May 19th

Last year for our Anniversary we went to Sonic with our kids  :-)  Which honestly I enjoyed.  We both worked that day, and it was Zach's late day so he didn't get off 'til 7:00 .... now why he didn't get home til 7:30 was a fight!! Anyway, he did much better this year we went to a fondue restuarant.  It was different and fun. 

This was the night Zach asked my parents if he could marry me Feb. 13th  He looks so pale :-) and young.  After my mom told him that I would still be going to dental school and he wouldn't derail me, she told him "Why are you asking us anyway, if Anneliese says no then you don't have to ask us."  (Leave it to my mom to make the situation awkward for Zach.)  Little did she know that from the first time I met Zach, I was really hoping for a proposal.

Happy 9 years Zach.  I couldn't be happier!

Bryton's Birthday

Can't believe she is 3.

Pedaling took her a couple days but she can go go go now.  Too bad the weather has been bad lately.  Every day she asks to ride her bike -- I can't wait for summer.

April 17th

Happy Birthday to my spunky, happy, three year old!  Here are just a couple pics I have of her through out the year that I never posted on the blog. 

The next few pictures are some I just found of my cousins wedding that was last August.  Bryton was center front stage on the dance floor all night - in fact she was the last to leave the floor.

Check out my dad in the background :-)

Leading the dance line

I think we might have some trouble in her teenage years :-)

Bryton and Anna - they are so cute together

Also, today Bryn, Jenny, Josh, and I ran The Robie Creek half marathon my first (and last) half marathon.  I had no interest in doing one - ever!!! However, Zach and my lovely sister had other plans and signed me on up for it.  It's called the toughest half marathon in the Northwest and let me just say I would agree! It was horrid!!!  8.5 miles uphill and a 4.6 steep downhill. The gun went off about 3 mins before we even reached the starting line so our official time by the gun was a bit different than our ankle chips said we were.  My always, more talented, sister - ran it in 1 hour 54 mins by her ankle chip.  AMAZING!! I was 2hr11min.  I was hoping for 2 hours but good night that uphill was a killer!!! Josh 2hr2min... 

Right before

Notice I'm not so excited

This is about 2 hours later after we came off the mountain and had gone to get a Jamba Juice.  There are purposely no pictures right after the race - I looked like death.  Look how excited Bryn and Josh still are.  Stupid kids.  Let me just say I would rather go through Bryton's birth and all the complications that went with it than ever run that again.

The Truth Be Told

As I was doing laundry in the other room I heard this from the kitchen.
Ty to Zach "When I grow up I'm going to need a big car 'cuz I'm going to have six kids."
Zach "Oh really?"
Me shouting "You may re-think that after you have your first."
Zach "Yeah, especially if they keep you up at night when you're tired because they are afraid to go to bed." (we are currently dealing with this issue often at our house)
Ty "I'll just ignore them."
Zach "Oh, like I do you?"
Ty "Yeah, I'll just let the Mom take care of them."
Yes, proof that us mom's do everything!!!!

Ty's Imagination

Ty is constantly talking to himself- creating - imagining... whatever.  He goes into his on little world for hours with Spongebob and friends, either made from blocks, drawn by him ,or cut out from coloring books.  Last night he couldn't find two of the spongebob characters before he went to bed.  I told him in the morning we would color them and cut them out, but that it was time to go to bed. This morning he informed me that he couldn't sleep all night because Sandy (whoever that one is) was crying all night for her two missing friends ( I think he said spongebob and the seastar guy).  I wonder if he honestly thinks he hears them talking???  If so the Blackfoot Mental Hospital might be getting a new patient soon  :-) 
At times his imagination is great because, like I said, it will keep him occupied and I get things done.  Other times, it's super annoying.  Like when he is giving hypotheticals to me about them, and wants to know what would happen to them in that situation.  Or, when he wants me to tuck them in at night - making sure to give them a kiss.  So, because of that, Zach and I have relentlessly tried to make him understand that cartoons are just drawings and are not real.  He tells me they are, but they live in California.  (I also tried to explain that many of the things in California are not real!!!)

( Ty's Spongebob Drawings)

Well, also this morning we turned to a cartoon I've never seen before.  It had talking cats, a snake and some other creatures.  The kids were quite amuzed and when it got to a part with a dancing snowman I sarcastically asked "WHAT??"  Ty then said "Don't worry Mom, it's not real, someone is in it." (Yeah a talking cat was inside the snowman)  Apparently dancing snowmen are not real, but if you are wondering talking cats and snakes are.    We love you lots Tyger Monkey!!!

Gold Fork

Bryn and Luke are up in the mountains doing their rural medicine rotations.  Bryn in Cascade and Luke in McCall.  So, we decided to join them for the weekend, and lucky us it happened to be at the same time as McCall's Winter Festival.  We had a blast... the fireworks, ice sculptures, face paintings, back-country skiing, but the best had to be...

Gold Fork Hot Springs.  It's in Donnelly and so much fun.  Here are a few pics.

Each pool got progressively cooler

The bottom of this pool had sand :-)

Bryn and Luke not worrying (at the moment) about residency next year!!!

The Hot Springs claims that the waters have "healing power."I don't know about that, (Alcohol, if I drank, seems to be the only healing power I'd need lately) but we did have a good time just relaxing!

Swimming

To begin I need to share some background. Ty is super super skinny. I am always telling him he needs to eat or I'll get him taken away because people will think I'm a bad Mommy for not feeding him. Bryton as a baby was pretty chunky -- not nasty chunky but cute chunky. So, we've always called her "fatty" or Chunky - monkey" meaning it in the most endearing way. Well, she's thinned out considerably, but still has a gut which makes her little body so cute -- and the nicknames have stuck. Yesterday we took the kids swimming with their cousins. (sorry no pics) Bryton, as always, was being so brave jumping in to us in the deep end, going under water and holding her breath.... Ty, on the other hand, was having a good time but only staying in the shallow end where he could touch. I brought him to the deep end and asked him to please try to be brave and jump into me like his sister. So the conversation went something like this.

Me: Ty why don't you try jumping in to us.
Ty: No Mom!
Me: But Ty it will be fun and I will catch you.
Ty; I don't want to Mom.
Me; (getting frustrated by this point) Ty look at Bryton, she's doing it. Are you really going to let your little sister be more brave than you?
Ty: Um, Mom don't you know fat things float!!

Polar Express

I know the day after Thanksgiving is supposed to be for shopping, but I tried that last year and it was miserable. So, this year we took the kids to the "North Pole" on the Polar Express Train.Getting ready to go. The kids were so excited to go to Santa's house. Bryton just thought being on the train was neat.Grinch 1 and Grinch 2On the way we sang Christmas songs with Jingle Bells and it was a tantrum when we had to give them back.Polar Express

Looking out the window at Santa's house as we arrived.

Telling Santa what to bring.

Bryton actually wasn't scared of Santa - just mad she wasn't getting a candy cane immediately!

Oops, Ty forgot a present and had to go back.

I think the kids had a great time (I did), and what a fun and magical memory to have.

Flippin' the Fly

I will admit I'm not an avid angler. I enjoy fishing but it's something I wouldn't do on my own, only if Zach goes (we were fishing when he proposed). Usually, I will only go in the summer when it's warm (so I can get a tan) and bring a book so I can read when I get bored, because Zach can literally spend the entire day fishing. But I do love the feeling of hooking a fish. Zach enjoys steelhead fishing because of the size of the fish, but goes when it's cold. Well, I asked if this year I could go spend two days in the cold with him, because I would love to catch a HUGE fish. He warned me this wasn't like regular fishing where you're at least getting a bite every so often. You fish for hours before you get a bite, but because of the size of the fish it's well worth it. We went to Riggins, and went with a wildlife biologist we met through Zach's dad. He studies the Salmon Runs, so the perfect guy to show us where the fish are. (Zach went with him last year)

This is Dr. Burns with a "fish on"
Bringing it in.
I have to admit this isn't what I expected-- to me it just looks like a big Rainbow Trout. But it is a steelhead and 25 inches.

And this is me giving up. 7 and a half hours of fishing later, a sore arm, and NO fish!! Nope, all day I fished, I kept telling myself positive sentences "I'm going to catch a fish this cast" "Okay this time"..... I've heard there's a book that says if you throw postive thoughts out to the universe the universe will hear you and reward you -- NOT TRUE. The second day I only lasted 1 hour before I gave up and took a nap in the car. I can only say it was beautiful up there and I did enjoy having nothing else going on or anything to think about except fish for two days.

Halloween

My mom made this cute clown suit when my brother Josh was little. I can't do anything like this, she spent my and Bryn's whole childhood making sure we weren't domestic and now wonders why we don't can, cook, sew or craftt!!! :-)

Seriously, not even 5 minutes after I put the makeup on and she already had it smeared!

Go Bucks!! I thought for sure with as many BSU fans there are here, one of them wasn't going to give a treat to Ty because he's not wearing blue and orange
The kiddos off to get the candy. Halloween was so fun this year. Ty actually dressed up without a fight and just headed off with his cousins, and Bryton loved trick or treating. All the other kids ran from door to door leaving her in the dust. She took her time, and went to all the doors as well only a lot slower, but she wouldn't let us hold her or her bucket of candy. She wanted to do it and didn't complain at all.

Vedera

Thursday night Zach and I went to the Mat Kearney concert. It was fun. I like his songs - minus the rapping he puts in some. Anyway, his opening act's name was Vedera. They were so good. I bought their CD and love it, so I thought I'd share. Vedera's a band of 4 from Kansas City, with a female lead singer who has the coolest voice I think I've ever heard. Check 'em out. I've put my favorite song on my blog. Take a listen and let me know what you think.