new blogs

we have two new blogs.  i know, seems excessive, right?  what can i say, i got bit by the blogging bug.  to visit our new blogs click on the links at the right of this page under "visit our other blogs".

the first blog is more of a book club.  we wanted to read the books on the required and supplemental reading list for George Wythe University.  we love that their motto is "building statesmen".  the mission statement for the university is: "to build men and women of virtue, wisdom, diplomacy and courage who inspire greatness in others and move the cause of liberty."  we want to be these kind of people.  we would prefer to just attend the school, but now is not the time in our lives for that.  we are doing what seems to us the next best thing - we will read their curriculum.  they don't use text books but rather the classics to teach everything from history to philosophy to religion to science and all that is in between.  visit our blog wythereadinglist.blogspot.com for more information about the club.

our second blog is about living the good life.  it is full of our hopes and dreams for ourselves, or will be anyway.  it is mostly a way to keep tabs on ourselves.  there is so much we want to do with our lives but if we're not focused it tends to just slip right by.  already we are thrity and wondering what we have done with our lives.  we are hoping that having to report will help us to succeed.  hopefully it will keeps us constantly motivated to become the people we want to be.  visit this blog at livingbettertoday.blogspot.com.  

yellowstone

we just got back from spending a couple days in yellowstone.  we had a lot of fun and the kids are getting really good at trips.  yellowstone is one of the most amazing places in the world!  we really enjoyed seeing all the geysers and hotspots or, as we called them, stinky pots.  the kids loved visiting the stinky pots.  hudson understood very well that he should not touch the water because it was very hot.  it made me laugh because we were walking around the boardwalk looking at a bunch of bubbly sulphur cauldrons and i heard hudson mumbling, "stinky pots.  i burn myself." smart boy!  

we also enjoyed the wildlife.  we saw many buffalo, or buckalo to hudson, elk, deer, and ethan and i even saw a bear (the kids were asleep at the time).

here are some of my favorite pictures.

this is at the west thumb geyser basin overlooking the yellowstone lake.

maria in front of a thermal pool.

my cute boy on the boardwalk.

elk at mammoth.

at mammoth

hudson waiting oh-so-patiently for old faithful to go off.

a buckalo.

it's a race!

today maria ran a mile race.  the race was part of clarkston's heritage days (a city in the valley), more specifically Pony Express Days.  she won third place - very good especially considering it was her first race!  afterward, when home, we were talking about the race and she exlaimed, "i'd better go practice!"  she ran out back to run back and forth in the yard.  i guess that means she would like to do more races in the future.

pictures

these are just some recent pictures that i like.

this is allium.  i have wanted allium in my yard for some time.  finally this last fall i planted two bulbs.  i was so excited for spring to come and see my new flowers.  they are done blooming now, but i sure enjoyed them while they were at their peak.

it is sometimes difficult for me to get pictures of maria.  i would have loved to get more pictures of her on this day but they only way i could get these were to promise i would only take two.  so these are it.

6/13/2009

Resolution Condemning the Federal Bailouts of Private Industry      

by Constitution Party National Committee 
Newark, New Jersey

Whereas, “Bailouts” have increased the federal debt that will be handed down to subsequent generations; and

Whereas the “Bailouts” violate the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause by allowing the federal government’s interference with a private contract; and

Whereas our Founders were emphatic that the public treasury should never become a public trough, and

Whereas, the Federal government is not granted the power to invest in and take over private industry; and

Whereas, industry “Bailouts” begun by Republican President George W. Bush and escalated by Democrat President Barrack Barack Obama, are unconstitutional and these presidents had no authority to fundamentally alter the relationship between the federal government and private businesses; and therefore be in it

Resolved, that the Constitution Party strongly condemns such “Bailouts” of any and all private industry as they are completely unauthorized by, and in fact are, in violation of specific sections of the Constitution of the United States and further because they constitute a cruel and unfair tax on the posterity of our nation.

do i live in oregon?

it is raining again today.  we've had so much rain lately that i feel like i live in oregon.  i like the rain, but the thing is, i've lived in utah all my life - i have learned that when it rains one must savor it.  a rainy day to me means curling up on the couch with a book.  when it rains it's harder for me to be productive.  i don't want to do anything when it rains.  rainy days are lazy days.  the last few weeks, however, we have had rain more days than not, and on those days it has pretty much rained all day.  so, while i really like the rain, i haven't wanted to do anything for weeks!

the kids have really enjoyed the rain.  our driveway was poured with asphalt years ago and, as is typical with asphalt, we have some major potholes.  this makes for great puddles.  

aren't i glad i bought rains boots for the kids so they could not wear them?  

early this spring i found out that snow boots are terrible for rain puddles.  i guess if i had really thought about it i could have figured out that all that insulation in a snow boot was just going to get sopping wet.  the problem was, i wanted them to wear something on their feet because it was still pretty cold outside so i thought, "ah-ha!  snow boots!  their feet will stay warm and dry!"  boy was i wrong.  it took about a week to dry those out.  

it was, like i said, early in the spring so i decided to buy the kids rain boots.  as a kid i don't recall ever having rain boots.  i suppose when you live in utah rain boots aren't all that necessary.  it doesn't rain that often, and when it does rain it only rains for about fifteen minutes and then the dry ground soaks up all the water.  but i was hopeful for a wet spring and i thought it would be fun for the kids to have some actual footwear designed for puddle jumping.  silly me.  of course they would prefer to go barefoot.  

they did have fun filling the boots up with water . . .

beautiful baby

here are some pictures i took of liberty today:

isn't she the most beautiful baby in the whole world?

sweet spirit

i don't think we are embarrassed enough to admit 

that we love the movie "sons of provo".

i just love a good mockumentary.  

it is about a mormon boy band.  

this is one of their performances

from the movie. there are so many

reasons why this is funny.

sunday drive

hudson and maria.  the bear lake is in the background.

after church yesterday we decided to go for a drive.  i'm glad we did.  it was fun and we were reminded of what an awesome valley we live in.  first we drove west toward the wellsville mountains and noticed logan was under a huge, very bright rainbow (it had been rainy most of the day).  we drove through mendon - a beautiful place - to wellsville.  then we booked it across the valley and drove up logan canyon.  we stopped at the bear lake overlook then came home.  we stopped down toward the bottom of the canyon at a campground and looked at the very turbulent spring river.  it began to rain again and it was beginning to get dark so we then made our way home.  it was so great.  i really love it here.

here my favorite pictures:

it was cold at the bear lake overlook.

the family - minus me - at the overlook.

beautiful bear lake.

this is a shot of mendon up near the mountains.  this is our dream spot for our dream house.

the rainbow.  my cheap camera doesn't do it justice.

our love for cache valley is reflected in the new picture on our header.  this place is just us, a mixture of mountains and farmland.  i once heard cache valley referred to as "the eden of utah".  i believe it.  this is where we always want to be.  

mystery solved

i felt really, really tired today.  while i was folding laundry i said to myself, "man, why am i so tired?"

maria piped up, "because you can't handle kids."

mystery solved.  thanks, maria.

when sisters attack

poor, unsuspecting hudson.  there he was, having a pleasant time walking through the mud puddle with maria when all of a sudden, without warning, his sister decides he needs mud from head to toe.

and he did NOT like it.  despite being a rowdy boy, he does not care for mud on his face . . . or in his hair . . . or even on his clothes for that matter.

hudson's cycle

first of all, here's maria with her bike.  i thought it was funny that she was riding her bike wearing one of the fanciest dresses she has.

hudson and liberty.  aren't they so cute?

now, here's hudson's new cycle.  that's what he calls it - "my cycle".  we bought it last saturday.  we figured he needed something more than the little tricycle.  he loves it!  everyday (multiple times a day) i hear "mom, i want to ride my cycle."  it's pretty cute.

he's doing really well with it.  he's learning quickly.

now i have to say something about hudson's determination.  he is amazing.  he has a special gift for sticktoitiveness.  many, many times in his two years of living, i have already seen strong examples of this.  often times it seems like the task he is working on is just too hard so i'll offer to help only to hear from him (in a very disgruntled tone) "i do it myself!" - and he will.  it may take him a long time, and it may make him very angry, but he will accomplish the thing he set out to do.  i think that is amazing.  i tend to be someone that gives up easily so i really admire this quality in him and i hope he keeps it.  it especially amazes me that, like i said, the task can make him quite angry, he could be crying or screaming or both, but still he will work at it until he can do it.  i've been seeing this most recently with his bike riding.  he really works hard.  i can't wait to see what he's like as he gets older.

shannon