The Pig Sty

Emmas DC trip

2010-11-19T18:13:00.003-08:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Brocks DC journal and photo book

2010-11-19T18:13:00.001-08:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Baby Holland Rose

2010-08-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry it's taken a while for me to post some pictures of Holland, no excuse except that a new baby always rocks my world. But without further adieu . . .

Oh no, I was in the process of uploading pictures into the blog and I cannot find my pictures. They were there just a couple of days ago and now they are not, I am so heartbroken, and I already erased them from the camera disk.

A penny for my thoughts

2010-04-08T13:58:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure my thoughts are even worth a penny, but nonetheless, (is nonetheless all one word or 3 separate words, I'm not sure) here they are.

1st thought: Yesterday afternoon I discovered we had no water, this was about 2 or 3 in the afternoon, I was thinking that it would surely be back on by 5 or 6, since I figured the reason for the water being off was because of a major city water overhaul which is taking place this year. Well, the water wasn't on and didn't come on until around 9pm. It's hard to go without water especially when you have kids, as I'm sure most of you know. Anyways, thankfully I have been filling water in the empty juice containers that we get every so often as a splurge at the store, so I knew I could use those at least to satisfy some thirsty kids. Now to my point. I realized I am relying far too much on my city for basic needs, such as water, but I have taken the initiative to stock pile a few of those basic needs so in case of an emergency my family could get by. And the bigger picture to me is that unfortunately some Americans are relying far too much on our government to supply them with "basic" needs. But what if our government collapses and is not willing to supply those "basics" anymore. Then what happens. I realize this is a very simplistic view but I think a good lesson I've learned and I wish other's out there would learn as well, i.e., our representatives.

2nd thought: We have a dvd player in our minivan, and since we live in the country and have to drive for longer periods of time to get anywhere I often have a movie playing for the kids. Lately the kids have been watching Madagascar 2. I actually do enjoy listening to the movies and listening and watching the kids in the rear view mirror laughing and commenting on these movies. But I also realize that often there are lines in the movie that are extremely true to our life and times. For example, in Madagascar 2 there is a scene where an obsurd idea is posed to the populace by the self appointed king. He suggests that in order to get the water back into the watering hole they need to make a sacrifice to the fire gods in the volcano. After convincing a hopeless giraffe to jump in and sacrifice himself, the onlookers cheer, and the king exclames "hurry up, before we all come to our senses." Doesn't this sound like what our current government is doing?

3rd thought: One of the trailers before this movie starts is advertising Monsters vs Aliens. I love the line that introduces BOB. The announcers says that one of the monsters is a gelatinous mass, which obviously has no brain. BOB's response is "and turns out, you don't need one." Again doesn't this sound like quite a few of our representatives who are running our current government?

There you have it, if you feel these thoughts have been worth a penny please send a penny my way. All donations are non-refundable and are not tax-deductible. Thank you.

Christmas Tree Hunting

2009-12-22T15:22:00.001-08:00

2009-12-22T15:20:00.001-08:00

Christmas Letter

2009-12-15T13:17:00.000-08:00

I apologize for not mailing out an actual Christmas letter, but I hope this makes an acceptible substitute.

This year has flown by, I remember last June hoping for some sunshine when it seemed like the state of Idaho was floating away to the Pacific Northwest, and now the sunshine has come and gone along with some wonderful moments as a family.

Doug is as busy as ever, more than he would like to be. There actually is a downside to being so busy as a small business owner, so if anyone knows of a good Physical Therapist looking for a job send them our way. We, especially Doug, would welcome the relief. Even though work has been at neck breaking speeds, we have been blessed with fill-ins so Doug could spend some time with us on our many mini summer vacations. We've enjoyed boating with friends and family in Arizona, family reunions in Utah, a mini camping adventure with friends and most of family on both sides coming to visit with us here in our beautiful neck of the woods. Doug has even enjoyed hunting, unfortunately, the elk and deer and turkeys still outwit him.

My days are spent keeping up with the kids, okay, mostly Hayden. It still amazes me how a 21 month old can keep you running. All I seem to be able to do is get the basics done. I have a long list of extras, that just keeps getting longer, which will have to take a back seat right now. I was called to be the cub scout leader just in time for me to tell them that they have me until May when our LAST baby is due. Can you tell I'm excited about this LAST pregnancy. I'm excited about our last addition, but I will in no way, shape or form miss pregnancy, sianara, and good bye, now it's up to all the younger siblings to populate our gene pool.

Brock's big accomplishment this summer was turning 8 and being baptized. He had been looking forward to this big event for a couple of years and was so excited that the day also included his cousin Logan and family. He is now in 3rd grade and enjoys every minute in school, though I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with the academic rigors of school, but I am grateful that he excells in academics. He loves being in cub scouts and trying out different sports. He is saving up for a motor bike to be able to ride on his uncle's farm, I figure it will take him until he's 12, by that time I hope he is less reckless. He is still Dad's shadow, it's hard to keep him at home when he see's how exciting day's with his dad are. He's been pheasant hunting, ice fishing and even flying with his dad. You know, I think this kid has almost expirenced more in his short life than I have.

Emma is now a big 1st grader and loves going to school full time, she has been in speech therapy since before kindergarten and has made tremendous strides, we are so proud of her and how hard she has worked to improve herself. I keep telling everyone that her hard headedness is actually a blessing in disguise, I'm sure it will serve her well throughout her life as it has me. I never worry about Emma, she's so capable. She is my biggest helper when it comes to Hayden. Her and Hayden are best friends, they must have missed each other so much before Hayden joined our family 4 1/2 years after Emma. I also am the joyous recipient of a child prodigee of housework, she can clean a room like no other. Most of all though we enjoy her spunky outlook on life.

Our little Addison has become quite the grown up this year, in reverse. Before she turned 4 in January she was always telling people she was 23, or 67, or 81, or 73 or some other "older" age when they inquired, but as soon as she turned 4, she was 4 and you could'nt tell her otherwise. She continues to improve her vocabulary with long words, she's our very own "Fancy Nancy". She has learned to love her little sister Addison and they even get along most of the day now. This is her last year of pre-school at Miss Melia's and continues to inform us that when she turns five at the beginning of the year she will be attending kindergarten, oh if only that were true. But honestly I don't know what I would do if Addison were not part of my daily routine, she makes me laugh, even when I don't want her to, i.e., she was very naughty, but in a very funny kind of way.

And last but not least, Hayden Collette Ball. We have loved to watch her personality grow each day. Of course this year saw many firsts for our little girl, learning to walk quickly turned into running, her first word (as per protocal with all of our little ones) was not mommy or daddy, but her favorite thing, "Tonka" (our horse), she also quikly learned how to say each of the other kids names, and many other very useful words such as; please, thank you, woo hoo, move!, treats, water, swimming, bathroom (her word for potty), and she continues to amaze us with a growing vocabulary each day. She is one of the funniest kids we've ever seen and can't wait to see what the coming year brings.

We hope this has given you a small snap shot of our growing family. We hope this season finds you surrounded by family and friends, and the love of our Savior as we celebrate His birth and life.

We love you all.

Nutin' much here

2009-10-08T14:01:00.000-07:00

I've got to say that there really isn't much going on in our lives right now, kids in school, Doug busy at work and me, I'm just trying to mark things off on my to-do list. And, because of my long to do list, I just don't have time for deep thoughts. So until I can think of something brilliant to say or do, I'm just going to leave you with nutin' much going on here.

Question

2009-09-10T13:57:00.000-07:00

I would like to know what you think of a 4 day school week for kids? I know that my audience is pretty small here but I still would like your opinion. I'm doing an informal research project. Thanks for your imput.

Summer Fun

2009-08-13T20:22:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Lydia's, may I take your order?

2009-08-13T20:08:00.000-07:00

Addison: "Mom, can you bring me a cup of water with ice in it?"

Mom: "If you stay in bed for 5 minutes, then I will bring you some."

Addison: "Okay."

Emma walks up beside Addison and asks for the same thing.

Addison: turns to Emma and says, "I already ordered it."

Post note: I was not even given a tip.

Just to Clarify

2009-06-22T08:21:00.000-07:00

Apparently a few of you missed the message encoded between the lines of my last blog. So, just to clarify, we haven't actually moved to the Pacific North West, it just seems like the state of Idaho was annexed into that region. We have had constant rain since the beginning of June, but alas, today it is sunny and expected to stay like that all day, whoopee. I guess with all the rain the state may have floated back to it's original locale. I hope I didn't mess with your minds too much.

We've Moved ! ! !

2009-06-18T10:54:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that we have moved to the Pacific North West, however, we still have the same address and phone number. As always we invite anyone to come and visit us and enjoy our beautiful slice of America.

Dan Dan Noodles

2009-06-08T18:17:00.000-07:00

This is a wonderful, super easy, super yummy, kid friendly dish, what we're all looking for right?!

PF Chang's Dan Dan Noodles

Noodles
1 tsp oil (I used some peanut and some sesame)
1/4 ounce green onion, minced (I excluded because the kids don't like them)
1/2 tsp. garlic, minced (I quadrupled, because I like garlic)
1/2 tsp. chili paste, (be careful and adjust accordingly)
4 ounces ground chicken (I grind my own with my kitchen aide, better than storebought)
1 pkg rice noodles, about 1/4 inch in thickness, or you can use spaghetti, cooked

Liquid Mixture
2 ounces soy sauce (I used less sodium version)
1 ounce rice wine
1 tsp oyster sauce (again, I quadrupled)
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbl. cornstarch

8 ounces chicken broth

Heat oil in wok or large skillet on high, add garlic and chili paste and saute for 10 seconds. Add chicken and cook till done. Add chicken broth. Combine remaining "liquid mixture" ingredients and add to chicken mixture. Cook until mixture is thickened, you may thicken more to your liking by making more cornstarch slurry with cold water and cornstarch. Add noodles to chicken sauce and serve hot.

I like to add more chili paste and some rice vinegar after I dish up my plate. But that's just me and authentic to the orient.

I doubled for leftovers. This was a huge hit for dinner tonight. Enjoy.

Hayden's Birthday Bash

2009-03-08T19:23:00.000-07:00

Obituary

2009-03-06T10:25:00.000-08:00

We just had a very sad happening at our house this morning. I was headed to pick Brock up from piano lessons and I accidently ran over Cream Scicle, one of 2 family cats. It's a very sad time for all.

Back in the olden days

2009-01-14T17:59:00.000-08:00

I had to hurry and post this before I forgot.

Brock: "Mom, what year were you born?"

Me: "1972"

Brock: "Wow, that was back in the olden days!"

Me: chuckle . . . "Yep, I guess it was."

Brock: "So did you only have black and white clothes to wear?"

Me: "We had a few colors."

Brock: "You probably didn't have very many stores then."

And this is coming from a kid who lives in a town of 990 people with 1 gas station, 1 very small grocery store and 1 very greasy burger joint.

Until next time, have a good laugh.

Christmas Morning

2008-12-26T15:50:00.000-08:00

2008-12-26T15:42:00.000-08:00

And the aftermath. A good time was had by all, except little Hayden who by the stooper on her face must have thought this morning was completely upsurd. However, she was the one who woke up hungry and wet at 6 am. Brock of course heard her cry and thought it was santa. He rolled out of bed onto some reindeer poop and immediately knew Santa had come, then proceeded to turn on lights and wake everyone else up. Thus, little Hayden did not get her early morning alone time with mom, thus the stooper.

Christmas Day

2008-12-26T15:38:00.001-08:00

This is the before photo. I stayed up to clean so everyone could have a wonderful carefree Christmas Day.

Addiction

2008-12-11T19:35:00.000-08:00

I kmow it's been a while since I've actually added to my blog. And I apologize to all those who so faithfully check their list of co-bloggers. I can blame my neglect however on another piece of modern internet technology, facebook. Yes, I have become an addict, to the point that my poor little 9 month old will be sitting at my feet crying her little eyes out to be picked up. I am indeed a horrible mother, or maybe I'm just trying to teach her patience.

Honestly nothing much has changed, at least not earth shattering. I am making Texas Sheet Cake though. Dessert at my house. Post later, dessert is calling.

Happenings

2008-11-07T19:39:00.000-08:00

The first few pictures are on our Spud Harvest vacation. The kids don't have school for the last 2 weeks of September due to spud harvest so we do our vacationing then, less crowds, better prices, it's wonderful. This year we went to Disney Land and had a few days at the beach. I'm glad I don't live in California anymore, but I love to visit, it still feels like going home.

The next picture is of Hayden and our cat "Brother". I have never seen a cat so calm and better with kids than this one. He will just sit there and let Hayden have her way with him. We acquired him last winter when a family in our ward moved to a city and figured "Brother" would not survive. They assured us that he is strictly an outside cat, but for some reason he has definietly taken to the indoors. I have no idea how old he is so I hope we have many more years with him.

The last picture is one of 5 pictures I got of the kids this Halloween. I was a huge slacker and I so regret it, especially because I spent at leat an hour on hair. And they were so cute. I promise to do much better next year.

Tonka, aka Willy Wonka

2008-11-07T19:27:00.000-08:00

This is our horse Tonka (it's short for some really long native american name that means survivor or something like that), when we first acquired him the kids couldn't remember his name but they somehow figured out that it rhymed with Willy Wonka, thus the "aka". Anywho, this post is mostly for my mom who asked me months ago to send her a picture of how he looked when we got him. He looks 100% better now. He is a wonderful horse. He is almost 3 years old and has been so easy to "break", although there really never was any need to "break" him.

Perspectives

2008-11-03T11:43:00.000-08:00

I find myself in a rare situation . . . I have a few seconds in the middle of the day to blog. Everybody say hallelujah (or however you spell that word). But I need to record these experiences before I forget them.

Last week we were reading in the Book of Mormon reader in the part where the languages were confounded due to building of the Tower of Babel. Brock has now taken over the nightly readings and it's so funny to hear the commentaries he occasionally spouts while reading. This night after reading about the languages he said, "Hmm, that's a good idea!" I'm sure however that the ancients did not feel the same when they were no longer able to communicate with their friends and family, still, a good reminder to be like a little child and agree with our Maker in all things He sees fit to bestow upon us.

Also, we seem to have a resident professor in our midst. Ever since Addison could talk she has given lectures on diverse subjects. She has faltered lately however with her professorship, she now experiments with single words. This past week she has decided to use the word "sensible". I've often been told this past week that what I have done was very sensible. We'll see what her new word is this week.

And then yesterday I was reminded of how torturous Sacrament Meeting can be for 5 year olds. Usually we get the questions "When is church over?" "Is it almost done?" "Can we go to primary yet?" and a multitude of other questions, sighs and moans about 50 times during a 1 hour and 10 minute time period. Yesterday however Emma asked one question the whole meeting, "Is it fast Sunday today?" Now, I know what she was thinking, fast Sunday means that the church meetings somehow are time warped on this 1st Sunday of the month. I thought the same thing when I was her age, as well as, I am sure, every single LDS kid thought. I told her it was and she didn't ask another time question the whole meeting. I love little children's perspective, it's so simple.

Now, I know these experiences are not earth shattering, but I hope they will serve as a memoir for my little ones.

2008-10-22T12:58:00.000-07:00

I know you are all thinking that I am a failure at this blog thing, and yes I would have to agree with you. What I want to know is where do you all find the time to blog!!!! Is it in the wee hours of the night or morning? Do you just have angels for children? Me, myself I love my sleep, as for my children, lets just say we are waiting for the eternities for their angelic spirits to emerge.

All I have to say is be patient with me, eventually I will get all of my office manager stuff done (3 months of 40 hour weeks, and counting), I will get all 10 loads of laundry folded and put away, I will scrub my crusty looking toilets (it's this country water that makes them so bad so quickly, honestly) and I will do all of this plus 100 other chores all with a smile on my face and whistling that Mary Poppins song, you know the one where the nursery cleans itself. Until then I will post about once every full moon.

Pampered Chef September Host Special

2008-10-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

Pampered Chef September Guest Special

2008-10-13T20:57:00.000-07:00

Last Day of Spummerall

2008-10-10T15:24:00.000-07:00

Well, Spummerall is officially over. You might ask what Spummerall is, well it's the four months of combined Spring, Summer and Fall we've had this year, which officially started on June 10 (the last day of winter). We had our first snow fall today. It's all rather depressing for me, a semi-native Californian. I found it quite humorous when my third little darling got the season's all mixed up today, when she saw the snow fall she enthusiastically declared it was the 1st day of summer. Poor thing, but at least according to her time table she has a summer birthday, January 6th. I have a summer birthday for that matter as well. So you are all officially invited to my summer birthday party in January, we will be hanging out at the pool and sipping strawberry daqueries. Sarcasm must come with this season.

2008-10-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm finally posting my first blog. And I thought I ought to explain the pig sty title. When I was a youngster my room was often a disaster, who's wasn't? Okay, excepting my older sister who shall remain nameless to protect the innocent, or not so innocent. However I guess my room (which I shared with, let's see, at least 3 other siblings) was especially appalling one year because I got a street sign with "Pigsty Place" for Christmas I think it was, from another one of my siblings (I have quite a few of them, siblings that is, all of whom I dearly love) who also shall remain nameless. Anywho, I am now in my mid thirties and I must say I turned out pretty good and so far from the "Pigsty Place", so far that it seems my older sister aforementioned has somewhat taken on the role of my younger self.
That's it for now, we are headed off to cheer on the mighty Cougars.