Meet Gracie

Meet Gracie, our black lab mix.  We got her the day after Thanksgiving from a lady in our ward.  We think she was meant to be ours because of the pathway she took to get to our home.  Back in October on our way to football practice Cody saw a sign at Lins Grocery that there were black lab puppies for free.  He begged and begged me to go and get one and I drug my feet saying we needed to check with Doug who was moving houses to North Dakota at the time.  Doug felt like it would be OK and we went to Lins to get a dog.  When we arrived the girl with the sign was gone, and so were the puppies, which caused a lot of finger pointing at me for dragging my feet so long.  The kids forgave me and we continued on with our lives.  About six weeks later our Relief Society President Janet Campbell place an add in our Relief Society newsletter wanting to help an elderly sister in our ward give away a black lab puppy she had and couldn't keep.  I tried to ignore the add because we still were not ready to adopt a dog, we needed a fence or a kennel to keep the dog in.  During the weeks before the add Cody had called the dog pound and asked that if a black lab were to come in that they give him a call.  Janet called the pound about giving the puppy to them and they gave her our number.  It turns out that the elderly lady had picked up the dog from Lins the night we tried to and kept her inside for the six weeks after.  She had trained her to not bark and to go outside for the bathroom and had named the puppy Gracie.  Gracie, however, was just too much puppy for the elderly lady and she had to get rid of her and gave her to Janet to find her a home.  We went over to Janets and met the dog and the kids were in love with her from the start (of course), but because of the Thanksgiving holiday we couldn't take her home.  Janet was kind enough to keep her for us until we got back from Idaho on Sunday. 

Cody was able to get a dog kennel from his Uncle Bret while we were in Dayton for Thanksgiving and we brought it down with us.  He had it assembled the very night we got home on Saturday and we picked up Gracie from Janet on Sunday afternoon.  She stays outside and lives in a doghouse Cody built weeks before when he was anticipation getting a dog.  She is a cutie for sure, and very much a puppy, biting and nipping and running away.  She has been good for the kids though, and a good friend for Cody.  I'm glad we adopted her. 

7th Grade Champions and Allstars

As I have posted before, Cody is our big football player in the family.  He played this year on the Hurricane Black 7th grade team as Center and defensive lineman.  Their team played and practiced hard and won the district tournament being award the 1st place championship.  Cody was also one of several selected to play on the All stars team with members of the Hurricane Black, Desert Hill and Dixie  teams.  It was a privilege to play on an elite team.  They practiced for the week and had an All Stars game on Saturday.  The other team played rougher than what is allowed for 7th grade football and several of Cody's teammates were injured, including Cody who hurt his wrist, but with some time out and some essential oils, was able to get back into the game before the end.  The weather was cold, but not windy or rainy, so it was perfect for a game at the Dixie College Stadium.  

Cody and Carsen after the All Stars game in their cool jerseys.

Cody is #66 on the line.  The other team is a combination of Pineview, Snowcanyon
and Hurricane Red.

Cody is on the line letting his wrist rest. 

7th Grade Football Champions

Cody and Carsen with their super cool trophy.
Congratulations on all your hard work! 

Christmas is about performing

I love Christmas time and everything that we get to do this time of the year.  This year is no exception.  The kids are involved in all kinds of things and this is the time of the year that we get to see them perform what they have been learning.  I also love to go to Christmas concerts and I find a lot of joy in the beautiful music of the season.  This year I got us all tickets to the Bar J Wranglers from Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  They are a Cowboy Folk/ Cowboy poetry group that comes to St. George each year.  Doug and I have seen them before, and this year I decided to take all the kids.  We all really enjoyed the performance, laughing and tapping our toes through the whole two hour performance.  The kids were raving about the experience at the end and were able to get a CD autographed by the performers, and Austin and Doug got hats autographed as well.  The kids are still reminiscing about the fun we had, and singing the cowboy Christmas songs we heard.  I hope to make it a family tradition for years to come. 

We have also been able to attend orchestra concerts that the kids are performing in.  I love Christmas music and it is even better when the kids are performing it.  Cody and the Hurricane Intermediate Orchestra performed at the Festival of Trees in Hurricane and also gave a concert at the school.  Mady's orchestra from the Middle School also performed some very beautiful pieces at the school.

The HIS orchestra concert at the festival of trees.  Cody is in the back left corner.

The girls also performed with their clogging group at the Dickens Festival that is held each year in St. George.  The festival is a very large craft show that requires everyone to dress up like characters from Charles Dickens's The Christmas Carol.  It is a fun and festive way to Christmas shop and they have two stages where groups perform and also where they perform the play "The Christmas Carol" throughout the four day festival.  Our  All American Cloggers, both Cami and Mady's groups performed on Saturday night,  and we went shopping after.  The experience was filled with the Christmas spirit that movies are made of.  Here are a few of or pictures:

Cami ready to perform on the big stage.

Mady whirling, which made the picture blurry.  I recorded their
dances by video and they won't download to this blog.  Both girls
danced beautifully!

Mady and Carsen Bjelland standing in front of one of the
Dickens Festival actors.  There were two of them.

Here is the Grim Reaper with no face and skeleton hands.  Scary looking guy.

Mady and Alisa with the Ghost of Christmas past.  Look at Mady's eyes.  Funny.

They have Father Christmas at the festival and Cami stood in line to ask him for a
horse.   This Father Christmas was so much like what I always
believed he would be like, and he is telling me that he isn't able to
bring animals to the good little girls and boys, but that he would try to bring her a
rope or a harness or something she could use with the horse. 

We had a really great time at the festival.  It really brought the spirit of Christmas into our season.  I'm so proud of our kids for all their talents. 

I'm Dreaming of a White. . .. .Thanksgiving!

It seams that Thanksgiving came quickly this year.  I had so many things I wanted to do during November to get ready for the holidays and when I got to work on Monday the 21, after a week of birthdays, it hit me that the upcoming Thursday was the beginning of the holidays, and that November was nearly over, and that I didn't get anything done that I was hoping to do.  I think the time went by so fast because Doug was gone and I had every moment full of kids and homework and sports events and everything else that takes up a parents' time.  It is hard to believe Doug was gone for six weeks, because it just all flew by. I was excited for Thanksgiving because we were going to meet him in Dayton and spend the holiday weekend with his family. The kids were really excited too because they LOVE to visit their grandparents, and Grandpa informed us that they got around 9 inches of snow the weekend before that was still mostly there. 

Wednesday morning we loaded up Dougs pickup and headed north.  We decided to take the truck so that we could take all the snow gear, sleds, and whatever else we needed to have a great time.  We left around nine am and began our seven hour journey.  I drove most of the way because Austin had a lot of homework to do as well as his Sterling Scholar portfolio to finish before Monday.   We had a good day traveling, watching movies, working on the portfolio, and stopping every two hours for Mady to go to the bathroom.  About three o'clock we stopped in Farr West, which is north of Ogden, for a late lunch and fuel, and to visit our favorite store, Smith And Edwards.  It is a store that has everything for not much money, and we can always find something we can't live without.  This time Cami got a new winter coat and gloves (her other coat was two sizes too small), a few Christmas presents, and of course a treat or two for the rest of the journey.  Austin drove the last hour and a half because I had a bad cold and wasn't feeling very good.  I'm really glad he can drive and is a good driver.  The kids and I had a really great time traveling together.  Arriving at Grandpa's was very exciting because we got to see Doug after six weeks.  Cami was the most excited and ran into the house to latch herself onto him, she had the hardest time while he was gone.  It was so good to be together as a family again, and Grandpa was right!  There was still enough snow to play in.  Here are some pictures of our weekend.

I was so glad to see Doug!  I had to make up for six weeks of
not kissing him.  lol

Dalyon racing down the hills in the calf pasture.  He stayed outside
and played as much as I would let him.  Fun!

Austin on Grandpa's snowmobile.  They drug each other
around on an old hood from a car.  There was just enough snow
to run the snowmobile.  Yeah!

Cod is going to pull Austin around on the hood now.  This is
old fashioned "redneck" fun.   I wonder if the hood is from a ford?
I would imagine that if it is Grandpa's, it is a ford hood.  lol

Cody and his pal Logan.  Logan loved hanging out with him.

Cody sliding down the hill in the calf pasture.  They had so much
fun!

Cami and her cousins got into the fun too.  I thought they would come
back in after only a few minutes, but they stayed outside for most of the day!

Cody was the first to dish up.  Dinner was ready by 11:30 so we decided
to let the kids eat first.  Cody wanted to eat with the adults until he found out he had to
wait, so he decided to eat with the kids. His favorite part of the meal is
the sweet potatoes Grandma makes.   Funny guy.

The living room was full of guys watching a football game, waiting for
the kids to get their food.  In the back is Cody and Logan,  Addie and Lilly,
Bracken, and Chandler on the right, and Uncle Brett on the left.

Kids are seated and eating.  Grandma always makes the best
thanksgiving dinner.  The kids always look forward to her slush and sprite,
and I love her stuffing.  Everything always tastes so good at
Grandma's house. 

Here is some of the family waiting to dish up.  On the right is Todd and Twila, on the
left is Kerry and Olivia, Bracken and Dawson in line and Katie in the way back
dishing up a child.  We definitely filled Grandma and Grandpa's house. 

Doug and Grandpa watching all the commotion before dinner.

We had a really great time.  On Friday I talked Doug into taking me on one of my favorite dates with him and we went out to breakfast and did some Christmas shopping.  We went to breakfast first and missed the black Friday crowd then went shopping.  While we were in Shopko we ran into an old roommate of mine from Ricks, Laurie Nelson Edwards, and had a really fun reunion.  I haven't seen her for fourteen years, since her wedding and I was so grateful to see her again.  She lives in Springville, Utah and was visiting her Father-in-Law in Logan for the holiday.  We had a very relaxing Friday, watching TV and eating and resting.  Doug and I went to a viewing of a classmate of mine, Brady Durrant, that night.  Brady passed away unexpectedly from pneumonia the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.  I was sad, but was cheered by seeing Preston's Festival of Lights and fireworks that night.   We loaded everyone up again on Saturday morning and took our time coming home.  The weather was good for our drive and we got home late Saturday night. Doug came home with us and will be here taking care of his other business during December, then will possibly go back to Montana/Idaho/North Dakota in January.   It was a nice weekend to be together as a family. 

Tis the Season for. . . Birthdays!

November is a month full of birthdays for our family.  Grandma Beutler begins the month with her big day.  Doug was able to call her from somewhere in the frozen north and wish her a Happy Birthday, and she always loves hearing from him.  Next is Mady's birthday,  Grandpa Winns, then Cody and Grandpa Beutler share their birthdays.  The kids are always excited to share their birthdays with their Grandparents.  Mady turned 15 and didn't hesitate to remind me that now she can get her learners permit to drive.  (SCARY!!!)  Her birthday fell on a Tuesday night, and a workday for me, so we had a quick dinner out at Wendy's and off she went to Young Womens.  They always treat her right there and she came home with an arm load of presents.  That night after everyone returned home we celebrated with ice cream cupcakes and presents. 

Mady is all a glow.  It was hard to put 15 candles on 6 cupcakes. 

She received some new pants, a Western belt, a new blanket and book,
and some matchbox cars.  She is imitating the monkey on the blanket
and I think it is a very good likeness.  She also received money from
her Grandparents, which got her really excited over.

  The day after Mady's birthday is my Dad's, Grandpa Winn.  I won't give his age, but I can tell you that he is older than Mady.  Grandpa Winn in working hauling loads from Pocatello, Idaho, into Canada and hasn't been home for about two months, so we sent him a text with a silly birthday song, which I'm sure he loved. 

I'm not sure how I did it, but five days after Mady's birthday is Cody and Grandpa Beutlers birthdays.  A few years ago Grandpa and Cody had their birthdays together when Cody turned six and Grandpa turned sixty.  It was a really neat day.  This year their birthdays were on a Sunday and we had to wait until after church to celebrate.  Cody tried to call Grandpa during the day but wasn't able to get a hold of him, so we had a very small ice cream cake and presents.  Grandma Winn came over for dinner after her church and we celebrated. 

Cody didn't want a cake this year, so I got the rest of us the smallest
ice cream cake I have ever seen.  We all go a 2"X 2" piece, and Cody
ended up having one too.  It was just right. 

Cody received a Rodeo puzzle, a tractor for his farm set, and best of all
a pair of Chaps for his new interest of bull riding (which may not happen if
I have a say in things.) He was also excited to receive cards
from his Grandparents.   Happy Birthday Cody!

Now, onto the Holidays! 

All Hallows Eve

One of the most fun holidays is Halloween at our house.  The past few years we have hosted a Halloween party where the kids invite all their friends over and we do all kinds of games.  The biggest feature is usually the movie on the wall outside and LOTS of hot chocolate.  This year we did it differently because Halloween was on a Monday night.  I work on Mondays and don't get off until 5:30 or 6 so we couldn't do the party this year.  The kids all got to dress up and still had fun, however.  Here are a few pictures for us to remember.

Mady went all out and dressed up like Murdock from the A-team
and built herself an airplane with boosters.  We thought it looked like a dog
or a duck, but she loved it!

Because Halloween was on a work day I decided to add a few things to
my uniform and ended up being a little Ghoulish.  Poor Don in the
chair has no idea what is coming next.  lol

Here we have little Red Riding Hood, a ghoulish hobo and me.
We are ready to go trick-or-treating.  This year we went with some
friends over to Roberts Ranch, a neighborhood that blocks off their streets
and has spook alleys and lots of candy.

Dalyon and his trick-or-treating buddies, Dallas (the Bigfoot) and
AJ who is a video game character (I'm not sure of his name.)

Mady had a "few friends" over to help her ha.d out candy.
It ended up being a party and they all dressed up fun.  She was the
only one who didn't dress up.  What a girl.

Dougs Adventures in the North

A few months ago Doug got the opportunity to go to Idaho and move houses from the factories in Boise, Idaho to Wiliston, North Dakota for the oil boom going on there.  A lot of Dads from our area have relocated up to the oil fields for work, and come down every three or four weeks to visit their families.  We are lucky that Doug gets to move houses and keep our business going by moving homes up to the oil fields.  The small towns in North Dakota have been over run by workers coming in and setting up travel trailers anywhere, even though there aren't any utilities to hook to.  The city planners have had to enforce ordinances that require the men to live in organized mobile home parks instead of renting a small plot of land from area farmers for their travel trailers.  Doug says it reminds him of the pictures of the gold rush in the 1800's when so many men traveled west and pitched their tents anywhere they could.  Thankfully, the new ordinances are requiring manufactured homes to be brought in and that gives us work.  Even though it takes him away from us for a long while, we are so grateful that he is working.  Doug posted some pictures of his travels on Facebook that I was able to copy and share.  He has had good weather so far and has been able to get quite a few loads done.  Yesterday was his first significant snow storm of the year and I guess it really came down on him.  Being so far away from home isn't so bad for him because we have family that live in Southeastern Idaho and my Dad is also driving truck hauling steel from Pocatello into Canada and they keep tabs on each other.  Last night Doug was able to spend the night with his sister Katie in Pocatello and go to church with them today.  He really enjoys seeing them and playing with his nieces and nephews.  I really appreciate knowing that he has someplace to go with family there and that he can go to church with them.  Thanks for sharing your home with us Katie and Brett!  Here are a few pictures of Dougs travels before the snow hit. 

This is Dougs truck when he is delivering the home in Wiliston, ND.  This
is only one of many parks they are setting up for the oil workers.  They will have
utilities, and paved roads yet to come. 

They have over 300 homes to move from Boise, ID to Wiliston, ND so
the toters often run together.  Doug says he has never run in a
convoy of houses in the 16 years he has pulled them.  He is enjoying
himself being on the road and working with these guys.

This is Twin Bridges, MT.  A very pretty town. 

This is a "man camp" in Wiliston, ND.  Doug says that the farmers rent out
spaces in their fields to the oil workers, which is great except that there are no
utilities and some farmers allow too many trailers on their properties.

A sunset in Arco, Idaho.

Another view of the park Doug is moving homes into in Wiliston, ND

Usually when Doug has a flat the tread comes off and flies into traffic
or the tire rolls off into the wrong direction of the borrow pit.  This is the
first time the tread has "flowered" up like this and the tire stayed on. 

This is a company taking down an oil drill.

This is a finished well.