Woodland Words

Another Terrific Kid

2012-01-27T06:14:00.000-08:00

I Love the words that they have put with the word Terrific.

Thoughtful
Enthusiastic
Respectful
Responsible
Inclusive
Friendly
Inquisitive

Capable

I need to be Terrific. but since this post isn't about me and what I should be I will tell you why Mrs. Jacobsen thinks Jake is terrific.

January 25,2012   Jake Woodland is the Terrific Kid in Mrs. Jacobsen's class for January! He pays attention during his lessons is enthusiastic about learning, and shows respect tot others.   Jake shows he's responsible by handing his homework in and using his class time wisely.    Whatever he is assigned as a class job, you know he will get it done and do it well. Jake is a Terrific Kid!

As a mom I think he is terrific as well and love to hear others see in him what I see.   Love you Jake keep up the good work.

Sparkles

2012-01-27T05:59:00.000-08:00

Our boy dog named Sparkles. He has been with us for 3 years and Wednesday I thought it was over. He usually rides with the kids to school and then hangs with me in the mornings while Kaci is at school. Today was no different except that I didn't take the kids to school, Andy picked them up. I wondered a couple of times where he was but got busy and didn't think about it. When I went to pick Kaci up from school still no Sparkles. Kaci had a friend come to play and they played outside most of the time and still no Sparkles. I asked her when the last time she saw him was and the tears started to come. Jake came home and we looked over the neighborhood. We called to see if by chance Sparkles had climbed in the Williams' car and got left there. We looked in all of our vehicles still no Sparkles. Jake was very concerned and Kaci was in hysterics by this point so I called Dan for backup. He said, I can't talk I am right in the middle of something. His usually response sometimes I wonder why I even bother. Then he told me to call the Sheriffs office. When I tried to explain how ridiculous that idea was he said just trust me. So with great hesitation and sheer desperation to find my daughters 4 legged friend and comforter I called. "Hello, this is Lisa Woodland you are going to think I am crazy and I am but, Dan said I should call and tell you my daughters little puppy is missing." The voice on the other end didn't even laugh he just said what kind of dog is it. I said, "a a shitzu poodle cross." He asked what color he was. "a greyish brown longer hair." "Yes Mam we have your dog what is your address we will send an officer out with him." "How did you get my dog and how did Dan know and why are you bringing him to me, I don't even have to pay the pound fee or anything?" So for the next 20 minutes while we waited I had a million questions. Come to find out the boys home down the street claim they found him up by the freeway. I don't bye their story. So Craig Ryan went and picked him up he went to several homes trying to find out where he belonged then he took him home to get a drink and some food and let him play with his dogs. Then he just rode around with him all day in his truck sitting on his lap and in the office waiting for us to call and find him. Craig had took him to the vet (Mont's) they looked to see if there was an electronic tag. (didn't even know they had them) The dog catcher was unfamiliar with him. Craig decided since he was so well mannered and behaved someone was sure to miss him and look for him so Barbara and him were just going to take photos and put a sign up at the post office and keep him with their dogs until they found where he belonged. So how did Dan know about this. Craig went in to Do it Best Hardware when Dan and Brad were in there getting materials and Brad said, "Hey that dog in that Sheriffs truck looks just like Sparkles." Dan said, "Ya it does." and they left. Craig said he had thought about asking Dan especially when they were looking at him funny but didn't. So Sparkles had a day on Duty with the Local Sheriffs Officer which he loved. But, when you saw him and Kaci's reunion it was so awesome. They really love each other and that is why I am so glad we still have our boy dog named Sparkles.

Let's go back to the Good Old Days

2012-01-10T08:44:00.000-08:00

Jake took all of his money from Birthday, Christmas and Rodeo. He has loved driving his pony around his goal is to get the pony broke enough to sell pony cart rides. It is so fun to watch the boys work together and figure things out. Fae wants nothing to do with the cart and horse days she is all about her roller blades after all, they are the ice skates for concrete! This last few months I have really got into family history. I don't just want to do their history I really want to know their stories and know them. This last weekend while at my Grandpa and Grandmas we read stories about my great great great grandparents who moved their family to the farm and raised cows and chickens, they sold eggs and beef. As I was reading Jake was enthralled in learning that his love of animals was an inherited gift. Dan's Aunt sent us her memories of her dad and him and Zeak loved learning where their love of horses and dancing came from. So fun to see my kids loving the good old days and wanting to learn more about them. Then taking what they learn and relive them in the 20th century!

ABC's

2012-01-03T19:43:00.000-08:00

I read this amazing message from our loving Prophet President Monson. http://lds.org/liahona/2012/01/living-the-abundant-life?lang=eng I had to create something beautiful to remind me of this message. I am so grateful for guidance and inspiration that helps us in our crazy busy lives.

Become More

2011-12-30T15:16:00.000-08:00

I attend Time Out for Women twice this year and loved every minute of it. The theme was "Choose to Become." I have wrestled with this all year. With so many options and so many examples I was left confused and not knowing.

The other day I had an experience that left me knowing that for sure I needed to create a home that was safe, warm, and comfortable. A place where not only we want to be as a family but that others will want to be as well. I just read a blog that summarized my feelings so well. She had compared herself to everyone and everything around her. That is Satan's plan he wants us to be competitive. It was his competitiveness that landed him in the pickle he is in. I am so grateful that my Heavenly Father had another son with a different plan. He was the opposite of competitive. Jesus was so loving and compassionate that the Father chose his plan. Do you wonder if when Jesus presented his plan he fully comprehended what his plan would mean for him and all of us?It is so easy to list all of the things I am not. I am Not a writer, not organized, not stylish, not the best at anyone thing. Yet I am good and good and many things. I have a very kind tender heart. I am creative, a cook, can play the piano and organ, love to create and keep memories, I am a cowgirl, the list goes on and on.

In this blog post I just read the lady dares anyone to Become More with that dare I AM GOING TO BECOME MORE! I am going to become more in both my good areas and my not so good areas. I am going to Become More with out comparing myself to everyone and everything around me. Here is to 2012 and Becoming ME!

CUJR Award Baunquet

2011-11-23T13:51:00.000-08:00

The boys had there awards banquet the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. We tried not to let them know how they had done but someone slipped and told Zeak. He finally won his first saddle and he was pretty excited. He had an awesome year and improved a lot. He Loves to rope and can't wait to rope in his new saddle. Him and Dan also won another set of team roping buckles that they were excited about. Dan said there is nothing like winning a buckle with your son.

Jake had a great year as well he held the record for the fastest barrel run of the season for all three age groups. Him and Stran were the only two boys really in contention for the saddle this year and they had a great year it was so fun to watch them improve and gain confidence this summer. Jake said, Stran can have the saddle because there is no way I am riding a calf and I am pretty sure Stran would choose riding a calf over any of the other events.

They promise we can have a little break for the Holidays before we hit the practice pen hard but, with Zeak's new saddle I might have a hard time keeping him off.

Family Home Evening with the Funny Man

2011-11-21T20:45:00.000-08:00

Jake is our funny man. He keeps us on our toes and keeps us laughing. Then there is the other side of this funny man it is his spiritual side. The other night Jake was disappointed about his horse being to sore to ride and decided we would stay home and have family home evening. He was so excited to do it and he had an idea that was all his. He included his little sister in his preparations. While I was making dinner he wen through the gospel art kit and the church magazines to find the pictures he had in mind. Then he was insisting we were making bread. I agreed but didn't ask to many more questions. When dinner was over he got the piano bench with all of his visual aids together. He had each person grab a picture and say how each picture was important to us. He had a picture of the temple, the scriptures, family, The Prophet, church, and Jesus. We discussed each picture and how they were important and why we needed them. After we discussed the picture we put one ingredient in the mixer for bread. Here is where the funny man comes in. After the first picture he said mom we need this much flour. He was just going to pull a recipe for bread out of his head. Looking back I maybe should have let him do it. But, the mom in me stepped in and said lets use my recipe. When we were all done and the dough was mixing Jake said, now see how we have to have all of these things to to make it to the Celestial Kingdom just like we need all of the right ingredients to make delicious bread. And a Child shall teach them. Thanks Jake for the awesome Family Home Evening.

TOFW

2011-11-14T21:37:00.000-08:00

Me with the Miller side of my family, Sheri, April, Shantell, and Aunt Susan. I got on facebook Thursday night and realized they were headed the same place I was. Thanks for saving our seats.
Participating in the possibility packs for the local Dove Foundation,

Shannon, Me HILARY WEEKS, Jessica, and Kathryn. Hilary is amazing and is so kind to everyone she makes you fill like you have been her friend forever.
Aunt Jill this post is for you. For the last month I have been on a spiritual high. I have had some amazing experiences and witnessed more small miracles than I could have ever imagined. All my life I wondered if I would ever have such experiences and much to my surprise I have been having them all my life. I just never recognized them. A few years ago I attended my first Time Out For Women with my dear friend Ange Berezay. We have gone at least once a year forever it seems. This year was no different in September we attended the one in Logan. It was amazing! Shortly after we got back my sister-in-laws invited me to attend the one in St George. Most of the presenters were different and Dan agreed it would be a great thing. I am so glad I attended. This just helped continue the spiritual high. I have a testimony of the simpleness and blessing of living the gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. If we choose to live a Christ Centered life we will find joy and happiness beyond our comprehension. I am so grateful for this testimony and the knowledge I have that Christ lives and Loves each one of us. That if we follow him he will lead us back to our father and mother in heaven. I am so grateful for people who are willing to bless my life through their gifts and talents. The men and women who are presenters for TOFW have blessed my life through their testimonies. I am so grateful Dan kept the kids this weekend and let me have this little time out.

Woodland Family Vacation

2011-08-29T09:39:00.001-07:00

Drum roll please... it is the night of the big Home Coming game at Juab High School. The crowd is full of energy. It was time to announce the home coming royalty. The Queen for the year 2011 is Kaci Fae Woodland daughter of Dan and Lisa Woodland of Mona. She loves ice skating and dancing. She is a member of the JHS Provita. Her date and Home Coming King is Tuff son of Skipper W and Smart Chickalena from Mona. He is captain of the football, basketball, and baseball team. Don't they make a handsome couple.

It was Christmas Eve and all Jake Woodland wanted was a goat. Yes, that's right a goat! How would Santa bring a goat? He wouldn't be like all the other toys he would need fed, and watered and what if he left little goat droppings on the toys. Jake new there was no way he would get a Christmas goat but, wait a minute. I here bells I here here hoofs they are on the roof lets have a look! What is this? Where is Rudolf? what is that leading Santa's sleigh? Why, it is Squirt the red nosed goat doing the work of the reindeer today. He is bringing toys to all the good little girls and boys with out leaving little goat droppings on all the toys. Jake Woodland got not one but two goats for Christmas this year. But, the real surprise did not come until spring when little squirts was found, a perfect example of Christmas wishes do come true.
Jake participated in the kids talent show. He sang, "Proud to Be an American" and he had me accompany him. I was shaking like a leaf and hope that I wasn't the reason he was so nervous. I decided after this experience to never give Dan a hard time for missing when he is roping with our boys. That is just way to much pressure for a parent.
Jake and Zeak are cultured they switch things up by running barrels on their bikes instead of horses.

Dan made it his goal last year to sign up for the County Fair Idol. He asked Jaron Carter to accompany him. They performed at the Mona Days Celebration and had a good experience so they decided to give the Fair Idol a go. The first night of the competition Dan had to sing 30 sec Au Capella number. He chose Good Brown Gravy by Joe Diffie. He made it through that round and him and Jaron chose "Lady" by Alabama unfortunately there was not a round 3,4,or 5. They were relieved and bummed all at the same time. After talking to the other two judges they felt really bad. I am just proud of him for accomplishing his goal and doing so well. He is already gearing up for next year.

Extreme Horseman is another fun event Dan enjoyed last year and Zeak decided to try this year Dan didn't do as well this year but Zeak ended 3rd.

After 5 years of the Ranch Rodeo Dan and his team of Jaron Carter, Mike Kajanis and Scott (friend of Jaron's) Dan finally placed 2nd and was out of winning it by 30sec. He had a blast.

The team penning needs some work that is all I have to say.

This year the Woodlands had another great family vacation. We really are rednecks who love to go to the Juab County Fair. The only part of the fair we don't enjoy is the derby, yes I know that is terrible we don't love it but we still sponsor a car every year.

A Lady of 80

2011-08-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

Most of her great-grandchildren.

Tel Sheyanne, Kaci and Grandma

Job Jones & DeNora Fae Miller

This amazing women celebrated her 80th birthday on August 17th this year. I love my Grandma and feel so blessed to have her in my life. I have so many fond memories of her. I hope to someday become the lady she is. She was a business owner for 30+years, raised a family, sews for her family, still bottles and cans her garden, is an amazing cook, and we call her Mrs. Clean, she is organized and always busy, she loves late nights and sleeping in.

Taking a Warm Bath

2011-08-26T07:24:00.000-07:00

These to adorable kids were being little missionaries at the soccer game last night. Jake has a friend who is afraid to get baptized and we were talking with the family last night. Pretty soon the kids caught on to the conversation and took matters into their own hands. They were asking her why she was afraid and doing their best to calm all of her fears. This morning as I was reflecting on the conversation I had a part of the conversation hit me and I had to share. First, I shared it with Nan's mom because every mom needs to know they are getting through to their kids. Now, I am sharing with all of you because it is so pure, sweet, and simple.

Jake said, "There is nothing to be afraid of it is like taking a warm bath." Then every time you take the sacrament and go back to primary you get to take that warm bath again!"

I love this analogy that baptism is like taking a warm bath but what I love even more is that every Sunday we have the privilege of taking that warm bath again. Thanks Jake for teaching me and sharing it with your family and friends. You and Nan are amazing missionaries!

Back To School 2011

2011-08-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

I am going to be completed honest this year I struggled with sending my kids back to school. I had a goal this summer that didn't get accomplished and that was part of my hesitation. I had some serious anxiety over sending Zeak to the Junior High. It was so bad that I didn't sleep for a few nights. The day before we had a rodeo and the week before was the county fair so I was very unprepared for the first day of school. We did the necessities of school shopping 3 hours before heading to the rodeo. This made me crazy literally. Thank goodness the rodeo ended in good time or it might have been my ticket to the insane asylum. I got the kids up and ready for school the next morning in enough time for Dan to give them all a fathers blessing before heading out the door. Zeak was so independent and wanted to walk to the bus stop alone. I let him go alone but as soon as I thought he was there I jumped in the car to take photos. Then it was back home to get the other two ready for school. I was a little bit nervous about the reality of doing my little girls hair but the sad truth is she hates it when I do her hair. She will let anyone else including her dad do her hair. So I convinced her to let me at least curl it a little and put a bow in it. The next fight was that she didn't want a Father's Blessing? She is terrified of them. I don't understand because she has watched the boys and Jake even went before her and nothing happened but she through a screaming fit. Finally we were ready and out the door to get the Williams' for some traditional back to school photos. Tina was even dressed and went into the classroom with Kaci and Kyler. When we picked them up from school there was nothing but smiles. Tina and I walked up to get Kaci and Kyler and we stopped for a short visit at Delora's. We had lunch together and then played while waiting for the time to get Keanna and Jake. What a relief everyone loved their teacher and was excited about being back in school. My favorite quote of the day was from Zeak, "mom I love Junior High it is way better than elementary school I don't have to sit in the same room, at the same desk, with the same teacher all day." Yay I fill a LITTLE (very little) better about sending him to Junior High. This morning when I went to take him to the bus because we were a little late getting up. He said, "mom why did you follow me yesterday?" I said, "because I wanted photos of you getting on the bus is that alright." He said, "yes just don't do it again please.!" My kids are growing up! They don't need me anymore I am mostly alright with it but, there is a part of me that is really sad about this new stage in our life!

Back to our Roots

2011-07-01T06:55:00.000-07:00

This year the Barnhurst trip was back to my dads hometown. We took everyone to Hatch, Ut where my dad grew up. The kids got to see my grandma and grandpa's house. We ate lunch at the park, took the kids to the fish hatchery, and then ended at Bryce Canyon with a stop at the indian store. This was a fun trip down memory lane for all of us kids and especially for my dad. It was fun to hear my dad reminisce and tell stories some we had heard and some we hadn't. My mom and dad gave every family a history from my Grandparents that was fun to read and share with our kids. Thanks mom and dad for another great memory.

A Few Hours At Seven Peaks

2011-06-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

The boys were awesome this year and got FREE Seven Peaks reader passes. So I convinced Dan into taking the day off and going to Seven Peaks. A friend helped me get discount tickets so we were set to have a great day. We got there and started having fun the kids wanted to take Dan to the wave pool first thing. Kaci was warming up to the idea of swimming and we having a great time. Finally the boys convinced Dan to go down the big slides Kaci wanted to go play in the splash area so her and I ventured over to the safe side of the park and sent Dan to the wolves. He came back awhile later with the look of someone who had just been sold into Egypt. I laughed and laughed saying I went off the orange slide last time and never got my $20.oo! We all resorted to the lazy river where we could all enjoy and relax. Just as we were enjoying our selves the clouds darkened and lightening shut down the party. As usual people started running. Dan said this is where it pays to be a cattleman. We took cover next to the red umbrella tables. After waiting out the storm we decided to cut our losses and go out to eat somewhere on our way home. I love spontaneous moments where we can just go with the flow and whatever happens and be happy about it!

Years of Experience

2011-06-25T05:08:00.000-07:00

I love taking my kids to visit my grandparents. They are so gracious and loving. Grandma was helping me sew my flag for the trek. We went through her stacks of fabric and then she helped me put it all together. In the next life maybe I will enjoy sewing and develop that talent but for now I am grateful for a mom and grandma who are willing to share it. Zeak wanted to help with breakfast so grandma was very patient and good to teach and help him learn her way of doing things. Grandpa loves to cook dutch oven for everyone. He has built him quite the dutch oven area. These two amazing people of years of knowledge and experience I love visiting them and learning from them. They are two people I look up to and love spending time with just wish I took more time to be with them.

Happy Birthday Susan

2011-06-22T07:11:00.000-07:00

For Susan's Birthday this year we had a GIRLS day! It was so much fun we all met in Salt Lake for lunch and some shopping. Shannon and Kathryn flew in from St George and Suzanne picked them up the rest of us drove up and met them. We sat and visited forever at lunch. It was fun to not have a schedule and just relax without kids and chaos. Susan, Thanks for having a Birthday for us all to enjoy.

Fun with Firends

2011-06-17T07:55:00.000-07:00

Friday night we went up the canyon for a hotdog roast with friends from Mona. It was so much fun. We sat around the camp fire talking and singing while the kids played and hiked. The smores were a huge hit with all of the kids. Jake loves to build, eat, and share his smores. It was so green and pretty up there it was a perfect relaxing night with the Keytes, Maughns, Samuelsons, and Bucks. This is how summer nights should be.

Family Belonging to and Believing In. . .

2011-06-11T21:41:00.000-07:00

Dan and I were privileged to be a Ma & Pa on the Trek for Youth Conference. What an amazing experience. I miss being with the youth. Our experience was so amazing and something I would love to share but I don't feel like my blog where everyone can read it is the place to share it. The moments and the memories are very sacred and I want to keep that sacred spirit just that. So for anyone reading this, know that I am forever grateful to the pioneers for blazing the trail for us. Their example of strength and faith is one I will try to keep alive as I raise pioneers of today! You can see that our family increased from the beginning to the end and I Love Each of these kids as if they were my own. What an amazing week for me spiritually.

Older again.

2011-06-11T08:27:00.000-07:00

Dan is one of the few people who doesn't mind getting older. He loves his Birthday and he loves each stage of life. Almost every year since we have been married he has spent his birthday at Youth Conference or Scout camp. This year was the same with the exception that I was with him. We sang Happy Birthday around the camp fire at midnight. On our arrival home the kids greeted him with balloons treats. What more could a guy ask for?

Happy Birthday Dad

2011-06-05T11:56:00.000-07:00

We had a dutch oven dinner at Brenda's for my dads birthday. He loves strawberry rhubarb pie so I made him one with all kinds of berries. It was a fun dinner with everyone but Stef's family and Cody.

First Weekend in June

2011-06-05T08:01:00.000-07:00

The first weekend in June was a great weekend just had a disappointing outcome. Zeak's whole goal this year was to make it to Nationals in Junior High. He worked really hard and for whatever reason fell short of going. He made some awesome runs and has improved so much this year. He lost his best friend in December and yet has kept going and trying. He won 4th in the breakaway roping in the 1st go at state. He placed in the top 15 in every event. I was so proud of him. Grandma & pa Miller and Grandma Woodland came to support him on Saturday. He was so disappointed when him and Rhett missed in the team roping. Grandpa was so cute with the boys and talked to them for quite a while. I know Zeak's heart was broke once again the first weekend of June. I know that he is an amazing cowboy. His turn is coming and he is going to be on top someday. Something he doesn't realize right now but as his mom I do. He is great in the arena as well as out of the arena. He was given some huge compliments this weekend. He was asked to carry the flags in every performance and in the short go he was asked to say the prayer. Mrs. Bahe came and said thank you for letting Zeak say the prayer he is a great kid and we all knew when we were planning state that we could ask him to do anything and he would. He glows and you can see something special in him. So cowboy even though you didn't make it to Nationals your awesome and your mom and dad are so proud of you.

My New Sport

2011-06-03T04:49:00.000-07:00

Grandma Lou took us all bowling the first day of summer break for the kids. It was a lot of fun! I ended up getting the high score and when Dan and I took the kids before I was the high score. Grandma Lou was right there with me on a score of 126 I told her maybe we should join a ladies bowling league. Really it is a fun thing to do now and then but there are so many other things I would put on the top of my list so I wont be signing up anytime soon. It is just nice to be number one at something once in a while. Even better it was fun spending a relaxing afternoon playing with all of the kids. Thanks Grandma for the treat!

May Maddness

2011-06-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

The Month of May seems to have come and gone. As always there were plenty of celebrations and activities to attend.

Mother's Day is one of my least favorite holidays. I think I inherited this attitude from my own mom who I have always thought was great yet she always doubted her greatness. Now that I am a mom I see me doing the same things. As hard as I try to keep a positive out look on my role as a mother and my abilities to be a good mom those feelings of doubt and self-incrimination always find their way in. We were able to go to Fillmore and spend the evening with my mom and siblings.
Our first hotdog roast was right in our own backyard. Dan was not impressed that I was burning the pile of branches and letting the kids roast their dinner over it. So I sent him and Zeak to scouts for their dinner and Kaci and Jake thought I was the best mom ever until . . . they went to get marshmallows and all we had were minis. They tried roasting them anyway and had a great night. For future reference you must have large marshmallows or the new giant marshmallows.

We got a little bit of a late start on the garden but considering the weather I am sure we could have waited even longer. It has been so rainy and cold this whole month. Things are not really growing and I am sure I will have to replant a big portion of the garden.

Jake had his Spring Choir concert he did an awesome job on his solo. He has really enjoyed choir. He is sad to have a summer break but I assured him it would be time for singing again before we know it. He wants to move to the older kids so he doesn't have to wear his choir robe anymore.
My baby graduated from preschool this year and is ready to go to kindergarten. I wasn't sad until I gave Mrs Blackett a hug and realized there would be no more Apple Academy for us. She has been a great teacher and friend to all of us.

Mona Spring Fling was amazing as ever. Zeak was asked to help carry the flag he even agreed to putting his scout shirt on. The only problem was he couldn't find it thanks to our good friends Tina and Andy Williams for loan him one of theirs. The kids had fun and we got to dance with them after. This is one tradition I hope they always keep.
We waited forever this spring for our babies to come. We had a little tough luck and lost two calves which was devastating for Dan. I am glad we never had to go through a miscarriage or loss of one of our children I am not sure he could handle it.

Wolf

2011-06-01T07:03:00.000-07:00

Jake earned his Wolf in Cub Scouts. He loves scouting and he has some great leaders that are right on top of things. Much to my surprise they came to me in May and said if you will help Jake with these two things he will earn his Wolf. Knowing Jake would pester me until we got them done we just took the next few days and completed them. He is a great kid! We Love him and his enthusiasm to accomplish things not only on time but ahead of time. This is a great quality that will help him through out his life.

This Son of Mine

2011-05-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

Zeak turned 12 in February. I am not ready for this grown up little boy to move to the next phase of life. He on the other hand is so excited and can not wait. The two Sundays before he was ordained to the office of a Deacon, he would study the Deacons and ask lots of questions. He could hardly wait to meet with the Bishop and be ordained. I truly hope he keeps his enthusiasm for life and the gospel. He is a boy with one of the biggest hearts in the world. He truly wants to be good, he wants good friends, he wants to do what is right, and he wants to be happy and have everyone around him Happy. As a mom you always worry about your kids and you are always the hardest on them. Hearing criticism about them is painful and maddening. At the same time your heart jumps for joy and the grin on your face at the sound of praise is everlasting. So watching this boys of mine I often feel like I am on a roller coaster. Even though I am sad that he is moving to the next phase of life because, this means he wont need me as much as he once did, I am excited to see where life takes him. (There is that roller coaster again.) Today is his last day of sixth grade. So goodbye elementary, Hello Junior High!!! What I want most for Zeak to keep his loving heart and be the best he can be. Always Choose the Right no matter what. He teaches me daily and I am so grateful he honors his priesthood! I love him very much and am so grateful for him being MY SON!

April Agenda

2011-05-17T11:42:00.001-07:00

Zeak participated in the Mona Elementary School Science Fair this year. He came up with his project all on his own and with some help from his totally supportive and amazing mom he won the Excellence Award! He chose to do his project on the Action in Team Roping Ropes. He wanted to know if the engineered action of a team roping rope would improve the chances of catching and winning. Zeak had me take picture of him using three different ropes so that they could see what action was. Second, he had me take photos of the Junior High Rodeo in Toole. I had to keep a tally on who caught, how they placed, and then from that information and the photos Zeak put together his Science Fair Board. The conclusion of his project was if all elements are in the correct position, (the horse, steer, and rope) then yes the engineered action in a rope guarantees a catch. I was so impressed with the thought and effort Zeak put into his project. He did a great job and I was so excited for him when he was presented with his award.
Friday April 1st was a wonderful night for Dan and I. We drove through 3 hours of grueling North Bound traffic to enjoy the evening with some of the most wonderful people in the world. It was Dan's mission Reunion. The spirit was incredible and I have to wonder if the reunion when we die will be similar. Since I have never died and have not received any revelations on this matter I will go with my theory that this is what Heaven might be like. We were fed Brazil dinner that was delicious. After we had been fed physically we were fed Spiritually. It was so incredible. I so look up to President and Sister Prieto and hope to one day be like them. We spent the evening with the Snell's and they are so fun to be with, wish they lived closer so we could hang out more. It was truly the perfect start to a very spiritual weekend. Saturday was General Conference and a Baptism for our niece Madison. This photo says it all, how grown-up she is, and how excited she was to be baptized. The morning started early with Zumba for all the girls. Then, we were invited to a fun dinner that was unique to her and had such a special meaning behind it. We watched conference and attended the Baptism after.

Shannon, Lance, and their family stayed with us for the weekend. It was so fun for us to play host. Normally everyone stays at Grandma and Grandpa's house but with all of the families growing it is getting hard for everyone to stay there. We didn't mind at all. The Greers on the other hand might think twice about staying since we had a minor flood in the basement where they were staying. When arriving home from Zumba Shannon and I were greeted to the boys tearing up the carpet and vacuuming out water. We cleaned up as much as we could before needing to leave for the Luncheon. After the baptism I went out to move the desk and furniture that was soaking up more water we hadn't previously caught.

Sunday morning the kids woke up with very different opinions and views. The 6 inches of snow had the Greer children excited and wanting to go play. The Woodlands were groaning and wanting to go back to bed hoping it was all a bad dream. With a little coaxing the fun began with a fun snowball fight for all!

So glad tulips and daffodils can handle the snow.
Springtime is full of new life. Grandma Woodland always brings the kids tiny caterpillars that start out so small you can barely see them and they turn into creatures of beauty in no time at all. Kaci and Jake love to let their caterpillars go. I don't have any photos of this but my sister and her family stayed with us overnight and the kids let the butterflies go inside my house. They lost one of the butterflies. The adults were visiting in the front room and when Dan stood up he was sitting on the butterfly. All laws of science say the butterfly should have died but it was alive and well. So the next morning we set all the butterflies free. One of my new favorite sayings is When WiNGS develop BUTTERFLIES and CHILDREN fly AwAy!

The second weekend we went to Toole for a baby blessing. Brinely Fae Teeples. Ariel and Kaci are so happy to have another girl on their side!

I LoVe school projects that help my kids think and make them learn without knowing they are learning. This project turned into a friendly competition. The idea was to put a raw egg in something then drop it from off the roof of the school and see how many eggs didn't crack. Both sixth grade classes did this project. Dan had his idea which was balloons and duct tape when he tested it at Tina's it didn't work so he went to plan B and used saran wrap (press and seal because that is all I had) Tina wanted to fill her balloon with jello and let it set up with the egg inside. Hers was not a complete success in the testing stages either. We couldn't get the jello inside the balloon. The air from the balloon would push the jello out and then the jello wouldn't fill the balloon. So with some trial and error on both projects the day came to see whose egg was untouched. Tina wrapped her egg/jello/ balloon in plastic grocery bags and then put them in the ice cream carton left over from our ice cream sundaes the night before. And the moment of truth. Both were a success! I was helping in Jake's class with his Easter party and missed all of the action but it sounds like there were many creative ideas and success stories with the Egg drop. I just hope we will be able to convince the district and Mrs Wolhesfoth it is a great activity and tradition we should keep.
Jake's room mom this year was so organized and on the ball she had the parties completely organized and planned out from the treats to the activities. So my job was easy I just had to provide a portion of the treat and carry out the activities. I am grateful that my kids love me coming into the classroom and being apart of parties.
The first weekend of Spring break was like Christmas for the Woodland house. We were invited to the annual Church Ranch Branding. My kids all of them including my big one. Love this weekend probably more than Christmas.
Sometimes they get a little rowdy the competition and testosterone take over.

I love this photo I might need to blow it up with a saying so they know they can be friends, work together, and get the job done.
Zeak and Body Shepherd were a great team this year and really proved to be hands.
Only on the ranch with Grandpa Don as the cow boss can you get permission to have a rotten egg fight! ewwww!!!
And after two long days of branding the Dad's and Kids still had time for fun and games! Normally the men play a little farm yard basket ball. This year the kids started up a game capture the flag that lead to the Dad's joining in.
When they gathered the cows and calves before branding they had to leave a calve because it was sick and slow. Grandpa Don sent Body and Zeak to gather the calve. There were some who doubted they could do it. But, you can see from the look on their faces they did it. Then Jake and Tate cut out the mama cow and brought her in. I can hardly believe how big they are getting and how much they have grown since the first branding.

Kaci was happy to be there in her hat and boots and play with the kids.

Jake's job was to keep the mama cows away from the branding fire. He did awesome and stuck with it.

My Spring flower beds.

Our biggest surprise of Spring was this adorable little guy. This was minutes after he was born. Vanessa had come home to hang out with us and she asked Jake if he had a baby goat. He said no but it sounds like one. They went to investigate and came in just screaming. Dan had been waiting for his heifers to calve so I called him and said, "you got your first baby today." He was so excited and asked, "which heifer?" When I broke the news that it was not a heifer it was the GOAT Santa brought Jake for Christmas he was not thrilled. Not knowing what to do Zeak called our friends the Daniels' they raise she and we figured a goat had to be similar.
They were so awesome to come to our rescue. This photo is Cameron and Hadley trying to milk the mama. She was mean and wouldn't take care of her baby at all. So we milked her 4 times and then fed the baby in an actual baby bottle.
Jake was so excited and has been so good to take of his new friend. I am certain if I would let him he would keep the goat in the house. For several days Jake floated on cloud nine. One afternoon I was a bit shocked and a lot sad when Jake came in and said, "mom it is ok if I don't have any friends I have my goat and that is all that matters!"
This photo shows how little the baby was. Sparkles was so cute and must have known he would need a friend.
After all of the excitement of the baby we came in to color Easter eggs. Jake and Vanessa gathered duck eggs and we colored them. Cort was so tired from all the running and excitement that he had a little nap on the rug by my back door. Aunt Lisa didn't want him to miss out on the egg decorating so I woke him up. As you can see he was not impressed.

This little blossom is my hope that Spring is coming!

My baby nursery in the garage. Next year I hope to have a nursery set up out side with lamps, running water, with all the necessities for saving orphaned babies.

He looks like a lamb but he is an Angora Goat.

I had so much fun with my kids during Spring break. We did so much together. This was one of our favorite activities. We decorated Easter Sugar Cookies and delivered them to friends and neighbors.

Saturday we went to Fillmore. The kids actually went down Friday and had a sleep over. It was a cold rainy day but we still found a dry spell to go roll eggs at the sand hills west of Holden. My kids love this activity. I took the confetti eggs to throw and have fun with as well.

Zeak thinks he is to big for all the silly decorating and fun so he opted to hold Brinley while we colored eggs.

Grandma seeking revenge with a confetti egg.

Easter Sunday was so amazing. The music was amazing mostly because we had people who love to sing. The opening song felt like a huge gust of wind trying to blow me over it was so amazing. After church we took a few photos and then I made Easter Sunday dinner. I had an idea earlier in the week and it worked perfect. The kids helped a little but most of it I did. I set out the good China and prepared an extra plate for an extra special Guest! Everyone loved the dinner and asked to do it again soon. Might have to be our new Easter Sunday tradition.

Jake made a deal with Uncle Clay on his two goats. I really didn't think he would sell them especially since they were a gift from Santa. Jake is such a sentimental little guy and gets attached to everything!!! He didn't even cry and helped load them into the truck. Maybe it helps to know they are going to a good home and he will be able to see them on a regular basis. He know Uncle Clay and Cort love animals as much as he does.

Whew I am so glad this project is done and over. Not because it was hard or I hate the Animal Fair because I love Animal and Science fair. I just hated the fact that this consumed Jake's mind almost 24/7. He bugged me about printing photos and his reports even before we had specific instructions. He chose the Snow Leopard and now has a goal to see a Snow Leopard in person someday. He did a great job and I am very proud of him.
Yep this is the view of the month. If she isn't on the ice with her Ice skates then she is on her "roller glades." I am not sure what is going to wear out first my floor or her wheels. I am glad she has a love and passion.

What I learned in April is that I have the BEST Family in the World we are not perfect but we had a great month spending time with each other enjoying all of the simple pleasures this life has to offer. We celebrated a Beautiful Season and The Most Wonderful Holiday celebrating the most wonderful person to have walked the face of the earth. My hope is that my little family with come to know and love him more everyday and that we can follow his way and return to Him and or Father and Heaven.

Cause for a Royal Dinner

2011-04-29T15:06:00.000-07:00

I don't watch much TV and when I do it is usually a brief glimpse at the weather. I knew there was going to be a Royal Wedding but I had no idea when until the night before. I wish I would have been a little more on top of things but none the less we took the opportunity for a little party. As I was watching the wedding earlier in the morning I thought why don't we have a royal dinner and then watch the wedding as a family. I was overall impressed with the wedding. She was modest, graceful, he was handsome and they seemed to be very much in Love. Even though theirs was a wedding with lots of people and publicity I thought it was very intimate and tasteful. Kaci was really excited and wanted to invite some friends over. She even when over and got Ty to dress up since the Durbins' let her down. We had homemade french toast with buttermilk syrup, and bacon. It was so delicious. Pretty sure it was on the Royal dinner menu but it should have been. Then we watched the wedding. The kids were not nearly as into as I was but they humored me. The dads even enjoyed it. This gave us a great teaching moment to talk about marriages and the differences between a temple marriage and civil marriage. We read teh book My Wedding Day by, Debra Pace Rowley. This was a simple explanation of a temple wedding with beautiful illustrations.

I am so grateful for my temple wedding. I am grateful for the covenants and promises we made. A temple marriage doesn't make marriage easier or less work it makes it even more work because their is more on the line. "Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities." http://lds.org/family/proclamation?lang=eng
I am so grateful for the knowledge I have of our Heavenly Fathers plan and blessing it is and can be to My Eternal Family. I know that Families Can be Together Forever!

March Madness

2011-04-07T09:46:00.000-07:00

March started rough for us everyone got Influenza B so while I doctored sick kids I remodeled my bathroom. I am a huge Cars fan and one night a few months ago I had this vision. I love the results. Because of Influenza Jake, Kaci, and I stayed home from the St George rodeo. I was so sad. Zeak did awesome in the ribbon roping placing 3rd and 5th and had some good runs in everything else just not enough to place him. I have no pictures because I wasn't there to take them.
The second weekend in March Aunt Shannon came for a visit. Her and Kaci have been planning an ice skating party since Porter's blessing. Everyone went and we had a great time. Kaci was in heaven having Aunt Shannon dote on her. Grandma Woodland even got on the ice for just minute. Brinley was very frustrated because she wanted to go fast but couldn't. She and Uncle Dan had a power struggle on the ice for a good 20 min. I am not sure who won but everyone left the ice smiling.
Mona Elementary has a rad kid program that is so good for our kids. They teach self defense to our kids and stranger safety. This is Zeak at graduation. I stayed long enough to watch him finish the course and then had to leave because Kaci was still really sick. She was sick one week better the next and fevered and sick again on Sunday for another week of sickness.

I LOVE St Patrick's day not sure why maybe because it is the day after my birthday. I decided this year to have a little fun and make green shamrock pancakes for breakfast. Jake thought I was awesome. He was lucky to have his Rad kid graduation on St Patrick's day hence all the green shirts.
Even though Kaci was still not 100 % she felt good enough to get dressed in her St Patrick's skirt her and Grandma Barnhurst made. She asked me why I couldn't sew I told her I didn't have patience to sew. When she was sewing with grandma she told her I just couldn't sew.
The 3rd weekend in March we spent in Toole at the Junior High Rodeo. We decided to enter Jake in the 5th and under rodeo as well. We were already there and the horses were there so why not enter him. He did awesome for being on a new horse. This was the State finals for the 5th and under and we warned Jake he wouldn't make it to the short go because he only had one rodeo. Much to our surprise as well as a few parents Jake did come back to the short go in poles. I was so proud of him. He ended up 9th overall and won a set of leather reins. He was so excited.

Zeak had some bad luck in Toole. He didn't place in anything and lost his good standings for state. I am not sure why we had such bad luck because he has practiced so hard. One thing for sure Zeak doesn't get discouraged very easy. He smiled and then asked if he could help with the 5th and under rodeo. He got to be the pick up man in the steer riding. He was so proud that his bull and heifer were used in the steer riding both days. Cody Wrights boys loved our cattle and wanted to buy the bull. This made Zeak's weekend he said to me, "Mom our bull is famous!"

Kaci finished her first session of Ice skating at the end of the month. She loves ice skating and showed lots of improvement. She is passed the first 2 levels and will start on level 3 in April. Grandma and Cort got to see her skate the last day and pass her test.
Dan loves to turkey hunt it is one of his favorite past times. This is the 3rd year in a row he has taken Jake turkey hunting. They have become good friends and enjoy this sport together. Their new goal is to take him Elk hunting. Dan is so attentive to Jake it give me comfort that if something were to happen to me or one of our kids Dan really could take care of us. Jake has come along ways and is very independent and mobile. The first year his dad came with him and had to help him do almost everything. The second year he had some buddies come with him. This year he came alone. He is living on his own in his own apartment. It is so fun to watch him and see the progress. And, it is so fun to see him out enjoying the great outdoors.

I don't have a photo of the last accomplishment in March but it is one I am very proud of. Our county also has a RAD Women Self Defense coarse. Since the kids were taking rad kids I decided it would be good for me to take the RAD Women coarse. Every Wed in March Tina, Taylei, and I went to a two hour class. Taylei could teach the coarse now and help her mom and I she was amazing. I feel more prepared and more confident that I could defend my self if I had to. The hope is that I never have to!

February Fun

2011-03-06T19:23:00.001-08:00

Kaci was so concerned about the babies and watch closely as Grandpa and Mitch took care of them. They helped them get in where it was warm and made sure they were getting milk from their mamas. I am grateful for the farm and all the lessons learned out there.
While Dan and Zeak attended a ropin' Friday night before his birthday, Kaci and Jake went out to the church ranch to visit Grandpa and Grandma Berezay this time of year is crazy busy at the church ranch with calving season. So we took them some dinner and they took the kids out to see the new babies. Kaci loved seeing them but was scared to death. I love how this photo shows her trusting her older brother. This photos speaks a 1,000 words.
Zeak and Shane are roping partners for eternity I am sure of it. Their birthdays are one day apart. Zeak's on the 26th and Shane's on the 27th. For the last 3 years we have spent their birthdays roping and this year was no exception. The only change was it was just the two of them this year. They got matching shirts and all. I am glad that Zeak has such a great person to look up to and grateful that Shane isn't to old or to cool to hang out with us still.
Grandma Nelson is so amazing. She takes everyone to pizza at the Pizza Factory for her Birthday. This year it happened to be on Zeak's birthday as well. We look forward to this party every year and enjoy spending time with the family.

Zeak came home the end of this month with a huge surprise. He was the terrific kid for February. He loves things like this. This is what Mrs Bradley said about him. The Terrific Kid in Mrs. Bradley's 6th grade for Febrauary is Zeak Woodland. Over the past few months, Zeak has really been working towards getting all of his assignments done and turned in. Mrs Bradley has noticed that Zeak has been listening better in class and has been working towards setting goals for himself. He is nice to others and strives hard to do what is right. Zeak is a good student with a big heart. He is always willing to help wherever he can. Thanks for all you do, Zeak.
I am so proud of him for this award and I agree that he has tried hard and set some big goals for himself he is really growing up.
Jake earned his bobcat and his geologist belt loop and patch he also earned 3 beads. He thrives in scouts. Zeak was there for the social and Jake is there to learn and absorb all the information he can get. They did crystal gardens that he was fascinated with and he loved the space dome that they just participated in. I am glad he loves scouting I think they learn valuable things and having been in scouts a short time I am grateful for the leaders who have the patients and desire to serve these boys.

Kaci started ice skating lessons and she loves it. She was so excited she could hardly sleep the night before. We were there a half hour early. They started her in a class that was way to advanced and put her back in the beginning group. She is to advanced for them because they are scared to death of the ice and wont even stand on their skates. But she is learning and loving it.
The Monday before Zeak's birthday we were having trouble with Jake and Kaci again so Dan decided to take Zeak to dinner for his birthday. Zeak got to pick the restaurant. He chose Red Lobster. Dan sent me this picture from his phone that is why the quality is so bad and the txt read. Man this kid can eat a ton! He had Lobster, Alaskan King Crab, shrimp scampi, cocktail shrimp, and a large desert. He did bring me home a slice of his chocolate cake when I commented on how much there was left Dan said, "ya that is 1/4 of it!" No wonder he wrestled 165 in 6th grade.
Kaci loves preschool she is so creative and fun. This is her M homework the instructions were to use something that starts with "M" and fill in your m. You could use macaroni, M stickers, marshmallows, ect. She said, "let use mud." I was so impressed with her creativity until I facebooked Mrs. Blackett and found out that she suggested it in class. I am still proud of her because she was the only one in both classes to be brave enough to use mud. (Or a mom dumb enough to let her)

Mona Elementary still has a tradition of making homemade valentine boxes. My boys kill me they have one track minds. Jake got a duck egg and used it in his valentine box. Zeak couldn't go without his horses so they shared a stall with all of the valentines.

At the beginning of the month Kaci was so excited to put out Valentine decorations she told me that Valentines was her favorite holiday. I asked her even better than Christmas she said, "yes!" Inquiring why she said, "it is because it is so pretty and full of Love I just love all of the heart decorations." So the thought came to me why not let her celebrate her favorite holiday. So we planned a little party for her and she picked the dinner and the decorations. We made desserts and hair bows. It was so much fun we might have to have more girl parties. Jake got to hand out with Grandpa Barnhurst, Uncle Clay, and Cort. Dan and Zeak went to the Klondike. Zeak was so excited to go on his first scout camp out. He wasn't worried about the snow and cold. Him and Dylan White were the tough guys with strength and endurance thanks to wrestling.
This is what happens at the Woodland house when your mom has had enough. I am trying not to yell and scream as much so Saturday I had reached my limit. I just handed the two of them their coats told them they had 5 seconds to be outside and they had 1 hour to have the dog kennel spotless. Don't mess with the frustrated mom it could get ugly.

The month started off with a trip to Sunny St George! Kathryn and Jeff were blessing their adorable baby girl. Kamryn. We spent Saturday enjoying the sun and the red rocks. Saturday night all of the adults went to dinner it was a nice enjoyable to visit with out so much noise. Sunday was a beautiful day the blessing was amazing and the dinner was yummy. We stayed and watched the Super Bowl with everyone. I didn't really watch I just visited with everyone and chased the kids. It was a wonderful visit and we hated leaving the beautiful sun and come back to the snow.

Against All Odds

2011-02-16T18:13:00.000-08:00

This Cowboy brings a whole new meaning to the word Cowboy Up! Back in October he was asked by some friends to go to Salt Lake and do a Blue and Gold Banquet for their pack. The theme was on cowboys and 90% of the kids had never met a real cowboy. They wanted him to bring his ropes and explain what his life of a cowboy was like. How scouting helps him as a cowboy and more. So we prepared and planned for this fun opportunity. He called me from school that day telling me he was sick. The good mom I am said you sound fine go back to class and I will pick you up after school. His teacher sent him back to call me telling me he couldn't stay in class. I asked him what he ate and he told me,"orange juice and teddy grahams." I explained that of course he was going to be sick eating that for lunch. He ended up going back to class and when I picked him up I was ready for my mother of the year application. He looked terrible again. I told him he had to go to Salt Lake we didn't have time to cancel. Just before he left he threw up in the bathroom. He threw up several times on the way and on the way home but he managed to wow the kids into total silence for a good 30 mins. Dan helped him and Jenny called several times to let me know how grateful she was and what an awesome job he did. On their way home they hit a huge snow storm which made driving next to impossible. Then they stopped to get a new horse for Zeak to try out. What would normally be an hour and 15 min trip turned into almost 4 hours. Zeak spent the next day home sick and then we rode hard all weekend. The first night on the horse started in tears because he was convinced we were buying this horse to replace the one he lost at Christmas time. If Dan and I questioned anything at all he would burst into tears and say I am just giving up this isn't working. By the third day he decided that the horses we already owned were better than this new one and we could take him back. So with all odds against him from loosing his horses, standing up for who and what he is, and anything else life hands him this cowboy still keeps smiling. He amazes me with his enthusiasm and love of people and life. He keeps learning and growing even though some days feel like all odds are stacked against him. I hope that his excitement for the priesthood stays with him through his teenage years. He is so excited to get the priesthood and is ready to pass the sacrament. I love this cowboy that is turning 12 on Saturday and can't wait to see where his life takes us!

January Highlights

2011-02-07T20:15:00.001-08:00

The biggest highlight of our January was the 1st. Jake got baptized. It was a great day full of family and friends. We started with a lunch at 1:00pm we had soup and scones. It was delicious. From the photos you can see we had all of the cousins and he was so happy. I am so happy for him. This is the first step to obtaining eternal life with our Father in Heaven, our elder brother Jesus, and our families. I am so grateful for this knowledge that I can be with them for eternity. I love you Jake and I am so proud of you for making the choice to be baptized.
Since Santa brought Kaci ice skates and we live in Utah with weather that accommodates an outdoor rink I decided to make her one. After all how hard could it be right? So it was a little harder than I thought. I would go out several times a day and add water to the spot. As long as it didn't snow I could keep it fairly smooth. However if it snowed it was a rough rink. Kaci didn't seem to mind and just loved being out there. She practiced almost ever day the whole month of January.
January brought on full wrestling schedule. We had a really tough season. We wrestled a lot of older kids and lost most of our matches. I was so proud of Zeak for not quitting and keeping such a winning spirit about him.
We got to have a late night party with Madison and Andrew they made homemade pizza for dinner and watched movies.
Jake loves his goats and is often found playing with them or tying them. Who would have guessed a goat would bring such a big smile.
We had one weekend free in January so we took the kids ice skating. Kaci loved every second of it but was very nervous with all those people skating around her. She wanted to be the only on the ice doing spins and turns. Zeak and Jake caught on pretty fast and loved skating. Wish we had a rink closer we would spend lots of time on the ice.

The end of January brought the end of wrestling yahoo! Our team did awesome taking 3rd. Zeak took one for the team and wrestled up 2 weight groups. He ONLY weighs 138 lbs and her wrestled 165lbs at state. I was very nervous about this but is ended ok. His first match was a kid he has wrestled lots this year. The kid was totally prepared to pin Zeak but to his surprise Zeak gave him a match and only lost by points. Most of the match he wrestled on his back which is hard to do but he fought and didn't get pinned. Zeak ended up placing 3rd at state his last match he pinned in 10 seconds. It was a great note to end the season on. We have seen a lot of improvement this year and he had several young men come and tell him he has improved from last year. It was great to see him work so hard and have his peers recognize it.

You can see January was full of growth and accomplishment. We are ready to get riding again and prepare for March rodeos. Dan and I stayed busy with work and keeping track of the kids.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

2010-12-26T20:01:00.001-08:00

With all of the Hustle and Bustle of the Season and the Season before that my blog has suffered. But I did want to take a minute and update at least our family Christmas Card. We had a wonderful Holiday season that started with a family trip with the Barnhurst side of the family to the NFR. My mom and dad have saved for the last two years while my brother was on his mission to take our whole family there. It was an amazing trip one full of treasured memories. The next weekend I had a Miller Family Christmas party at my house. This was so fun and something I have longed to do for years. We also celebrated Jake's birthday and attend his first music concert. He did great! I am excited that he is developing his music talent. We attended a Music Program for Jake at School. Several Wrestling tournaments that I am struggling being a fan of. Zeak is improving in his ability as a wrestler and changing from a kid into a teenager. He has suffered a concussion already but is not a quitter! We had several friend parties and have family parties to come. We attended a live nativity which was an awesome experience for our children. We kept our tradition with the Williams family of shopping together for the angel tree. I witnessed a Christmas miracle that will be a treasured memory. The week of Christmas brought on a huge wake up call to our family in a not very fun way. Zeak had been going to wrestling every morning by 6 am (he definitely is more dedicated than his mom) Tues morning he went out and had no reason to go out to the horses but because he loves his horse he went to check on him and found him dead in his corral. For anyone who knows Zeak this was devastating. I am overcome with emotion still as a type, the support we received from our loved ones (Family & Friends) was overwhelming. Even though the death was not in our house which I am grateful for, this friend has left a huge whole in our hearts. As I sat in Jake's baptism interview today I was reminded of the promises we make to mourn with those that mourn, and comfort those in need of comfort. I am so grateful for so many who have kept their baptismal promises and have done just that. For those who are not baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ and yet still teach me so much about living a Christ like Life. Even though we have suffered great pain and sorrow this week. We also received great gifts of Love and Comfort which gifts we have been given from Him whom we celebrate this Christmas Season. I am so grateful for this season and the reminder of His precious gift! For Christ infinite Love, for his atoning sacrifice that makes it possible for this imperfect family to still be so loved and blessed especially this Christmas Season. We hope all is well with our family and friends and you have a Happy New Year.

Miller Christmas Party

2010-12-16T09:29:00.000-08:00

I decided to host a Miller Family Christmas Party at my house this year. We have not together as cousins for at least 15 years. As a child my fondest memories were playing with my cousins and spending the holidays with them. We were usually at Grandma and Grandpa's house where we would literally play for days. During the holidays we would help Grandma inventory the store during the day and play at night. After my Grandpa's Birthday party and listening to all the memories I decided we needed to create more memories with Grandpa and Grandma. So we set Saturday December 11th as the date. I had a stressful week getting vinyl done and my house cleaned but it was so worth it. My family was good to help late Friday night and my mom, dad, Dusty, and Mckenzie, helped put the finishing touches on Saturday morning. We started with a special guest visitor. We didn't do gifts so we had everyone bring food for the food bank instead and we let Santa take it and deliver it to the food bank. Everyone helped with the meal, we had soup and grandma's famous scones, hot chocolate and yummy desserts. We made a nativity for each family to take home and the highlight of the party for me was the nativity and Grandpa's lesson. He got choked up and had a hard time finishing but the spirit was there and the kids could feel it. I am so grateful for my grandparents and all they do for us. I am grateful everyone made the sacrifice to be here for the party can't wait til next year.

2 for the Steers

2010-11-16T20:25:00.000-08:00

Just two years ago this scenery was pretty familiar only I was the one in the bed. This time it is Dan. The cause of the accident is the same. Those damn steers. They are not my favorite creatures and they cause a lot of grief in my world. So you are all asking why on earth does she still have them? Because even though they cause so much grief for me they bring countless hours of joy and fun to my boys. So . . . they are still part of the Woodland Ranch. Friday night (Nov 12) Dan was loading steers in the trailer and one got away from them. As he jumped out of the trailer his heel collided with a round rock which caused his ankle to buckle leaving him laying helpless on the ground. I knew when I arrived at the arena and he was not moving very far and someone else was roping on tuff we were in trouble. After finishing the roping he let me drive the truck and trailer to unload steers then I knew for sure this was not good. He refused to go to the hospital until Saturday. After spending all day with his foot elevated I convinced him that maybe we should at least have an x-ray so we new for sure what we were dealing with. The result of that x-ray was shocking to all including the Dr. No new broken bones only an old break that could not be repaired. He did make the ER laugh for a good 45 minutes. So the recommended prescription 800 mg of ibuprofen as needed, ice, elevation, and staying off his foot. Ya right he is a self employed contractor with no employees.

Pictures Taken Sunday Afternoon still a ton of swelling I wondered if his foot could explode.

Tuesday night not as much swelling but the bruising is unreal. He says that of all his injuries this ranks up there in the top 3 for pain, discomfort, and definitely the most beautiful.

2010-10-31T11:19:00.000-07:00

My kids hate trunk or treat so Dan just took them in town to hit up grandma's and grandpa's, Rhett Nelson went with them so Dan took them to Nebo Heights as well. I was all Halloween-ed out by that night so I was grateful Dan was home and would take the kids. This completed our October Activities. What a fun full month.

There is nothing better than sharing homemade carmel apples with your friends.
The Durbins and Woodlands after Nephi trick-or-treat!
I helped with the class party in 6th grade this year we did a mummy relay.
Halloween seem to last forever this year. We had class parties, the Halloween Carnival, costume parade, Nephi did a trick-or-treat activity with the businesses and then we had Halloween night.

Brenda gave me a bunch of apples that we made applesauce and apple spaghetti with. My kids love to help can and bottle food. I am glad because this is a fond memory from my childhood.Friends we are and Friends we'll forever Be!
Tradition was kept again with the Halloween carnival at Mona Elementary. Jake and Keanna had a blast together.
Halloween Party at The Apple Academy had two special guests, Woody (Mason Durbin) and Jesse (Kaci Woodland).
The leaves took a long time to fall this year and it appeared to happen over night. One morning after a wind storm Kaci got up and was looking out the window. She kept looking at the tree she finally looked at me and said,"who took the leaves off the tree?" I love the innocence and learning of my children. I love learning through their eyes.
Ange and I worked hard this month and got a bunch of vinyl done for some craft shows. We drove to Tropic for one this year. We had a lot of fun and enjoy being creative we just need to figure out how to do it without getting burned out.
October wouldn't be complete without a trip to the pumpkin patch. Mrs. Blackett takes her preschool class to the pumpkin patch every year and this year was no different except for the location. In years past we have participated in the Santiquin pumpkin patch however, this year we were able to attend one in Nephi provided by the Phillips/Pay family. They had a maze out of hay bales that the kids LovEd.

We spent the 3 weekend in October in Feilding with a very special man. My grandpa Miller turned 80 and we threw him a surprise birthday. The whole family was their. We ate dinner, took photos, played games, and reminisced about days of old. My favorite was hearing each others favorite memory of Grandpa which also included grandma. What a special day! Because of this fun day I decided to do a Miller Christmas Party. I love my grandma and grandpa and feel so blessed to have them in my life and in the life of my children.
We added to our heard. We got a calf from Gordon Young. They are not sure what her breed is but they didn't want her in their herd so we added her to ours.
Jake finally harvested his first watermelon. It was small but oh so sweet. I love his enthusiasm for gardening. Watermelons are his favorite food.

The first weekend in October was our second Junior High Rodeo it was in Nephi. We had some good runs. We definitely need to work on our shoot dogging. The team roping was good! This is the event we really keep track of.

Put a cap on Drugs Day

2010-10-28T21:38:00.000-07:00

This was Red Ribbon Week at Mona Elementary. My boys loved hat day as you can see!

So Blessed

2010-10-03T20:36:00.001-07:00

http://new.lds.org/general-conference?lang=eng

I missed listening to conference yesterday because we were with Zeak at the Junior High Rodeo. I came home and watched as much as I could last night. This morning we got up and Jake and Kaci immediately asked for their conference packets. So before finishing breakfast I ran to my computer and printed off some pages of several different packets. One page struck me and I wish I would have had time to do it myself. While finishing breakfast I had the kids think of some questions they had and would like answered during conference. As a parent this is always a little nerve racking wondering if they grasp the gospel and life. I was pleasantly surprised by their questions. Then hoping my exercise would not be in vain and they would get their answers I listened to conference waiting for their answers so I could help point them out. The morning session didn't touch on them profound enough but in the afternoon their answers came very clear. What a testimony builder for me. How amazing is it that we have technology that allows us to get answers to our life questions from our Heavenly Father through a living prophet. How blessed we are! Did my kids hear and understand their answers? I don't think they did but the beautiful thing is now I can use those talks and teach them from those talks in the months to come and they will hear, understand, and receive answers to their questions. I am so grateful for general conference, for President Monson, and for the knowledge I have of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I truly am blessed in many ways because of this knowledge and the knowledge I continue to gain through listening and following the prophets of today.

September Summary

2010-09-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

Zeak and Rhett CUJR rodeo
Dan filling in as coach. If he ever needs another calling in life he could fill the shoes of a coach well. He is so amazing with the kids and lives for the competition. This game just happened to be a fierce rivalry of Dan and Jake vs Keanna and with the biggest "Looser" award being at stake (not from prime time television) the heat was on. Sadly we lost by one. It was a fun night and the most intense game of the year.

Camping in Vernal at the arena our first big Junior High Rodeo of the year.

Kaci and Dad working Tuff! She got up first thing, wanted her boots and wranglers so she could ride with her dad. This doesn't happen very often so when it does Dan is quick to take advantage of this precious father daughter moment.
Zeak and Rhett warming up we placed the first day bringing home a great check and missed the second day.
Back home for the CUJR finals. Uncle Cody was a huge supporter of Kaci and Blue or Tuff which ever one she chose that day. Sometime the choice was made for her because equipment was left home or Blue refused to leave the trailer.
After the Finals we all ended up at the Woodland residence for a BBQ. While the adults visited in the lounge chairs out back the kids still had enough energy for a friendly game of football.
Kaci had to wait until September for meet the teacher day and her first day of school. It nearly killed her. She was so excited and couldn't wait.
Junior High Rodeo in Nephi.
Jake running poles on Tuff. At the CUJR Finals.
Kaci and Josalyn were the lucky ones that got to go shopping with their moms.
First Day of school at the Apple Academy with Mrs. Blackett. We had a picnic lunch with Mason at his house after school.

Kaci played soccer well maybe just socialized and worked on her cheer leading skills. She loved being with the kids and thinking she was as old as Jake because she got to play soccer like him. Treats were her incentive to keep going. When it was our turn for treats we made pink caramel popcorn that everyone wanted and most moms devoured. Only Kaci would take a gourmet treat to a soccer game. Love that girl.
One of Dan's biggest dreams came true in September thanks to Troy Fackrell. He has always wanted a trailer load of hay dropped of at his house and September 2010 that simple dream came true.

We managed to fit in our annual Mona Pole rode with Tina and Andy I wish I had pictures of the colors they were absolutely gorgeous we just had to late a start to get pictures with good lighting.
Kaci and I got some canning in and Raspberry freezer jam was at the top of our list. We got 27 pints this year.

Jake decided one Saturday to take a ride up on Nebo and look at the gorgeous fall colors. We had so much fun driving, singing, taking photos, and exploring.

Our Buffalo was finally old enough to go back home. The boys were sad but he really couldn't stay. I think he really wanted to but I told the boys he was much different than a puppy he would grow up and cause a lot of stress to us and the farm. What an accomplishment that we saved and raised him. A once in a lifetime opportunity.
This is a redneck Pony trailer. Only Dan and Jake what more can I say.

A Baptism was a great excuse to make a trip to Dietrich Idaho. We played a little football and had a great time visiting with family our sleeping accommodations were a little rough and we ended up leaving bright and early Sunday morning tired and worn out. We started out in the trailer invaded by little mice, moved to the tramp where we froze to death and ended up sleeping in the front of the truck with the heater on. Wes it was worth the sacrifice to see you make the biggest most importance decision in your life we love you and our proud of you.
This is my newest purchase. He is an amazing animal and the story of how we ended up with him is amazing. Aaron Hall called Dan and started talking to him about this horse a few days went on and Aaron couldn't reach Dan but got a hold of me. After explaining his case to me I said just buy the horse I will wire you the money or do whatever I need to but go buy the horse. When Dan came home I told him to schedule in a trip to Parawon to pick up our new horse. This is probably the one and only purchase I could ever make like this with out causing a serious problem in our marriage. His name is M&M he is amazing and fits in our family well.

Our month started with rodeo, soccer, more rodeo, and a lot more soccer. We managed to throw in a BBQ and football game, shopping and crafts for the girls and some much needed family time.

Grandparents Day at Mona Elementry

2010-09-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Sperry got to sit with the boys also.

One of the few notes Zeak has ever brought home was the note about Grandparents Day. Mona Elementary was inviting all grandparents to come to lunch with their grand kids. Zeak was so excited and immediately called grandma Barnhurst and invited her to come. My mom was so supportive and made arrangements to come up and enjoy lunch with Zeak and Jake. They sat with Grandma and Grandpa Sperry, Taylei, and Keanna. The menu choices were Hawaiian Hay Stacks or Sloppy Joe. Grandma and Jake choice Hawaiian Hay stacks while Zeak chose Sloppy Joes. Grandma said that the boys ate as normal. Zeak eats his and then tries to eat everyone's rolls and cookies around him. Jake eats all the fruits and veggies and then picks at the main coarse until the bell rings and he gets to go. Thanks Mona Elementary for honoring our grandparents. What a fun memory.

County Fair re-cap

2010-08-30T15:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry you will want to start at the bottom and read to the top, after loading this many photos I wasn't willing to redo them.

The last day of the fair we went and enjoyed the exhibits, hung with some friends and entered one last event. Guitar Hero. They couldn't find anyone to participate so they told these two rock stars they could do it for free. They rounded up a few more pals (Lex Neilson, Ange Durbin, and Dacia Dalton) To join them they were hoping at one last chance to make a little extra cash at the fair. I guess they need a little more practice. Mitch did make it to the finals then got schooled. All-in-all it was a great week. This was in my opinion the best Juab County Fair yet. We had a blast and there truly was something for everyone.
Shhh be very quiet today we get to witness the training of two young stars. Zeak Woodland a young cowboy from Mona Ut and Jumper a baby buffalo, who two months ago was in dire striates when his mother abandoned him and left him for dead. Zeak and his brother Jake saved the little critter and here they are today. Under the assistance of the 9 time PRCA Entertainer of the year the one armed Bandit (featured several time in the Ute Stampede) Zeak and Jumper will have become one and will attempt to show you where legends begin. I say attempt because the training of a wild animal is very difficult. they are wild for a reason, but today if the cards are played just right we may get to see a young bandit in the making.

Ahoy Matties this is Jake Woodland pirate of Mona Res. sailing into the Juab County Fair. “Shiver me Timbers that is a strange looking ship he is in. Aarg that isn’t a ship that is his pony blue. Together they have sailed all over Mona trying to escape the rough sees avoid other ships and searching for the map that will lead them to the treasure. Pirate Jakes Map has led him here to the County Fair Lead Line. Where they are in search of the treasure chest. Blimey!!! what kind a parrot is that? Aye that is no parrot that is his favorite chicken he hatched in an incubator just this spring. Pirate Jake has been working all summer to make sure that things were in shipshape for today. Smarty me judges Pirate Jake is prepared to walk the plank if he doesn’t find the treasure.

Don't ask me how Jake wond 2nd place and Zeak won nothing. Sometimes I really disagree with judges.
Lead line is one of my favorite events at the fair. You dress you and your animal up, write a short story and then you lead your animal for the judges. Kaci was Fancy Nancy.

This is Kaci Fae Woodland and she is ecstatic (that’s a fancy word for happy) to be in the Juab County Fair lead line. Kaci is the only fancy one in her family so, when she asked for a puppy 2 years ago her cowboy dad didn’t understand that a border collie pup wasn’t fancy enough for Kaci. She tried to dress her in fancy ensembles (fancy word for cloths) and nestle (fancy for snuggle) with her at nap time. Coke was a cow dog and wanted to be out chasing cows . Because this puppy turned out to be a fiasco (fancy for a disaster ) the search was on for a fancy puppy for a fancy little girl. When we found him Kaci named him sparkles and bought him a sparkly pink collar, pink bed with pillow and toys, because every fancy dog needs fancy accessories ( this is fancy extra stuff). He is a shitzu poodle cross ( that is a cross between a shitzu and a poodle.) Sparkles is the perfect dog for Kaci and they have had a spectacular (that’s a fancy word for great) time at the Juab County Fair this year. ooh la la

Thursday night Dan joined Mitch's Ranch rodeo team. The ranch rodeo was not near as entertaining as it has been in the past. And once again we just had fun participating. It might be really hard to beat Aaron Stephenson's team they have won several years in a row.

Jake loves to show his steer but he has the most fun grooming him and getting him ready!
Andrew loves the cows and horses and looks up to Zeak. I know Zeak made Andrews day by letting him help get the steers ready to show. We didn't place well in the Market class but we never do. What really counts is when he is cut open. Usually we grade well.
Zeak got bucked off but made the crowd laugh!
Jake won 2nd place in his age group!

Thursday afternoon they had the bicycle barrel race it was something fun for the kids. Kaci was mad at me that she was the only one with a 3 wheeler but it turned out to be the best thing because it was sturdy in the dirt.
Dan did the extreme cowboy race on Thursday morning. He did great he took second place and won all of our entries for the week back and had extra to buy himself a drink. Dan has come a long way from when I first met him. He has learned a lot about horses and how to ride them.
The boys tried their hand at team penning. They didn't do so good but they had fun.
Tuff has so much power coming off the barrels and I am so out of shape! It wasn't a terrible run but it was no winning run either. My knuckles were bloody when I was done and I didn't even have a belt buckle on. I am glad I did it and got back on. I proved to myself that I can steel ride.
Jake loves to run barrels. He has done and amazing job training Tuff! He did such a great job that I got brave and ran him.
Wed night was the Western Night Rodeo. Zeak tried his hand at yet another steer. If he would have started when he was younger I think we could have held our own. At least he gave it a good effort in the end. He improved on this ride from the week before.
Wednesday was the start of showing steers. Zeak did awesome in the showmanship. The judge remembered him from last year and was very complimentary of him. Zeak is very confident and poised in the show ring. In life this can come across as arrogant but in the show ring it spells BLUE!
Dan kept encouraging Zeak to find different partners this year. He told him he would have better luck roping with someone besides his dad. Zeak didn't listen he wanted to rope with his Dad, Mitch, and Grandpa Don. Grandpa had surgery on his knee the day before so Zeak got brave and called Nate Maughnn (Nails' original owner) to rope in Grandpa's place. Thanks Nate for roping with us!
August 10th started a week full of fun for the Woodlands! Since we were not able to attend Little Britches Nationals this year we took the week of the fair and had so much fun. Tues started off the fair events with the roping. Jake and Kaci had their first soccer games so Grandma's helped out! Dan waited and waited for Jake to make it back from the game so they could ribbon rope together. It was a good thing Jake didn't take his soccer cleats and shorts off he needed them since his roper caught at the bottom of the catch pen.

Cousins through out the Summer

2010-08-22T22:07:00.001-07:00

The Summer was full of fun I didn't realize how much we really did get to do this summer until I was looking back through the photos. We spent a lot of time with family this summer. When family comes we do the same thing over and over so my photos all look the same but my kids love sharing the animals and the cousins all seem to love being at the Cowboy house as Ashlyn calls it. I loaded the photos in the wrong order again but here are some highlights from our cousin sleepovers.
We even had the older cousins Matt and Shaunie and a couple of their friends come and spend an evening riding horses, and eating hot dogs as late as it was we should have just had a sleep over.

Kaleb and Carter didn't have a sleep over but they got to come and see all the animals and even go for a pony ride. Kaleb loved it while Carter sat back and was very unsure of the whole experience. Carter finally touched the ducks at the very end.

Carson got to come and spend some time with us for his birthday he got to ride the pony, feed the buffalo, and have best mom ever pancakes! He is such a happy kid and we love having him come to visit.

This was a fun girls party. Kaci really wanted to have a party with just the girls so when Ashlyn came down we had Madison come and we did a sleepover. They decided they wanted a tea party for dinner. I was the cooker and server and I had to take their order. Their order was pretty simple PB&J with peaches. Then we made mini doughnuts that they got to decorate themselves. What a group to feed and entertain. I laughed the whole night. Girls are a whole new level of fun for me.

Feeding the buffalo was another favorite activity for all the cousins to try. Andrew loves to come to our house and it makes Dan and I feel pretty special. He is so fun to have around and wants to do everything with the animals. He helps us feed them and ride them. The only ones he doesn't like at all are the dogs. He is friends with sparkles but not the big dogs yet.
Madison and Andrew got to come a few times and have sleep overs and ride the pony lots.
Sydney got to come down for a BBQ and to ride the pony. The best is just watching them playing together. They are great friends just wish we lived closer so they could play more.
The Idaho cousins came and we went to Payson Pool swimming, grandpa took them camping and fishing. Ariel decided she was to big to be with Kaci and the boys so she spent some time with just grandma. The boys played hard and Tel got to go to work with Dan and Zeak. Dan was amazed at how quick Tel caught on and how smart he was at construction. In a few years maybe Tel and come and work for Uncle Dan for the summer.

In June we got to spend time fishing with Shyanne in Idaho it was a cold day but they still had a lot of fun together.

I am so glad my kids have great memories with their cousins and I am so glad that the cousins all love coming to our house. We have fun sharing our farm and home with family and friends. Thanks for a summer full of fun everyone!

Saturday is a Speical Day

2010-08-22T20:38:00.001-07:00

There is a primary song that has been in my head lately. Saturday is a Special Day! When I was young I thought this was a funny song to sing. Now that I am older and wiser I see how true this song is and the meaning is deeper. This summer there has been two Saturdays where we have worked hard all day cleaning inside and out. Everyone has worked together and we have accomplished much more than I expected. We have even left time for play. Back in July the kids had worked really hard. They were hot and tired. I had told Dan we were done and needed to play with them. Pretty soon he came in and said where are those boys we are not done. I was so confused and watched as he yelled out them for leaving the hose on the lawn running. I was so confused because it was him that had left the hose on pretty soon there was a full on water fight with hoses and cups. The perfect ending to a hot work day in July. We cleaned up and had a BBQ and enjoyed our clean yard and house. That relaxing and enjoyment carried over into Sunday. This weekend was a similar experience. We worked hard all day then went shopping Saturday night. We saved our fun for Sunday with a BBQ and friends. The older I get the wiser my Father in Heaven becomes and the more I really on his simple teaching such as this simple primary song to bring joy and happiness to my life.

Saturday is a special day.
It’s the day we get ready for Sunday:
We clean the house, and we shop at the store,
So we won’t have to work until Monday.
We brush our clothes, and we shine our shoes,
And we call it our get-the-work-done day.
Then we trim our nails, and we shampoo our hair,
So we can be ready for Sunday!

Better start

2010-08-20T10:08:00.001-07:00

Today was a much better start to a school day. Back Packs were loaded, bellies fed, teeth brushed, and out the door by 8:10 so they could ride their bikes. Love theses boys and I am excited to watch them grow this year. I have thought a lot lately about their safety and influences they might get in public school but still I feel this is the best place for them to grow and learn. I am in no way certified or smart enough to teach my children nor do I want to take on that responsibilities. I am so grateful for teachers and their role in the life of my children. I will just do my best as a mom to arm them with the gospel so that when (not if) evil faces them hopefully they will be strong enough to defeat it.

First Day of School

2010-08-20T08:41:00.000-07:00

Not the picture of bright eyed, bushy tail boys ready for their first day of school. We had a late night rodeo in the rain and so our first day of school was a bit rough. I think we even started the year with a tardy. I guess at least we made it and they both came home excited about their teachers and ready for a fresh new school year. Zeak is in Mrs Bradely's sixth grade class. Jake is in Mrs Feaman's 2nd grade class.

While I was doing "my" homework this is their favorite part of the first day of school they get to give me the homework. I looked up to have Zeak sign his papers and this is what I found one tired cowboy. After I let them nap for a while I did make them both go pose for some back to school photos.

Welcome Home

2010-07-30T18:31:00.000-07:00

My kids were all really excited to see Uncle Cody but this face says it all! She said to me twice going into the airport, "mom this is going to be soooo exiciting!"
She gives the best hugs in the whole world!
What every mom deserves and needs after two years!
Someone to look Up Too! We are so glad to have Uncle Cody home and can't wait to hear all about South Africa!

Ute Stampede

2010-07-15T07:34:00.000-07:00

A picture very similar to this one of Kaci made it in the Times News with the title "future 2020 Ute Stampede Queen." She now believes that when she is bigger she is going to be the Ute Stampede Queen she reminds me every so often and when I forget she says remember the paper says I am. So Cute I can't wait!!!

Nephi's biggest holiday is the UTE STAMPEDE when Dan and I first got married we never missed a performance. When Zeak started rodeoing we didn't enjoy going to the Stampede as much so for the last few years we have watched the parades but haven't made it to a rodeo. This year Dan decided that his business needed to ride through the parade so Thursday night in the horse parade we rode as a family. Kaci was so cute. Everyone wondered why she was on the biggest horse. The reason is he is the best horse we own so even though it doesn't appear to be the safest for the littlest girl to be on the biggest horse this was our safest option. Dan rode his colt in the parade for the first time and she did awesome. We had a great time and we enjoyed watching the rodeo this year with our friends the Halls. Aaron and Dan have been friends since high school and we still enjoy being with them. It was fun to be involved in the action this year.

2010-07-10T07:04:00.000-07:00

Dan did several Brazilian BBQs this summer. He served a mission in Salvador, Brazil and he loves to share with others. This BBQ was for the scouts. We make beans and rice with the meat, everyone has to be brave and try them. My favorite part of the BBQ is the BBQ pineapple. I LOVE IT and so does most everyone. Lucky for us this BBQ isn't just a summer thing we love to BBQ year round.

4th of July Weekend

2010-07-07T07:25:00.000-07:00

We had such a busy two days with theses awesome cousins that we were to tired for the fireworks.

"I love July," said Kaci And so do I. It one of my favorite holidays. We reflect on the blessing and privilege of being an American. This celebration for us always includes families. This year we celebrated with the Woodland side of the family. Our celebrating started Friday afternoon at the Payson Pool. It was a little cool for the St George bunch but it didn't keep anyone from swimming. That evening we had dinner and a HUGE birthday party for all of the Woodlands. This was something new we tried this year and it was a lot of fun. Saturday the festivities continued at the Nephi park, dinner and cake and ice cream for Kolten's real birthday. A pinata completed the fun since all the cousins had to leave early for their church assignments. It is comforting to know that we all have strong religious background and take our callings serious and serve to our fullest. That night we went back into Nephi for the fireworks. My kids were so exhausted from all of the fun with their cousins that they had a hard time staying awake. What a fun and memorable weekend!

Red Cliff Ride

2010-07-05T16:12:00.000-07:00

The Beginning

Grandma and Grandpa Berezay wanted to go on a 4 wheeler ride up to the Red Cliffs. They herd cows on the front side all of the time but had never been on the back side. Last year we failed to get that ride in so this year that was our goal. Monday night we gathered everyone for a Family Home Evening 4 Wheeler Ride. Nessa and Jake planned the songs and lesson. We stopped and played games in the snow and sang songs at a few other stops. Then Grandma shared a fun story with us about a flower. The ride was gorgeous the flowers were amazing. I love being in the mountains. When we got home we cooked pie iron pizza for dinner it was a great night. Poor Jake did end up setting his hand on the hot pie iron and burning his hand pretty good. It took a few days to stop burning and start healing. Kaci through a fit about the dinner she had to eat and the famous saying of the night that has been a fun memory is, "We should not have come hear this is not Fun" We still laugh about this. I am glad we got this fun ride full of great memories in this year.

Forget Me Not
This gorgeous little blue flower was all over the Red Cliffs. When we stopped Grandma Janice told us that it was called Forget Me Not. The story is that when Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden this flower didn't want to be forgot and so they took it with them.

Dan Lisa Vanessa (lou and a bottle of glue) Jake

Mitch Ange Joslin and Zeak

Grandma Grandpa Mason and Kaci Fae

The End

Hazord Pay

2010-06-24T20:39:00.000-07:00

Some days in construction are rough. Today was one of those days. Our company was awarded the TV Repeater building up on the hill west of Nephi. Dan asked me to get up at 4:30 AM (morning person I am not) so I could go take pictures of the this dangerous pour. Well with a frown on my face I got up loaded the sleeping children in the car and headed to Nephi. Dan had already left and I needed direction on where I was going. As I was talking I realized that I had forgot the camera, ugh that was the purpose of me going. So I turned around and hurried back to Mona. I made it in time for the second concrete truck to go up the hill. I was in the wrong place to be taking photos. The sun was coming up and making it hard for me to get a good picture. The action wasn't as exciting as Dan thought it was going to be. They thought they were going to have to use heavy equipment to get the cement trucks up the two steep hills. Much to my dismay they didn't need to use them. I never got close enough to the action but Dan's brother Brett was in the right place for all of the action. No need for me to go take photos because he got some great shots. Paybacks were sweet. I needed an auctioneer for my Relief Society Meeting that night and guess who I found. Yep the concrete man from DL Design and Construction. So it turned out to be a great day. The concrete pours went with out a hitch and Dan made the night at Relief Society fun and entertaining. I love it when we help each other out!

June CUJR Rodeo

2010-06-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

Cowboy Camping

Our first calf ride was a rough one. Casy and Wendy came over a few nights before the rodeo and had a little chat with Jake so he decided he would give calf riding a whirl. I thought for sure we all had an understanding that he would have all of the proper safety gear on before leaving the chute. Well that is what I get for trusting that my child would be taken care of and staying behind the stop watch. This is what happens when you don't wear a helmet and safety vest. He toughened up and finished the rodeo thanks to Cole's grandma for getting him some Tylenol and band aids and grandma Barnhurst for giving him lots of loves. The next day Uncle Steve suited him up in Wes and Tel's gear and he won the rodeo in calf riding.
With a battle wound you get lots of attention this is Jake's Pit crew. Who knew racing barrels and poles required so much help? We have an awesome family who are so supportive and willing to help our kids while we help judge & time. It takes a village to raise cowboys. Thanks everyone for your help.
Zeak is tying down calves I won't say he is to little but maybe to young. He is doing great and he has some great friends who are willing to share their calf horses with us Thanks Troy and Shane. Troy's horse Jane is 32 (that is reallllly old in horse years) and she LoVes to rope calves she is great for Zeak to learn on. Looks like I am going to need to get a job or sale lots more vinyl because calf horses are not cheap to make or buy.

The BOYS!!! Need I say more?

Father's Day

2010-06-21T21:43:00.000-07:00

We had Father's Day dinner at our house this year. It was a lot of fun and good food. The only one we were missing was Cody the great thing about that is the next family get together will be his homecoming. The meal had something that all of the dads liked. Then we chilled on the back lawn in the shade laughing, talking, napping it was great just hanging out. I talked my mom and dad into letting me take a few photos of them so I could put one in my house. Kaci was helping me and she had my mom and dad laughing so hard. This is one of my favorite photos. My dad and I didn't always have a great relationship growing up ( I think because we were a lot more alike than we thought) but, we did share some common interests and fun times together. I loved to hunt with my dad this is one of the few activities that could get me out of bed before sunrise. I learned a lot about life when hunting with my dad. He would teach me directions, how to find my way. How to watch for signs and animals, tracks, and plants. I loved being in the mountains with my dad. I learned a lot from him about horses even though I hated practicing with him. My love for cooking came from him. He is a great cook and taught all of us kids how to cook. My dad is a great guy and I watch him now teaching my kids some of those great qualities I learned from him. Thanks dad for being so great. To Dan, Thanks for all you do and for being the Father of my children I LOVE YOU!

One more baby

2010-06-20T21:26:00.000-07:00

So we just can't have two many babies at our house. Sunday night we got a phone call asking us if we were interested in saving a baby buffalo. Sure what harm could a 3 day old buffalo do to our farm??? Shane Day in Nephi raises buffalo and had a mama that wasn't able to feed her baby. He heard we had a farm and were feeding baby calves. Not calves but we were feeding baby cats and there is a huge difference. So we decided how hard could it be. Monday night Shane brought the baby out to our farm. We had got a bag of colostrum from Don Berezay to start feeding him. WOW they are WiLd animals for sure. That night I learned a lot about life and wild life. He was 3 days old and had very little to sustain him but he already had natural instincts to protect himself from the enemy. It took him 3 days to figure out that we were not the enemy we were dinner. If his tail is up he is MaD so watch out. He will not think twice about killing you. Tuesday Dan, Zeak, and Tel left early for work. Jake, Wes, and Kaci were at grandma's house. So that left me and the farm. I tried feeding the little tike and decided that if he would rather kill me than eat he could starve. I did check on him throughout the day. One time I found him in the horses coral with the horse pinned in the corner. Then he climbed in the horses water tank all 4 feet and his head under water trying to get out. I felt bad and helped him out of the tank only to have him come at me. By the time Dan and the boys got home he was tired and hungry which made him a little more cooperative. Seven days later he is staying in his own pen thanks to the boards surrounding him. He is drinking a bottle both morning and night. Jake and him are becoming best of pals. This is not to my advantage so I have made a deal with Jake he can feed the buffalo for two months and then we give him back to Shane. Next spring we will be getting show lambs.

Her First Rodeo

2010-06-14T22:18:00.000-07:00

Goat Tail untie

barrels

Anyone who knows this little girl will be shocked first, at what she is wearing. Second, at the smile on her face. She loves to dance and usually has a dress on. Even at the arena she usually has a dress on. May 29 and 31st were different, instead of being a spectator cheering for her brothers she was a contestant. CUJR has a little pee wee division. This is a great place for kids under six to gain confidence and get a taste of winning. We pay $2.00 and they get a $1.oo back. Because I have to help in the other arena I didn't get to watch her in her first rodeo. Luckily we live in an era of technology and grandma got it videoed and photographed. She came to find me after she was done. With more excitment than I had anticipated she said, "Mom I won first place I won $3.oo whole dollars. Blue and I 'skipped' around the barrels and pole." I didn't get her $3.oo whole dollars to put in a safe place. She carried it all day long and told anyone who would listen to her that she won first place then she would show them her money. Yesterday when we went to the arena to practice she asked to walk not run or skip the barrels. I am so glad I had her try. I don't think she will ever be a cowgirl but she can never hold it against me that she didn't get to try it.

Happy BIrthday

2010-06-11T09:06:00.001-07:00

For Dan's birthday all he wanted was to go to Fielding to visit with my grandparents. Grandpa and Dan love the Mexican restaurant in Logan so we met them there and then Saturday morning we went to Malad for free fishing day. It was so windy and cold that I wished I would have stayed home with grandma but the rest of them had fun. I don't think Dan got a fish he spent the day helping the kids cast and reel their fish in. Guess that is what being a dad is about. We had a great time thanks for making Dan's birthday wish come true Grandma and Grandpa.

Just wanted to wish my favorite Cowboy! I Love You!

Having Fun . . .

2010-06-09T11:41:00.000-07:00

We have spent a lot of time together in our yard this spring. For mother's day Dan and the kids got me some Aspen trees to plant in my front yard. Yards are a lot of work but such a great way to spend time together working and playing as a family. Just this morning the boys were cleaning up the back yard while Kaci and I were weeding the garden. Dan came home and had some time so he started helping us in the garden. Kaci was telling us about life and she said, "it is just so sad!" I was totally expecting to here how sad it was she had to weed the garden. What I was not expecting was her answer, "It is just so sad that the boys have to do their chores and they don't get to have fun and weed with us!" Dan and I just smiled and later he said, " hopefully she doesn't catch on for a few more years." I have to say I don't hate weeding the garden. I agree with here completely, would rather weed than do the laundry any day.

One Nail at a time. . .

2010-05-27T09:36:00.000-07:00

For 18 months this is what the carpet in my living room and bedrooms looked like. Six months after we moved in we replaced the flooded kitchen floor and took it down the hall and to my front door. Over a year later we finally have moldings and a finished wood floor. Dan also changed the handles on my fridge so they swing the correct way. Things are starting to shape up at the Woodland house and I am way excited.

This is the best part of Dan's spring projects. At Christmas time we went shopping for a new table because the kids broke ours while Dan and I were deer hunting. We couldn't find anything either one of us loved and so I mentioned that maybe he could build us a table. For my birthday he decided that he could attempt this and so he ordered the wood. This is the results. I love it. He is very talented and creative when he wants to be. I just wish he had more time for my projects instead of everyone else's. Oh well such is life being married to a contractor. With the slow economy I don't dare complain or whine. We have work and that is a huge blessing. So I will be patient and take things one nail at a time.

soooo Cute!

2010-05-27T07:44:00.000-07:00

Andrew shares the same excitement for the baby cows as his Uncle Dan. He has been out to see them 3 times now. This time he brought Kolten, Kaityln, Ashlyn, Kaleb, and Carter with him. Thanks for sharing the excitement it means a lot to Uncle Dan. All of the nieces and nephews love to come to the cowboy house and we love having all of them come. You are all welcome anytime!
This little guy finally came. May 28th on the last day of school. Everyone came home and had a nap so Cort and I went for a ride and this is what we found. I was so excited to see him before Dan.
Oreo

Red
Aren't these little guys sooooo stinkin' cute. They are the newest edition to Woodland Ranch LLC. Oreo was born first on May 18th. Red came two days later on May 20th. Dan was a proud Rancher the kids teased him he loved the calves more than them.

Emotional Mother Nature

2010-05-24T20:22:00.000-07:00

This spring has been quite a spring. We woke up to the most awful sound this morning. It sounded like the horses were kicking in their sheds. When Dan looked out the window some profanity came out of his mouth. I sat up and went right back to bed. Tina and I made a deal if the ground was white we went back to bed. The next thing I remember was a horrible sound of limbs hitting the roof over my head. When we finally all got out of bed. I told Kaci to go look out the window. She rubbed her eyes several times then asked, "what happened out there?" Our good friend said, "Holy _ _ _ _ Mother Nature has some major emotional problems this spring! When I talked to my grandpa he said, "well honey what is the problem?" I told him if this was Dec 24th it would be great but I just planted all of my garden and now it is all frozen. I hope they all survived. The snow wasn't to hard on things but that night it did freeze even though I put sheets on everything I still don't think I saved it all.

This is my garden with tomatoes and peppers blanketed in snow.

This is Zeak after having a mud war with the neighbor.

All of the broken limbs make an excellent hut for little boys!

Two Little Birds

2010-05-21T19:08:00.000-07:00

My Grandpa Miller called a few weeks ago bragging about how he had just eaten his first red strawberry out of the garden. He told me my biggest trouble was going to be keeping two little birds (Jake and Kaci) out of my strawberries. My strawberries were loaded with blossoms but no strawberries yet. In between Farm Day classes I noticed two strawberries in my patch. From this view they look ready to pick but if you turn them over they needed another day so I took a picture of them. After the last farm day class I was cleaning up and noticed my strawberries were gone. Thinking to myself them darn little birds got my strawberries I went to find them. Kaci and the neighbor had been playing and the evidence that they were the little birds was on the ground next to them. In slight anger I said, "did you two eat my strawberries?" Ty looking a little scared said, "but they were red." I asked if they were sour because I am confident they were a little tart still. Kaci said, "mom they were red there was no green on them I promise." I came straight in the house and called my grandpa to thank him for encouraging two little birds to beat me to the strawberry patch. After a good laugh he confessed he really didn't get the first strawberry out of his patch my cousin Sheyanne did. I must have scared Kaci and Ty enough that they now ask before picking the strawberries and I did get the first red juicy ripe strawberry out of my patch this year.

ALL AROUND

2010-05-21T16:57:00.000-07:00

This Cowboy finally did it he won an all around at a rodeo. Zeak was on fire Friday night. He not only did well in all of his events but he also helped run the rodeo. I think we might have him help every rodeo because he stays focused. He put in a lot of time and practice in the few weeks before and it paid off. He won the flag race, place in the top 3 in every event. We are proud of him and hope this continues.

Farm Day

2010-05-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

For the the last 3 years we have had the awesome experience of hosting farm day for The Apple Academy Preschool at our small farm. Jake and I love to share our little hobby farm with others. We saddle a couple of horses and take all willing participants on a horse ride. More often than not we get them on and have a hard time getting them off. We let them gather eggs from the coop and feed the chickens. We usually have baby kittens to hold and puppies to love. It is so rewarding to share with those kids and teach them about animals and how they help us. This year we were suppose to have farm day on Tuesday When I got up that morning I was so sad it was raining and cold. After a quick phone call to Mrs. Blackett we decided to change and try for Thursday. Lucky for us Thursday was a beautiful day. The icing on the cake was we had two brand new baby calves to show the kids that we wouldn't have had Tuesday. Sometimes things have a way of working out even better than we plan. I think heavenly father makes the simple small things in life work out. Then we learn to have faith in him on the bigger things.

Spring Fling

2010-05-21T07:58:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Craig dancing with Kaci and Keanna.

Jake and Kaci painting his surf board for the Spring Fling.

Jake in Surfin' USA

Zeak showing his skills in the May Pole.

Mona Elementary has a fun tradition of Spring Fling. Every year the kids learn a dance that they perform for the parents. The 5th graders perform the May Pole. Mrs Beck brought this tradition to Mona and I love to watch the kids weave the ribbons into patterns. They have to work together and have precision to make each design. This years group of kids did and awesome job. Jake's grade (1st) did Surfin' USA they each painted there own surf boards and dressed the part. Jake is quite the performer. He loves to sing and someday we are going to work on developing his performing talent.

Power

2010-05-20T10:58:00.000-07:00

This power plant supplies parts of Utah. They couldn't tell us exactly where because once it goes into the grid they don't know for sure where it ends up. It has the ability to cover the western States if necessary. (Hope I understood that right)
Mr. Peay calling to get permission for us to come in. Power plants have a high security. FYI if you want to go all adults MUST have a photo ID. They are serious and wouldn't let the bus in because the bus driver didn't have her Drivers License.

Dan and I have decided if we went back to school now we would learn so much more. Yesterday I went to the power plant west of our house with Zeak and the 5th graders. I can not tell you all of the specifics of how our power is made but I am amazed. It is quite the process. I was impressed that they tried to emphasize the importance of staying in school and how our education applies to daily life. I am not sure any of the 5th graders understand or appreciate their advice but, as a mom I did. It takes different talents and skills to keep this world running and the more knowledge you have the more you are able to do your part. They believe in the . . .

"School of It"

If you break IT then fix IT.

If you make IT then see if someone will ______It. (eat, wear, ect.)

Try IT (only if it is safe)

Do It (only if it is safe)

What a fun day spent with my oldest!

A Girls Weekend

2010-05-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a gorgeous day. I mowed the lawns we planted more flowers and garden and then I ran to the neighbors house for a minute. When I rounded the corner this is what I found. My 4 year old in her swimsuit laying out!!! I am so not looking forward to the teenage years with her. It was cute and made me smile at 4 but at 14 it might not be as cute! She kept telling me it was a perfect day to swim. So I hosed her down a bit and she quickly changed her mind. It was way to cold for swimming.
The boys went camping and riding down on the Sand Rafael last weekend so Kaci and I had a girls night. It was a lot of fun we had the Durbin girls, the Williams' and us it was so much fun. We can't wait for the boys to go again. We had yummy lasagna and Mexican cheese cake hum um good!
Thursday was our last dance review. This was Kaci's favorite dance it was the princess dance. The picture says it all!

Answers

2010-05-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday while I was venting about life I asked Kaci to go clean her room. She HATES to clean her room as bad as I hate to send her to clean it. I always give her my solution which inevitably results in tears. It got really quiet and when I went to see how the room was going this is what I found. These are my sentiments to cleaning as well. So the first Answer I got yesterday was just go to sleep and hope a cleaning fairy comes while I am sleeping. Unfortunately she never comes for me while I am sleeping. The real answer came last night. Dan and I went to Stake Temple Night. It was truly amazing D&C 19:23 is the scripture that the temple Matron quoted that touched my heart. What a simple answer. The gospel really is simple and the answers are even more simple if we just look and then ask for them.

Being a Mother

2010-05-12T11:50:00.000-07:00

Well Mother's Day came and went just like most every other day of the year. I felt like I had run a marathon, not that I know what that feels like and have no desire to know. Three days later I am still feeling it and have to wonder why? Is this how a mother is suppose to feel? I know most of you know the feeling. Why do we do this to our selves? I don't know the answers to the questions I am asking so if any of you do please comment. For today I will pray for the sun to shine so the kids and I can go outside to plant the flowers and trees they gave me for mother's day. I am grateful for all of the mother's in my life. Thank You, for giving me the strength and courage to keep fighting and trying because you feel my pain too!

Dancing Queen

2010-05-03T08:11:00.001-07:00

My little girl loves to dance. When asked where she learned to dance she always says, "my dad." I am not sure where she got her love of dance and her natural ability but I do know for certain it didn't come from me. I took advantage of Tina's gorgeous spring flowers as a back drop for my photo shoot of my favortie little dancer! She did so awesome the other night at her 1st dance review, one more to go.

Mornings

2010-04-28T09:38:00.001-07:00

This is how I wake up! Lucky for my kids they generally don't wake up like this. I have always hated mornings. When I try and explain it to people I get the blank stare but, I truly do not feel good and hate to get out of my bed. I have no idea whether this is a mental or physical condition non the less it is a condition I have always had. Two weeks ago I decided this had to change so Tina and I made a plan to meet every morning at 6:30 for a morning walk. If there was anyone in the world that could feel my pain on mornings it would be her. She likes to stay up much later than I do but loves her bed just as much as me. All things considered this was the only time of day that we could fit any kind of exercise in. The first morning was hard and for the first week we were both feeling how out of shape we are. I must say I still would love to stay in bed but something about having a friend waiting on me at the stop sign keeps me getting up. The truth is I feel much better, I get more done in a day, and I am able to cope with things much better. So, until the snow comes back we will keep meeting at the stop sign and I will conquer my condition.

Healthy???

2010-04-22T18:37:00.001-07:00

So I am on a quest to be Organized and Healthy by Christmas. I am slowly ever so slowly doing both. On Saturday I went to a bread making class with Jessica, her family, and Susan. Not sure I was impressed at all but always willing to try a new recipe. My first attempt was pizza that worked great and Dan loved it. My second attempt was bread for Sunday dinner, it failed miserably. The taste was good but the texture was all wrong. Dan kept encouraging me because the concept is to save money by making your own bread that is healthier for you. So I made spinach feta bread on Tuesday night and we all loved it. I used the wheat instead of bread flower. So last night my family wanted pizza again. Knowing that this is not the healthiest dinner to eat I agreed. I was brave and went way out of the norm on this one. I used the wheat recipe to start with. Jake hates pizza so I always make him bread sticks, this time I chopped up some fresh spinach and put under the cheese. I made my own pizza sauce. (The can from the grocery store is not healthy for you.) My pizza sauce. . . stewed Tomatoes, 2 cups fresh spinach, green pepper, onion, garlic, and Italianseason put it all in the blender and tada you have fresh pizza sauce. YUMMY!!! Then I loaded our pizza with veggies and meats including spinach and added 1/2 the normal cheese. I was worried wondering if my family would even try it. Now that you are all wondering. . . Yes, they ate it and loved it. They said, "they like white crust better but they will eat it with wheat. If you are reading this and think she has gone nuts your right we are eating lots of nuts at our house as well. I am not loosing any weight do to my attempts at eating healthy and exercising but I feel better and so I will keep trying.

Old McDonald's Mom???

2010-04-19T07:39:00.000-07:00

I had no idea when I had this little boy 7 years ago that the farm would come with him. I can't wait to see where life takes him and what profession he chooses. From a very young age he has loved animals. When he was 3 he asked for a a whale. I told him he couldn't have a whale, they were as big as our house and they needed to live in the ocean. He said, "maybe Dave (Cattoor) could dig us a big hole and we could fill it with water." Soon I convinced him this was not possible so his next request was an incubator. That was different birthday request for a 3 year old boy but, doable. Dan questioned me then and I had to remind him that we had steers and horses for Zeak what was the difference? At age 4 we got the chicken coop and a few chickens. Age 7 a pony not that we don't already have 4 full size horses, 8 roping steers (4 babies due any day,) 2 show steers, 3 dogs, 2 cats, a coop full of chickens, a cage full of chicks, we have had several goats, and now we have 2 DUCKS! I am not at all happy about this latest addition to our farm. They are messy, they stink, we already have chicks... ugh!!! I'm sure you are all thinking don't you already stink with all of those animals what can two little ducks hurt? I DIDN'T want to be Old McDonald's wife, mom, or daughter. This was not my life long dream.

So how did this happen? Dan made Jake a deal that if he worked really hard at the scout service project Saturday then, he would buy him something. Ice cream would have been great don't you think? But, no when Dan asked what he wanted Jake said, "Ducks!" (I am sure he had the most mischievous grin on his face as he said it knowing that he had manipulated his way into getting ducks.) Dan's response, " hun my hands were tied he worked harder than most of the grown men that were there. " Jake tells me he will take care of them and clean up after them. He drew a picture of the duck pen and pool for him and his dad to build and he claims they will eat all of the bugs in my garden. I am amazed at his knowledge of animals and how to take care of them at such a young age. So I guess I will learn along with him and Find Joy in the Journey of being Old McDonald's mom. If the bugs get bad and you need to borrow our ducks for a few days Jake will rent them out but, I must warn you he comes with the ducks!

Workin' Man

2010-04-12T07:25:00.000-07:00

Some days I struggle with the workin' man I am married to. Growing up my dad would come home cook us dinner help us with our horses and then sit in front of the TV for an hour or two before going to bed. It is interesting that you just assume the way you grew up is the same as everyone else. It is hard to adjust your expectations when you have only one experience to form those expectations. Even though my dad was a hard worker and a great provider for our family I really had know idea what hard working was. Dan to a fault is always working. He gets up in the morning works all day and then comes home and keeps on working. Today is a perfect example of this. He got home about 5:00 pm only to drive back into Nephi so he could pick up Mike's bobcat. He then proceded to extend our garden spot, tear out the freezer that didn't work last year and level the driveway. Eearlier that morning I had mowed our front lawn and fertilized all of the lawns, flowerbeds and raspberries. I wanted to get it done before the storm moved in that night. Dan got a jump on the storm but didn't beat it so at the end him and Zeak just joined it. Most men and women would have called it quits and went in the nice warm house but not my workin' man. He is getting so he involves our children in his after work projects. It amazes and frustrates me that they enjoy working for him more than for me. When I grabbed the camera to take photos (which he is getting more comfortable with) he said, "when you get frustrated with me not working inside you go look at theses photos. It isn't that I am not working I am just not doing what you want me to do." He has me there! So as I was reading my scriptures that last two mornings I had a thought come to me and the more I think about it the more I realize that I am married to a great man. As I read about Nephi and we all know what a great man he was I see similar characteristics in my workin' man. He is not idle, he loves his family, he trust in the Lord, he obeys the Lord, he doesn't murmur

(even when I think he is justified), and he goes and does. If something is broke he fixes it. If someone says it can be done he figures out a way to do it. I have much to learn from this workin' man and I hope that my children our learning from his example. I am so blessed that this workin' man in MINE!

Branding Time

2010-04-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

The Man with the Iron!

(Grandpa Don)

Like Father Like Son

Working the Ground

The Girls

If you have never been to the branding fire you are missing out. I love the spring time it means, new flowers, new babies, turkey hunting, and branding. One the thing that amazes me is how noisy it is. It almost sounds like a swarm of bees. Mama cows calling for their babies and scared babies actually answering the call of their moms. My least favorite part is the smell. My favorite part of branding is the family togetherness. Grandparents, moms, dads, kids, husbands, wives, aunts, uncles, cousins, and us adopted family all working together and having fun. Berezays believe in working hard and having fun while you work. They are so good at making sure everyone gets their turn. Even the youngest tikes get to help if they want. This year I took photos, set out lunch, and helped push the cows back at the very end with all of the girls. It was another fun filled day at the Branding fire with some of our most favorite people. Jake and Kaci missed out this year because they were having fun at the desert with grandma and grandpa Woodland they did bring me back a surprise.

Zeak's Class Party

2010-04-07T07:26:00.000-07:00

One thing about being a "flexible working" mom, is that I can attend my kids school activities and help in the classroom. I have helped in the classroom since Zeak started school. I missed the year Kaci was born yet, I was still able to help with activities and class parties. I love being with my kids and letting them know how important school is. This year I go in every Thursday and help with the take home books in Jake's class. I usually take Kaci with me she loves it and always wants to stay. She even asked Mrs. Wohlforth the Prinicpal if she could stay one day. Mr Peay Zeak's teacher is not a fan a mom helpers so I am glad I was able to help with the Easter Party. Tina came and helped me which was a blessing. We played a hard boiled egg game that the kids had fun with . The craft was the biggest hit and the boys loved it more than the girls. Who would have guessed? Mr Peay is a great teacher for Zeak. He is pretty rough around the edges but, he is great for Zeak he relates to him and expects a lot out of him.

Faith Restored

2010-04-05T21:04:00.000-07:00

!!!Warning!!! I am going to be completely honest here! Sometimes being a mother is so hard for me. I want so much for my kids and struggle with how to teach them and how to get them to see. It is hard for me to remember I can't beat it into them. I can't lecture it into them. Most important I can't yell it into them. I had high hopes for the Easter Holiday and tried way to hard to create memories, fun, and excitement. Worst of all I tried way to hard to teach them about Easter. Maybe not to hard just tried at the wrong time. By Sunday afternoon I was feeling like the worst mom in the whole world. I was in tears in my room when I heard a talk given Elder Bradley D. Foster. http://broadcast2.lds.org/general-conference/2010-april/2010-04-5030-elder-bradley-d-foster-eng.mp3 He told a story about herding cows. My favorite quote from his talk was, "The end would be better than the beginning." Tonight I was humbled as Kaci and I watched a video and song about Jesus. She sat for an hour and asked me questions and looked at pictures of Jesus. When Dan and the boys came home she shared it with them. We replayed it twice and by the end they were all singing the song and telling me about Jesus.

1 Turkey Down 3 more to go!

2010-04-03T08:32:00.000-07:00

Jake Kareoke

We met Jake a few years ago at the Berezays. He is Janice's Nephew. When we met him Jake was a teenager doing all the crazy teenage things. While he was in college he was in a bad 4 wheel accident that left him paralyzed. He is such an inspiration to our family. The year after his accident he was out branding cows with us at the church farm. Dan got talking to him and asked him if he wanted to start hunting. So last year they put him in on a turkey and he went hunting for the first time. Last year was a huge learning experience for both him and Dan. They had a lot of fun but didn't bring home a turkey. He did however kill a deer last fall. So this year he got to hunt 3 days the weekend before the opening of the early draw. Dan asked him if he wanted to just kill a jake in Nephi or go to Fillmore and try for a big tom. He was all about going to Fillmore for a big Tom. Hunting in a wheel chair can be hard especially in 8 inches of snow. Lucky for Jake the Tom came to him in the truck so he only had to get out for pictures. Congrats! Now if the luck can hold true for next weekend when Dan gets to hunt.

Best April Fools

2010-04-02T08:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Morning Kaci and I couldn't decide if we could hear a chick or not. I kept checking but didn't see any cracks in the eggs or any egg shell. By the time the boys had come home from school I decided I really could hear a chick and so we kept watching.

At 4:30pm I heard the egg roll on the mesh screen and sure enough there was an egg shell on the mesh. Within 30 minutes he was out. The kids got to watch most of it and Kaci and Jake thought it was gross when I pulled the egg shell out. It really is amazing how loud such a tiny little creature is.
When they are first born they are kind of scary looking. You wonder if they are really going to make it.

With in a few hours they normally start to fluff out and look like those adorable little chicks you see at IFA. Because, of the power outage this little guy took a little longer to get his cute fluff. When the power went out I thought the incubator would be fine as long as we kept the lid closed. Boy was I wrong with in 15 minutes the temperature dropped to 70 degrees. This is really bad for the eggs that haven't hatched and the chick that just hatched. Temperature is crucial. Tina happen to txt me to see if our power was out and I called her to say do you have any hand warmers or some way to heat this little guy up. (Our hand warmers got used up at the indoor barn this winter by our cute little girl.) They said yes so I drove up to get them. Andy also had a little power converter that he sent for me to try. Just as I was getting the hand warmers working the power came on. I thought we are ok. At 2:00amish I got up to check on the horse I thought was sick earlier and went to check on the chick. For some reason the temperature was still at 70 degrees and the baby chick was almost dead. So the "Mother Hen" instinct kicked in and I took the baby chick into my bedroom and held him close thinking this was his only chance to live. Within a half hour he was warming up and showing life. The temperature was back up to 99.6 degrees in the incubator so I put him back in and tried to go back to sleep. At 4:30 am the alarm rang for Dan and Jake Kareoka to go turkey hunting so I got up to check on the baby chick and he looked great. Jake said, " wow your house is pretty active at night." Dan said, "good job mother hen the horse is fine and you saved the chick, and we are all exhausted." I couldn't go back to sleep for a while and when the alarm went off for the boys to go to school I wanted to die. But from the next to pictures you can see my sleepless night paid off. April Fool's (Kaci named him) is alive and well. Now to see if any of his friends survived the power outage.

(Jake got his turke at 7:30 am it is turning out to be a great day)

This is our little April Fools Chick.

April Fools

2010-04-02T07:58:00.001-07:00

Mother Nature and the Power Company didn't miss out on the fun this year. We woke up to 5-6" of fresh snow on the ground. It sure is much prettier in December than in April. Then just as we were getting home from our prank and getting the boys in bed (10:15 pm) the power went out. This would normally stress my children out but they stayed really calm I was really impressed. We all did well until I realized that this was not good for our new April Fools Chick. We gathered all of our flashlights and candles. Glad we were more prepared than the last power outage!
The boys wanted to play an April Fools trick on the Williams'. The girls are always door bell ditching us so we started trying to think of ways we could get them. Dan was to busy planning his turkey hunt and working so the boys and I were on our own. I wanted to fill their door will snow and then ring the door and go the problem was the snow had melted and wasn't enough for us to do that. So then I decided in the interest of time we could just get a big paper and write April Fools on it. So the boys and I set out to play our April Fools trick. We were so excited. Even though it didn't work like we wanted the boys had fun and we will be more prepared next year! So Williams' fair warning the contest is on for the best April Fools prank.
Jake lost his 3rd tooth. He had a little help from grandma Barnhurst put pulled it out by himself.

Zeak didn't want to miss out on the attention so he pulled out his back molar.

Cort (Brenda & Clay's little boy) turned one yesterday, yep he is our April Fool Baby and he loves Moos! We love him and had fun celebrating his birthday with him. He will give us a great reason to celebrate April Fools every year.

So you can see that our April Fools was very Eventful and I will save the best event for it's own post!

Easter Egg Hunt

2010-03-30T15:44:00.000-07:00

Rylon was scared of the bunny. He wouldn't get close and kept his head buried in my shoulder. He did way good bye but wouldn't look at him.
We met up with Grandma Woodland and the kids after the first easter egg race!
Jake is so independent I didn't get any photos of him gathering candy or eggs. They were suppose to have the 0-4 go first and then the 5-8. That was good in theory but didn't work the 5-8 year old's were done before I got off the field. I'm not sure why I was worried about Jake missing his? He got himself there on time and got a sack full of Candy.
Grandma Woodland bought all of the kids wristbands for the bouncy toys they had a blast. Even the 2 year old's thought it was fun!

Kaci and Rylon waiting to go get candy and eggs.

Rylon had his first sleepover at Aunt Lisa's he did great! Friday night they were able to go play with Cort for a few hours. Saturday morning we had to be up by 8:00 to go clean the church. All of the kids came and helped. Then we got ready and went into Nephi for the Easter Egg Hunt. Call me a party pooper but that was our first and last Nephi Easter Egg Hunt! I can't deal with that many crazy parents and their kids. I am going to stick to small family Easter egg hunts. They are more personal and fun. After the chaos we took the kids back to Susan's to have lunch and let the kids play. They were having so much fun and then disaster struck. Rylon fell and got hurt, the hard part is no one really saw and knows how far he fell. I felt sooooo bad. I was really worried about him because he wasn't crying normal he cried like he hurt really bad. Luckily he was ok. Hopefully he wasn't to traumatized and will want to come back for another sleepover.

Science Fair

2010-03-29T19:28:00.001-07:00

This year Zeak chose to do what liquids would actually germinate a seed. This was fun for our family especially Jake. Kaci helped Zeak plant the seeds and Jake was faithful at helping him water or liguify them everyday. The board caused us some serious stress just because we procrastinated as usual but we got it done. This year I actually made it in time to see the other projects and was in complete aw of the creativity. I think Jake is going to be the serious scientist at our house he loves things like that. Zeak was excited to share is project with Grandma and grandpa Sperry who are so good to support us in everything. I don't mind these projects and even though they require some help from the parents I learn a lot from them. I am grateful to have this time to learn with my kids just need to learn to make it less stressful.

Arrow of Light

2010-03-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

Walking over the bridge from cub scouts, to Scout.

Andy was kind and came to shoot for Zeak and Sam's Arrow of Light. They put up colored balloons and in one shot Andy pops all of the balloons. This was really fun then Andy let each of the boys shoot his bow. Zeak did really well for not shooting very much. This brought on the competition and Taylei came to out do him. Someday they are going to use that competition to their advantages.

His biggest Fans his mom and dad who were proud of him!

Zeak's Fan club, Grandpa & ma Woodland, Grandma Barnhurst, Clay Brenda Cort, Grandpa & Ma Sperry, Andy Tina Taylei Keanna Kyler Aysen.

I think Zeak is so excited to be moving on to scouts. He has gone to scouts for years with his dad and to actually be official is really special to him. It is hard to believe he is old enough to go into scouts. It almost makes me cry just thinking about it. I remember when he was a toddler and would go to the Tuesday night activities with Dan. Before long he was old enough to attend some camp outs. Now he is old enough to be in uniform. I am so glad he earned theses awards and even though for him it was more of a social event to attend scouts I know that he learned things that will help him throughout his life.