Salsa

We have had tomatoes coming out of our ears.  Not that this is bad .. ...the cherry tomatoes are oh so delicious.  When you are getting about this many every few days, it is hard to keep up with.  I don't do any canning right now, although I need/want to learn. 

 So I decided to make some fresh salsa with these ones.  I made a Regular and a Mango {since Mark likes it with a little sweetness in it}.  Karsyn came right home and enjoyed it as a perfect snack with homework.  Me and this girl of mine could eat a meal of chips and salsa alone and be completely satisfied:}

We have Raspberries

We planted raspberry bushes a few years ago.  Each summer since then, we have anxiously awaited a delicious crop.  Every year we have had a smattering of a berry here and there.  But not this year!!  Finally we have our very own little bounty.  Yeah~ we have been getting this much every few days.

 The girls love picking them and eating them right off the vine.....yummy!!  I think I see Raspberry Shakes in our near future.

Facing Change

We talked a lot .. .. I mean A LOT about whether Mark should consider this promotion in the first place.  But what I have learned is that no amount of “talking” can prepare you for the “acting”.  Mark and I have always liked to imagine possibilities.  But reality can hit you hard.  Suddenly every little thing that hadn’t crossed your mind when you were just imagining takes over your every thought.  You really can’t anticipate how you will feel.  We have prayed that things would work out the way they are supposed to and that this would be a good thing for our family.  I know that when one door closes another door opens .. .. .. right now I am just having a hard time letting that one door close:}

EXPO 2012

We ventured down to Casper last weekend for our annual trip to the Outdoor Expo.  This year Mark was in charge of the Fish Division exhibits so he had to go down earlier than the rest of us.  Bailee decided that she had been through it enough times that she wanted to volunteer this year.  She took the initiative to contact the gal in charge of the Kids Corner and got herself all set up to help on Saturday.  I think she was a little disappointed to arrive and find that she would be spending the day at the Fur ID station with an older gentleman who does it every year.  She was a good sport about it anyway.. ..

I took Karsyn and Emmrey around for a while.  Among other activities, they tried their hand at Cross Bows, and gathered all sorts of goodies from each of the stations. 

Once we found Mark outside.. ..It was all over for Karsy.  She loves working with her dad, and immediately became a volunteer at his Cutthroat Course.

Emm and I continued to make our way around to other exhibits and she surprised me by asking to try the shooting range.

After we had seen it all.  I decided to take Emmrey over to the National Historic Trails Center.  We finally convinced Karsyn to join us since she didn't get to see it last year.  Unfortunately, Bailee was a working girl so she had to stay at the Expo {she had already seen it last year:}

After a busy day.. ..we headed back to the hotel for some swimming.  Our girls favorite for sure!!

News

Last Friday {September 7}, around 9:30 am, Mark walked into the house with news.   I was down in the family room working on a bulletin board for CKATS.  We both knew that the news would come that day.. ..one way or another.  As he appeared at the bottom of the stairs, I searched his face for a clue.  Then he simply said “they want me to do it”.  Because of the casual way he said it, my initial thought was that he was joking around, trying to make light of news he was actually disappointed about.  Then I realized that the little grin I mistook for teasing was actually excitement .. .. .. and a little shock.  I jumped up, hugged and congratulated him and then immediately began to cry.  I cried at the thought of leaving this wonderful little town that we have been blessed to live in.  I cried for the opportunities that our girls have had both in school and in the community that may be different now.  I cried for our first little house that we put our heart and soul into making our home, and that we grew as a family in.   I cried for the great friends we would leave behind and the close relationships that our girls have made.   I cried for things that I could never have imagined I would cry about.  But mostly, I cried for our girls who were at school and had no idea that the only life they had really known was about to change.

We decided to share the news with the girls that night.  We weren’t sure how it would go, so I suggested we pick up some ice cream for reinforcement.  We sat the girls down and Mark explained that he had been offered a great new job, but that it would mean we would have to move away from Cody.  We sat in the silence for a few moments.  We wanted the girls to be able to express their honest reaction before we tried to “convince” them of why it would be okay.  Emmrey said “I don’t want to move from this house” {but was over it once the ice cream came out:}   Karsyn said “what about my friends” and stormed out of the room.  She cried, but seemed to be a little more angry than sad.  And Bailee just sat with no expression at all.  After a minute, we asked her what she thought.  She said “I don’t know”, and then she began to sob, heart wrenching sobs.  All my attempts to keep it together for the girl’s sake suddenly went out the window.  I sobbed with them.  My heart was breaking!!

By Saturday, everyone but me, had stopped crying and only occasionally have we had one tear up over the thought of something that will be different.  Ice cream healed a little that night, and time will heal a lot more {hopefully}. 

Arty Party

I am not used to having kids in school on their birthday.  I think in first grade Kars had her birthday when school was still in, but that's it.  Emmrey was fine with going to Kindergarten {always is}, but she did want to make sure she got her breakfast in bed.  She waited patiently for it.  Her choice was a chocolate Pop Tart, strawberries and strawberry milk.  Although it was not a breakfast I would normally go for {the choc pop tart}, it worked to our advantage with the time crunch.  

 She had been staring at the package from Grandpa Wayne and Grandma Cheryl for days and so I decided to let her open it before school.  She was thrilled ...another kid to take care of.  She is still working on a name for piggy and the block crayons were just the kind of thing she would love. 

 I surprised her with a Happy Meal at lunch.  She was appreciative, but she was also a little busy catching up with her little man....Grant.  They ran all over the playground together.. ..holding hands no less.

We took these little Paint Brush Treats to share with her class {also a party favor}

 

Then it was time to get Artsy. Emmrey loves to do projects.  I had seen so many cute ideas for an Art Party, I knew this would be just right for her 6th birthday.  We delivered invitations to some of her little friends and began the planning .. .. ..

 

It was actually a beautiful day, but just breezy enough that I was afraid if we set up in the backyard, we might end up with a splatter effect on the painting:}  So.. ...I set up in the garage.  Not as pretty, but it was a good choice.  We had 3 centers. The kids could be little Picasos with canvas painting..

They made play-dough with their choice of Kool Aid.. .. 

And they could design their own crayon.

We moved outside and let the kids run around for a bit and we attempted to take some group pictures.  This is the best we could get.. ..getting six 5-6 year old's to cooperate is harder than you think.

Then it was time for cake and ice cream for the starving artists.. ..

 

And making birthday wishes.. ..

 I love this picture.  Mark may not be very involved with the party planning, but during the event.. ...he is an all-star.  Just look how entertaining he is....those kids are captivated:}

It was a fun little party.  Just the right length of time.  We sent the kids home with their canvas, cute little paint pails filled with their creations and a "paint brush".

 ****

You would think this would be enough celebrating.  But we still had family gifts to open.  Emmrey is crazy about Lalaloopsy dolls right now {I like them myself}.  We got her the Tree House and School Bus.  She also got Friend Legos and games from her sissies {Mouse Trap and HedBanz}.  While she was thrilled with all her gifts, she was ecstatic that daddy got her some fish.. ..which she has wanted for a long time!!

She had also asked for some "Kindergarten books", so she could practice reading.  She was so happy when she opened not one, but two books.. ...it was so cute!!

Happy 6th Birthday Emmy!!

Emmy Boo

Today my little Emmrey Alise turned 6  I remember 6 years ago as we anxiously waited to meet our baby. We went to the hospital not knowing if we would be coming home with a little boy or little girl.  Although I was convinced it would be a boy, Mark felt certain we would have a girl.  I remember when Dr. Flory announced "it's a girl".. ..I just felt this instant peace that "she" was here to complete our family.  Although we would have been equally happy with a baby boy, we both felt ecstatic that we had been blessed with another girl.  Our little Emmrey was just what we needed!!  

 

Emmrey has LOVED babies from the beginning and just can't get enough of them.  She names and cares for each one.. ..just like a mommy should:}

 This little girl brings us such joy with her bright little face and her affection.  She is truly a pleasure to be around {99% of the time:}.  We love you Boo!!

LABORless Weekend

We spent Labor Day weekend in one of our very favorite places on earth.. ... ..Yellowstone.  On our way there we saw a few sprinkles, but it cleared off nicely as we made a stop to check out Midway Geyser Basin.

We arrived at Madison campground just in time to get set up before the rain came.  What began as a sprinkle quickly turned into a down-pour.  Our plan to roast hot dogs for dinner was no longer an option.  So Mark set up our little grill and sat in the back of the van to cook the hot dogs for his girlies ... what a guy!!

We ate our dinner in the tent {pretty sure that was a first} and then played several rounds of  UNO.

This rain storm was accompanied by thunder and lighting.  Not appreciated ever with Kars, but especially not when your outdoors.  The poor thing was curled in a ball, covering her ears and sobbing.  I felt so bad, there was nothing I could do but rub her back and tell her everything was OK.

The next day, things cleared off and it was beautiful again.  We headed for Old Faithful and spent most of the morning looking around there.

We looped all the way around where there are several other {less famous} geysers.  We got lucky and hit it just in time to see Riverside Geyser go off.  This only happens every 6 hours and we had never seen it before.  The eruption typically lasts 20 minutes.  It's pretty amazing.

We also enjoyed ice cream on the porch of the lodge.. ..

We stopped to eat lunch and play in the water at Nez Perce Creek, one of our favorite spots to picnic.

Later that evening we headed for West Yellowstone to walk around and have dinner at the pizza joint.

Emmrey wanted her picture taken{alone} by every buffalo they had around town.  I talked her into allowing her sisters to be in this one:}

On our way back to camp, we ran into this little lady .. ..hanging out in the water.

 And this big guy .. ..calling for the lady:}

Although we didn't see a bear this time, the wildlife viewing was fascinating.

We were able to have a campfire the next night .. ..

And another picnic on our way back home.

where Mark demonstrated how to feed the "Camp Robbers" right out of your hand.

 It was such a fun little trip.  It's always so hard to leave Yellowstone.. ..it feels like a second home to us:}