has been anxiously waiting for this all week long and the party did not disappoint. They had dress-up, crafts, treats, a fashion show, games and a pony ride. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen and I can't believe the library put it all together for these little girls for free. It's cute activities like this that make living in a small town so much fun!

Another One Bites the Dust

Since, Bradock is in half-day kindergarten he actually gets done with school before Raylee, so we often run errands or stop by Brett's office to give him lunch or just say hi before we have to pick her up. Yesterday I made a fruit bowl and dip to take to the girls, so when I picked up Bradock we headed to the office. Well, of course I should know by now that you can't go to the office without getting a little dental work done...thank goodness it wasn't me this time. Bradock has had another wiggly tooth for some time now, so Brett told him that he would take it out...only if he got a shot first. What dad does that to his son?!!! Oh that's right a "Dental Dad". Brett did have to do a little bribing and told Mr. B that if he got his shot like a big boy with no crying he would take him to the dollar store that night...geez you would think it would take more than a measly dollar to be okay with getting a shot. Sure enough the next thing I know Bradock is in the chair getting a shot and another tooth pulled. He was so dang tuff!!!! Seriously I just love that kid. So easily pleased and easy going. Well, he not only got a fun dollar store trip with his dad that night, but the tooth fairy also paid a little visit and left another dollar for him to spend. Last night as we were putting his tooth under his pillow he says to me, "Mom I'm not sure the tooth fairy is for real because I don't even feel her take my tooth. I mean my head doesn't even move up!" Hahahaha...so logical. I just told him that the tooth fairy is super tiny and super fast and that's why he doesn't feel it. Her job is to take his tooth, leave money and fly away as fast as she can because she has a lot of teeth to pick up each night:) Seriously, these are the moments that make being a parent just rock!!!

Last night I got on Facebook to see a message from a friend that recognized Bradock in a photo posted by the Humane Society. The caption read "Lily got to spend the day with a wonderful Kindergarten class learning about the letter "D"!" Bradock actually told me that there was a dog in his school and that someone had been really mean to it. I was like "ok", but now this makes so much more sense:)

Wild Ones

This weekend was an absolute blast. Friday, the kids wanted to go to the local fair to ride some rides. We have been getting a lot of rain lately and the weather has really started to cool off, which is so nice but I was afraid the rain was going to ruin our fair plans. However, we lucked out and mid-afternoon the rain stopped so we quickly headed over to the rodeo grounds where the fair was held. The kids couldn't get enough of all the bouncy house fun and the best part was that they were free for all kids that Friday...score!!! They also loved the petting zoo and hanging out with their friends, Brooklyn and Parker.

Saturday morning I was up bright and early to head up to Camp LoMia with some of the other camp leaders to go and test out the hike we want the girls to go on during girl's camp. We hiked Pioneer trail and went about 2.5 miles in and then hiked that same distance back out. It was a gorgeous, green hike with just the right amount of chill to the air to make it really enjoyable. It was very moist underneath all the trees and we actually came out soaking wet without it even raining. I can't believe camp is just a few weeks...can't wait for it to get here and be over:)

Saturday night I had a bunch of friends over for a little party. It was one of the funnest nights I have ever had...laughing til you almost pee...that pretty much sums it up! I feel so blessed to have made some really great friends here in Payson and that they are so fun to hang out with.

Brett is anxiously awaiting his big elk hunt coming up this week, so we have Chance and Sarah's ranger at our house, so they can use it for the hunt. Well, we decided to take it out for a spin Sunday afternoon with the kids and what a blast! Brett has gotten to know almost every back road and trail here in Payson, so he took us to a really cool spot. That is one of the biggest benefits of living in a small, mountain town...lots of outdoor recreation. It has been a great way for us to do things as a family.

My "Must-Haves" Right Now

The main reason I do this blog is to have a written record (in pictures and words) of our life. It's my way of keeping a journal and scrapbooking, but in a way that works for me. I am not a crafty, scrapbooking kind of person, so that was never an option for me and I hate writing in a book. I do however, love to take and look at pictures and I don't really mind typing on a computer, so this blog has been perfect for me. It has also been a great way to keep family and friends, who we don't see often, in touch with what we are up to...win win for everyone:) Every year I have our blog posts from that year printed into a hardcover book. I have used blurb.com for the last 4 years and absolutely love the books. However, it took hours and hours of editing on top of the hours it took to do the blog, so although I love the end result of the book the whole process of creating it was such a headache. On top of that I have had issues slurping my 2011 posts for some reason. So, I decided to try another company...blog2print.com. It was the fastest, easiest thing I have ever done. We got our 2011 book a couple days ago and although it now doesn't match our other books I'm okay with that because I will be using this company from now on. It definitely doesn't have as many options for editing and creating, but I am so okay with that. I am so glad I have kept the blog up for over 5 years and now have hard copies of all that time and dedication. My kids love looking through the books and I hope they will appreciate them even more when they are older.

Anyone that knows me well, knows that I am a sucker for all the silly, but oh-so-needed products sold on infomercials. I am absolutely obsessed with the "As-Seen-On-TV" section at Walmart. I anxiously await the products I have seen on tv to appear in store, so I can buy it. Well, I have been eyeing the perfect tortilla for quite sometime now...who doesn't love a crispy tortilla bowl?!!! I finally saw it at Walmart and just had to grab it. The kids and I have had fun creating fun and healthy tortilla bowls:)

I also saw this little gem when I found the Perfect Tortilla and since I struggle with the small size of my closet I thought I would give it a try. Holy Moly I wish they had more boxes for sell...they only had the one and I continue to go back to Walmart to see if they have gotten more in...no such luck yet. However the ones I do have seriously added some nice closet space.

Since I eat clean (lean protein, veggies, complex carbs, healthy fats) I am eating every 2-3hrs, 5-6 meals a day. This can make traveling or running errands a challenge, so I have found the perfect solution...mobile fridges! I absolutely love them and it makes it so easy to stay on track. I have the 6 pack bag for when I am out for longer periods of time or traveling. The pink fridge-to-go is smaller and is helpful for throwing in a couple meals and snacks for the kids.

So besides infomercials I love groupon and livingsocial deals. Awhile back they had this deal for the Berryball. It's a convenient way to wash your bras because ...let's be honest...I am too lazy nor do I really know how to do the recommended hand-wash to all my bras. It is seriously awesome!

Cousins, Friends and Labor Day Weekend

Sarah, Chance and their girls came and stayed with us for a night before heading up to my parent's house for Labor Day weekend. We love having them come and visit and they have been our most frequent guests...we are so lucky!!! Raylee had McKai loving princess dress-up and they were just being so darn cute. I love that they have so much fun together. Our little adopted trio were meant to be related because they not only look alike, but just have the best time together.

We had a fun weekend at home. I feel like we are always on the go and never really home on the weekends, so it was nice to just stay home and get things done. I love this pic of Raylee girl. She usually doesn't take naps anymore, but by dinner time she is usually spent. I just love how kids can't just konk out anywhere, anytime. She had finally had enough and fell asleep in this oh-so-lady-like fashion:)

On Monday (Labor Day) we decided to head down to the valley to enjoy one of last few times of enjoying the Flaherty pool this year. We were going to go the lake with our friends, the Youngs, but then decided to just bring them along with us to Mesa. We had a fun time swimming and bbqing with the whole Flaherty crew. When I say whole crew I mean the WHOLE crew...grandparents and extended cousins included. It was a fun day and the kids were thoroughly pooped by the end of it. Tyler took this pic of the kids on the way home...they were all just sleeping on each other and doing the whole head bop thing.