4th of July Festivities

We had a great 4th of July! I am lucky to have a mother-in-law who always plans great parties and makes sure everyone has a wonderful time. We started with some swimming in her pool. Jason had to pretend to catch the kids with a fishing pole, which they of course loved.

Oh, he caught a Dallin!

I promise I got in the pool right after I took this picture.

Jake LOVED the water. I can't wait to start swimming lessons with him next week!

Luke showing off the red, white and blue treat table.

This picture is strictly to prove that yes, I did dress everyone in 4th of July colors. Maybe next year I will run for Mom of the Year and head to Old Navy and buy flag tees or something.

The kids decorated their bikes and had a little parade.

And of course, lots of fun fireworks in the driveway.

 

 

 

 

Crawdad Fishing at Strawberry Reservior

On Saturday we decided to take the kids fishing for crawdads at Strawberry. Or crawheads, as Luke calls them, or broadheads, as Abby calls them. Jason had surprisingly never done this before, so he hopped on Google and learned how to catch crawdads with a rope and some chicken bones. I wasn't extremely on board with the whole idea at first, but it was surprisingly fun. Strawberry Reservoir is so beautiful and it was a gorgeous day. We didn't plan on staying very long, but ended up fishing until dark. The kids loved it. We even boiled up our catch and ate crawdads fresh on the shore of the lake. They were delicious, or so I was told. When I saw how many legs and feelers and pinchers the little dudes had, and then watched them be thrown live into a pot of boiling water... well, it was enough to bring out the religion in me. As luck would have it, the next day was Fast Sunday, so I decided to start my fast a little early. It's supposed to be 24 hours, right? But I'm sure I would have loved every bite!

Jake was a little trooper in the pack-n-play.

Our first fishing spot was nice, but there were too many people around. And it was hot.

Luke borrowed my sunglasses and looked fantastic.

See what I mean about the feelers and pinchers and stuff?

Jake was thrilled about having the crawdads right next to him, and promptly threw his bottle into the bucket. Call me squeamish, but that is one bottle that did not come home with us.

Dallin caught a cutthroat all by himself. It looks like a rainbow, but it's not. I learned all about it.

Three little buddies.

Me and my four little buddies.

The crawdad boiling operation.

They really do turn red like lobsters when you cook them. Mm-mmm!

My little fishing daughter showing off her Sponge Bob smile. She is such an easy-going kid and enjoys everything to the fullest. Oh Abby, what would I do without you?

Little Jake has had a lot of adventures in his short life. I love Luke in the background, just prancing along the shore.

Luke finally got brave enough to pick up the crawdads without getting pinched. That's more than I can say for myself. Also, I think Luke looks like the Grinch in this picture. "I believe the child mentioned a... check?"

I really wish we wouldn't let the kids play with their food. And by kids, I mean Jason.

Jason let Luke reel in this cutthroat. Jason would be so mad about this picture because it doesn't display the fish properly, but I love it. Just the expression on Jake's face, and Luke's hands all splayed out and ready to grab the fish. I think it's hilarious.

This picture has a much better display factor, although ideally the fish would be held out at arm's length in front of the camera to create the illusion of enormity when compared with the tiny people behind it. The next time you see a picture of someone holding out a huge fish, don't believe it. It's just a mirage.

And... we're spent.

I'm so glad Jason has an adventurous streak and takes us on fun little trips like this. He's always up for anything and loves to explore and experience everything life has to offer. If a few crawdads die along the way, so be it. I think I have four lucky little kiddos!

Crane Reunion 2011

This past weekend we took the kids to my mom's family reunion near Montpelier, Idaho. It is just north of Bear Lake and it is amazing. My uncle owns a canyon up there in the beautiful hills with a stream running through it and it is one of my favorite places on the planet. I was born in Montpelier, and then my parents moved to Burley when I was one, and I don't know if I have ever forgiven them for it. Why would you leave this place, I ask. My kids were asking the same question when it was time to go home. They could have stayed forever. It was so fun to be in the mountains and visit with relatives that I rarely get to see. I loved every minute of it. Even when Luke got a tick, which he is insanely proud of, and even when Abby threw up on me in the tent in the middle of the night. What is camping without a few of these experiences? Just throw in a few packs of wet wipes and you're good to go.

It wouldn't be a family picture if we all looked normal. Thanks, Dallin.

My brother Steven, me, my mom, and Aaron represented the Price Family. And of course my dad, who is taking the picture.

My aunt Wilma took all the great grand kids on a "horse" ride and gave them a little family history lesson . So cute!!

There were lots of games for the kiddies.

Dallin and his new friend Milton used their stick horses as swords most of the time.

Jason and Jake spent some time bonding in the air conditioned truck.

A nice little view of part of the group. My grandparents descendants currently total 271, so this is only a very small portion.

My cousin Rachel was one of my best friends growing up. We don't see each other nearly enough!!

Jason built Dallin a bow out of a stick and some string. The kids spent a lot of time prowling the hills "hunting".

Jason took the kids on a little hike and probably taught them about skinning squirrels or something useful like that. Sorry, little cousin Alex, that's how our family rolls! Hope you weren't too traumatized.

Jake was busy cutting a new tooth and drooling all over everything, bless his heart.

We left on Saturday evening, but we didn't get far when Jason and Dallin decided to try out their skills on a few poor pot guts in the field. I've learned to just keep my mouth shut.

Aw, a little father-lifting-son-over-barbed-wire-fence action. Love it. Just don't rip his pants, please. Or stab him with an arrow.

Til next year!

My little Jake ain't so little anymore!!

This little blue-eyed boy is officially six months old now! Jake is such a fun, happy baby. He receives a lot of love (translation: mauling) every day. We all love this little guy so much. He rolls all over the house and loves to play with anything he can get his hands on. He loves rice cereal with pear juice and makes a huge mess when he eats. He still doesn't sleep through the night very often but he has a few times, and it was amazing. If I had to describe Jake in one word it would be "sweet". He truly brings a sweet spirit into our home. He's taking a nap right now but I think I am going to go get him up because I miss him.

Dallin's Baptism

Well, ahem, it's been a few months since I've been on here... All I can say is, it's been a crazy six months since my little babe was born and something had to go, actually many things. Among them, blogging. Also, my computer was having issues and it's hard to type and edit pictures on a computer that doesn't work when I have four children on my lap. And with this many kids, it's hard to find time to attend Anger Management classes, so I basically just gave up on my computer. But thanks to my dear, sweet, generous, thoughtful husband and the glorious holiday on February 14, I now have a beautiful new HP TouchSmart PC. I don't even need to use a mouse! It has a touch screen! I feel like all my dreams are coming true. So back to business for me.

It's true, my little Dallin turned eight!! It was quite a surreal experience for me to watch him be baptized. It's one of those things that I always thought would never really happen, just like I still don't believe time will actually pass enough for him to enter Young Men's or go on a mission or grow up. My kids can't grow up because then I will be... old. And old basically equals lame and not fun and we can't have that. Therefore, my kids are forbidden to grow up, and they know this. Anyway, Dallin's birthday is on Groundhog Day, who by the way I HATE because he is ALWAYS WRONG, curse you Groundhog! But that's not Dallin's fault, even though he feels bad every time I look out the window and curse the groundhog. Dallin opted for the traditional hunting party thrown by Jason, which was fine by me. He had a great time with a few little buddies. His birthday was on a Wednesday, then he was baptized on Saturday. We had a lot of support from friends and family and it was a really wonderful day. Very bittersweet and poignant for his mama, but still very nice. My sweet little Dallin is such a good, talented boy and I am so proud of the person he is becoming. I hope I can be the mom he deserves. I love that kid.

And yes, Jake is enormous now. Sniff sniff.

Welcome, Baby Jake!

He's finally here! Jake Jason Yates was born Friday, August 6, 2010 at 7:04 am. He was 7 lbs. 7 oz. and 19 inches long. He is so sweet and little and I can't imagine our family without him.

This is on the way to the hospital. We had to be there at 5:15 am. I was so grateful that it was early so I didn't have to stress about it all morning.

 Jason's little white suit didn't exactly fit, but it gave me a good laugh, which I really needed at that moment. Everything went really well with the delivery. I have to admit I was terrified to have a planned c-section. I had a c-section with Abby, but it was a last minute thing and there was so much adrenaline pumping I didn't have any time to think about what was happening. But I've had about 9 months to think about it this time, and I got a little worked up. For nothing. Everything went great. It was my first time having a spinal block instead of an epidural and I have to say, the spinal is the way to go. It's just a shot, so they don't have to leave the big old needle in your back all day. It works within minutes and wears off after only a few hours and I didn't even feel it. All that worry and terror. And I didn't even feel it. What a relief! Then everything happened so fast. It seemed like about 2 minutes until I heard the first cries. There are no words to describe how it feels to hear your baby's first cries. I've experienced it four times now, and those have been the four most incredible moments of my life. Comparable only to seeing and holding the baby for the first time.

The worst part about a c-section is that you can't hold your baby right away. Jason held him down by me for a few minutes before they took him off to the nursery, though. Have you ever had a feeling of complete and total happiness? That's what it is. Every time.

 

 I loved having my kids and both Jason's and my parents there. My parents stayed at our house the night before and brought the kids to the hospital for us. I am so grateful for all the support and love our parents give us. My grandparents were older by the time I was born, so they weren't a part of things like this as I wish they could have been, so it means a lot to me that my kids get to know their own grandparents and get to share so many great experiences with them.

And here's the perfect little guy. He has been such a good baby so far. He eats well, he sleeps well, and the kids just LOVE him. I feel so blessed to have such a healthy, sweet baby.

Our whole little family. Jason hates this picture because he thinks he looks half asleep, but it's the best I can do. He probably was feeling a little out of it because he spent all three nights on that tiny couch while I was in the hospital. It did fold out into a "bed", but not a very big one. He was such a good sport. It was fun to spend time with just the two of us and the new baby. When will that happen again? It was like a little vacation. We had a big supply of movies to choose from and all I had to do was pick up the phone and room service would bring me/us whatever food I wanted. Jason called for breakfast one morning - "My wife would like french toast, a ham and cheese omelet, bacon, oatmeal, orange juice, milk - and what else did you want, honey? Oh yeah, and a fruit and yogurt parfait." He hung up the phone and said, "I think they might be on to me." You think? I know some people hate the hospital, but man, I love that place. Every time the nurses changed shifts I felt like I was losing my new best friend. Plus, with the pain meds they were pumping into me, I felt like I had been smoking peyote for three straight days. I don't remember a whole lot about it, but I'm sure it was great.

This is Jake with the quilt his Grandma Price made for him. She and my dad stayed with the kids while I was in the hospital and she stayed with us for the first five days we were home. It was so nice to not have to worry about all the little things, and just hold the baby and try to get back to normal. I miss her, but I must be strong. I will survive. I will.

And here is Jake with the quilt his Grandma Yates made for him. She does so much for our family. I don't know what we would do without her. Jake has two very talented grandmas who love him so much. He is a lucky boy. And we are so lucky to have him. His sweet little spirit has made such a difference in our home already. I'm so grateful for a healthy little baby and for all the love and support our family has received in the last few weeks.