Ahh the joys of parenthood

I know from the title it probably sounds like I have some ridiculous story to tell about my children, which they do make me laugh everyday with the silly things they do. In fact I cringe every time Dallas tells me about his drawings in church and what his teachers must think. This Sunday he told my parents that he learned Rock and Roll at church. Ahh yes... Rock and Roll. He was singing the black eyed peas song, "Tonight is going to be a good night". As the songs were being sung and prayers were being said. Oh my.
This morning I put Sofi in the bath and Dallas had the need to get out his guitar and serenade her with the Monday Night football song and then he sang her a song about being a girl riding a four wheeler. It was very cute.
Sofia is finally sitting in her high chair. She has been sitting on her own for awhile , it's just taken us this long to get it out for her. She is really wiggly and loves moving around, but alas is determined not to ever be on her stomach or crawl. She may just run for her first move. It is totally her style. I think she is going to give me a run for my money.
Ace as you have read previously is now studying for the CPA. I am proud of him for going to the library rather then coming home as we all wish were possible. But the sacrifice is totally worth it. We got to have lunch the other day. Since he is working further away now, it is a luxury. He also brought some beautiful yellow roses. What a keeper. That is life at the call house. Fun, crazy, and totally the best.

Happy Halloween!!!!!

So, we had a great Halloween. Dallas Jay was a cowboy, I know...stop the presses, never would have guessed that one, right? Liz and Jordanne sewed his costume, they made a set of chaps and a vest. It turned out great. He wore Uncle Andrew's scarf, and of course, he had his pair of six shooters! Sofia went as a bumble bee, which suits her personality, sometimes she's really cute, but man, when you piss her off, she'll sting ya! Jyl dressed up as a mom and I dressed up as a football player, which, I found out via Dallas Jay's instructions, was not correct. So, Saturday, I, also, was a cowboy! We even got Winnie a scarf and she was our cowdog!

Friday night we went up to Loveland's shop and had a huge Halloween party. It was great. There was hay bales all set out, and the kids ran and played. We had homemade soup, and then after the dinner, we sat around the hay bales and
the kids did a trick or treat walk. I must say, Liz and Steph looked great!

Saturday was a busy day, as we know no different around our house! We woke up and went out to the farm, Dallas Jay, Winnie and I helped Jesse and Dallas Sr. put a new gate on at the cellar. Evidently, there's some harvest workers that think it's OK to run their potato truck through a five-bar gate, turn around in the cellar, and then run it over on the way out. You know, in case they missed completely demolishing it at 30 mph! Dallas spun cookies on his power wheels four wheeler while we worked. Sr. taught junior how to crawl under a fence, and he brought home enough dirt in his clothes that we are going to have an increase in property taxes this year [accountant's joke].

Then it was up to drop off Dallas Jay at Grandma Baileys as he made sugar cookies with her and Aunt Steph. Mighty tasty! We then met some friends downtown and went through the slowest trunk or treat you've ever seen. It was probably 1,000 people, walking around two blocks to get candy from 6 stores! But, it is always fun to see Dallas Jay with his soccer buddy Cambell. What can we say, good company makes the time fly! Grandma Cha-Cha stopped in and walked through the madness with us.

Then we went to our trunk or treat at our church. It was great. Heidi and Scott showed up with Dallas' play buddy Emma. I wish I had the camera on me, because those two are so cute together. W e got to see a lot of our friends, and it was fun to walk around with Dallas. He was really more interested in playing with his friends than he was getting candy! We had a good time seeing all of our friends dressed up.

Then it was back up to Grandma Bailey's for the traditional Halloween Pizza and candy. It was fun to see Reese in her Duck costume. So cute.

So, Halloween is over, now it's time to put up Christmas lights...oh man, I can hear my Dad saying, "You ready Rusty?" Yes, that's right, it's Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, which, Jyl has outlawed at our house. It's not my fault that she is not more closely drawn to the finer points in life!

We had a great time with our friends, but now it's back to work for me. I have to get going on my studying for my CPA exams. I've got one in November, and one in January. So, if I'm a little incognito for a while, you'll know why. I was about to say that if I was a bit cranky....but, we know that I'm that way naturally! Hahahaha.

On to Thanksgiving....the best holiday of the year! Turkey, football, Turkey, parade, Turkey and...stuffing!

Happy birthday Dallas!

Yeah! Dallas Jay turned four! He is growing up so fast. We celebrated with chocolate cake and ice cream and then spent the weekend in Island Park. It was really fun. Dallas loved all his fun presents. We took him to Yellowstone and saw some beautiful elk and bison. It was really cold, but it was fun to see old faithful. As we were driving and Dallas kept questioning what we were doing every four minutes (must be something with the age haha), we kept telling Dallas that we were going to a national park to see the animals. He was first disappointed in the fact that we weren't going to a giant playground and then was disappointed when it wasn't like seeing animals at the zoo. Oh well. What can you do. So... we took him the the bear and wolf preserve right outside the gates! They have bears and wolves, like the zoo, and a play ground! Perfect! One of the most fun things was sitting by the fireplace in the morning and watching the snow fall, a lot of snow on Sunday. Dallas and Ace went on a bike ride, prior to the snow, and Dallas is almost as fast as Ace. He is fun to watch! So happy b-day to Dallas.

Way to go Dallas!

The one day that Ace and I decide not to take the camera to the soccer game and Dallas makes 5 goals! Of course! He did so great today. The one thing we do have to work on with him though is that as he runs he likes to watch his shadow! We've got to get his head up when he runs! It's funny he has a huge cheering section and luckily he listens to his coach on his field and not his ten coaches on the sidelines. Jesse and Brooke took to teaching D the rougher side of soccer. He tried to be a little more aggressive at practice and made a kid cry (which this kid cries all the time) so now he's a little timid, but today I think he had a good balance of being assertive and not overly aggressive. He's so much better then his mom.
He is riding his little bike everywhere and loves to pretend that he is popping wheelies. He's getting more and more brave and I am afraid that one of these days he is going to do it for real. I was proud of he and Ace they took a lot of time out of their Saturday to help with several projects for friends and the church. Sometimes it's hard to help when you have your own things you need to do, but they had a good attitude about it.
Sofia is growing so fast. We went to the doctor for her shots and she is in the 96% for height and 75 for weight. She's such a long stinker. She finally broke a tooth. I am so happy! She is seriously the drooling queen. She is a fun kid. It's fun having mommy daughter time when Dallas and Ace are doing Daddy son things, which is a ton at our house. I watched a show the other night and the girl said that she only wanted to have four boys because she wanted to be the queen of that household. I felt bad for her because that mother daughter relationship is so special. Even though Sofi and I don't talk yet she is just my sweetie. [this is Ace, and I'd say that's 100% true because Sofi is so attached to Jyl, it's alarming. She so much as sees Jyl walk by, and she freaks out if she doesn't come over and pick her up, and that's even with my holding her. I'll have to work hard to ever get her looking my way once in a while! Okay, here's Jyl again].
I love the fall. It is one of my favorite seasons. I always loved it when I was younger because I was one of those dorks that loved school. I love being social and truthfully I like to learn. It also meant a quieter time at our home, once harvest was over, and we were so close to going skiing it was almost unbearable! Jesse and I were reminiscing about working harvest and some of the funny things that we did. I was always stuck picking clods and looked forward to every moment when Jess and I could work together, but he usually was doing something for my dad. We were talking about that time that I was told to push a button on the table and my cousin Doug was working on the table with my dad and our friend, Doug Brenchley. Well either I pushed the wrong button or I pushed it at the wrong time and I managed to brake Doug's arm. I still feel really bad about that one! Sorry Doug. After that I didn't push anymore buttons!

Dallas's first game!

It's true! Dallas has started playing soccer this year for the first time. So far he likes it. He likes to move the ball with his hands to where he thinks it should be, he likes to fall like he's rolling off the horse just like uncle Andrew and he can't stand still. It is so funny they are standing on the o line getting ready to kick off and he's out there dancing. He totally cracks me up. It was great watching him play with the other kids. He had a lot of supporters this week. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Bailey and Miss Stephanie. Steph was so funny she was the soccer aunt and cheered Dallas on. It was so fun to listen to her advice and she was always helping the kids to remember which goal was theirs and which one was not. She is a true sports fan! Enjoy the pics!

p.s.

Ace being the kid at heart he always is gave me my Christmas present today! He is so funny. He gave me a laptop and photo program! He said it was so we could be connected while I'm a single parent (for those of you who don't know outside of the accounting world, you might call it tax season)! He is the greatest ( see post below).

Ace is ten years old!

Ok so for those of you who know Ace he's not really ten, although if you mention fishing, football, or fourwheeling he might act like a ten year old!! haha! Actually today Ace has been a member of the church for ten years now. He reminded me of that today and I had totally forgot and felt like a jerk! It was a huge change for him, it just didn't feel that different to me. He was, is such a christ like person that all he needed was the information, the plan, and he already had all the attributes in spades, that by the way I am still working on every day. So here's to you Ace, the best husband a woman could ever want. Thanks for always being there for me and for being the man you promised to be the day I married you. I love you.

Camping in Stanley '09

This year was a great year in Stanley. Dallas got to go up early with his Nanna, his great grandparents, Aunt Susie and cousin Landon. He loved it and Ace, Sofi and I totally missed him. We missed hearing all the fun things he says and all the interesting things he finds to do. He is a huge part of our family and we just didn't feel whole without him. I know he probably missed us a little, but I know he had a ton of fun fishing with Grandpa great, he caught many many fish with the guidance of his wonderful grandpa! Thank you grandpa! He also went swimming in Redfish lake and was loved and taken care of so well. Thank you to all who took him. We love you! Later that week Ace, Sofia and I went as well. We camped in a tent and enjoyed the 30 degree nights! We finanlly got sleeping arrangments figured out on the last night. Ace did some fly fishing and we all did the fun fishing and fourwheeling! With the great food and company it was a trip to remember!

Floyd's 90th

We had so much fun with everyone this weekend. There were about 50 people at our house Friday night, and we had a great time! Fortunately it was nice and we could be outside!

To all those that traveled down from various parts, thanks for coming, it was great to see you all. Thanks to everyone for their hard work for the party this weekend. It's always fun to see everyone, and the food was excellent!

Thanks especially to Lincoln for taking these great pictures. Love the one of Jyl and Sofi!

Take care,

-Ace

The Rodeo

This year we got to go to the downey rodeo with our good friends, the Jeppsens. We had a great time and loved looking at all the animals. One of the bronc's even got within touching distance and sent some dirt flying over our heads!
I bought Dallas a great old farm chest that our friend had antiqued and quietly put all his toys in it one night while he was asleep. He woke up the next morning and I showed him the chest and where his toys were. He was so excited that I had bought him all new toys! So now instead of buying new toys I am just going to buy things to put them in!

I am so blessed

No really I am. I have great kids and a wonderful husband. Sure we have our fair share of disagreements and arguments, but who doesn't? I just needed to put into writing how grateful I am for Ace. He is a hard worker and worries all the time about me and my needs. He works around the house and helps with everything. He is a fantastic dad that is always thinking of ways to be active and doing stuff with the kids. I really appreciate the sacrifices he makes for our families and that he tries so hard. He is my best friend and a wonderful husband.
I am so grateful for Dallas. He makes me smile every day and there are days where that can be a challenge, but he does it. He was up this morning early playing with Sofi. I was out feeding the dogs and thought they were both asleep still, but no they were in their room playing. They were both giggling at 6:30 am. That is a beautiful thing to hear in the morning. He is the big brother to a tee. He tries to take care of everyone and everything.
Sofi is a sweet sweet little girl that just has a great smile that will brighten your day no matter what. She loves to coo and be apart of whatever we are doing. I feel very blessed for the family I have and want them to know how much I love them! Thanks for everything!

Sofi's Bling!

Well, I had a bit of a surprise to come home to yesterday! Jyl, Sofi and Dallas Jay had gone and had Sofi's ears pierced. I am glad they did it now. It looks cute and she won't be fussing with them as much, due to low dexterity! I'm just grateful it wasn't me that had to be holding her. I'm such a softy, and I don't think I'd have been able to handle it. I hate taking them to get their shots, so I know I wouldn't be able to do that! Way to go Jyl, you are one tough woman!

We took Dallas Jay biking last night. We took him over to ISU and wanted him to have a little more time behind the wheel and see if he'd take on to the whole concept of using the brakes. Well, he'd rather Fred Flinstone it and just use his toes. GRRRR. That doesn't help our shoe budget much! HAHAHAHAHA. We're going to see if Uncle Barrie could help us out with a hand brake. He may catch on to that one a little quicker.

Well, ready for another pack-it-in-weekend. We, unfortunately, know all to well the meaning of "Weekend Warriors!"

Dallas Jay's Boating Trip

Well, we had a great last minute trip with Uncle Jess and Aunt Brooke. They called us on Saturday afternoon and our other plans had dropped out, so we split over to AF as fast as we could. We're so proud of D. He jumped off the back of the boat and swam in the water with us.

This is a big accomplishment for him, because a year ago, he would barely let go of you when you were in the boat, let alone be brave enough to walk around the boat, and I'd have guessed it would be many years before we coaxed him off the back and into the water.

Last year we got him to sit on the swim deck with Jess and I. We had our feet in the water and some idiot drove his boat right around us. Needless to say that the swells put the entire swim deck under water and Jess and I about took a swim. It scared him pretty bad. Fortunately, he wasn't on the swim deck right then, but he was sure Dad wasn't going to make it!

So, here's some awesome pictures Brooke took.

Dallas Jay's funny sayings

So, Dallas Jay has been quite expressive lately. The other day we told him to pick up his shoes, and he turns to Jyl and said, "This is my life" with a total forlorn look.

Also, lately when he gets mad, he'll say, "I'm going into my room and I'm going to slam the door."

It cracks me up what they say!

I'm starting to study for the CPA again, so I'm going to be at the library for most of my free time. It's probably harder on me than it is on Jyl and the kids. They hang out, play outside, watch TV, or whatever. They hardly notice I'm gone.

OK, so that's not entirely true. Dallas Jay has been praying that I will have a day off soon. I guess that's a good sign that I need to focus my attention a little better than I had, eh?

By the way, Sofi has slept through the night for two nights in a row! We are hoping this trend continues. We keep thinking that with all the drool and fussing, that she's got some teeth coming in, but nothing's popped through yet. It's always emotional for Jyl when she sees their teeth for the first time. It's like when I help them build their first spreadsheet. Which, now that it's on paper, suddenly alarms me that Jyl and I may need help!

Hope all is well with you all.

Dallas Jay's First Hike

Dallas Jay, Me and Winnie..."The hikers!"


Well, Dallas Jay had been asking to go hiking like I did with Uncle Josh. So, I told him that if he was good, we'd go. He was so excited. All week long he was telling everyone that if he was good, we'd go on a hike.

We went over to City Creek. It was way busy, and I was worried that going up the center trail would mean lots of traffic, and I didn't want to have to worry about a biker coming around a blind corner and taking the little dude out. So, we climbed up to the Rim Trail.

Dallas Jay on the trail!



He did really well. He, of course, liked to kick the rocks and dirt. But, he did really well. Jyl and I are sure that the only way to live with this little squirt is to find a way to get some of his endless energy out, so, we'll try and do this more often! Seemed to work!

I realized how blessed we are to live in Pocatello. It's such a wonderful place that within minutes, literally minutes, you can be on a trail like this and see scenery like this. I know it's got some drawbacks, but the crime is low, the housing is cheap, and the outdoor possibilities are endless!

Hope all is well with all of you, our dear friends. And for those of you who haven't been in Pocatello for a while, here's some pictures to remind you how beautiful it is here!

Take care,

-Ace