Fun in the Snow!!

Yesterday we went tubing with Natilie and her family. We went up to Reed's dad's house. He has alot of property and every year he gets out his tractor and grooms the grandkids an awesome sledding hill. Taylor and Colton both brought snowboards and we had a handful of sleds. Everyone had fun. I even took a turn on the snowboard. Fortunately for me there is no photo of my very talented self making my way down the hill. I crashed. More that once. Jaycie learned how to snowboard, but Kinzie was not going to do it. She figured if she broke something it may be a day or two before we took her to the doctor. I wonder why she thought that.
The day was nice and it got warm enough that coats were shed. Thank you Grandpa Mark for letting us invade your house, and thanks Nat for enjoying the day with us.

Colton tearing it up on the snowboard. He eventually went off some good size jumps.


Kinzie, Torey, and Kadee trying to catch some air.


Jaycie catching some air on a jump.


Jeff even enjoyed taking a run down the hill on the snowboard.

Christmas Day

Christmas day in our household does not consist of sitting home playing with the loot Santa brought. We start our day at the butt crack of dawn with the kids jumping up and down wanting to see what santa brought. We open gifts which last about 10 minutes, and then is off to Grandpa Kerry's for breakfast. He was generous this year and gave the girls an arrow head necklace, Colton received a knife and all received cash. We visited there for a while and then it was off to Grandma Joan's for dinner. She too was also generous. Colton got a game for his x-box, Kinzie got a game for her Ds, and Jaycie got a Pixo's system( I don't know what it is really called.) After eating and visiting for a bit, we then headed up to Jeff's parents house.
My kids had opened presents from Grandma Joyce and Grandpa Jay earlier that morning. They bring the presents to our house before Christmas. Colton got another game for his x-box, and Kinzie and Jaycie both got games for their DS and one to share. My kids made out like bandits this Christmas. After Grandma and Grandpa's we came home (it is now about 8:00. It is time for kids to hit the sack. We are all exhausted. The day after Christmas is when the fun begins, my kids get to stay home for 2 blessed weeks doing nothing but playing with all the stuff they got for Christmas.

Jaycie proudly showing off her new I-pod that santa brought.


Kinzie unwrapping her presents as fast as she can. She got a camera from Santa.


Colton enjoying his Guitar Hero World Tour.

ElfYourself

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

A serious question....

Jaycie: Mom, do you think if Santa wasn't busy delivering toys he would like to be
a beard trimmer?

Mom: Yes, I think he would. He has the experience.

What are your thoughts on this very serious issue?

My Hero!

I sent Jeff a text last night telling him of my plight. So after class he went to Wal-mart in Orem to find my sauce. He called and told me my search was still on. I was very sad.
I fell asleep on the couch waiting for him to come home. When he woke me and we went up stairs, I could not believe my eyes. There were 4 sauces sitting on the counter in all there glory. He had went to Macey's in Orem and found my sauces.
Thank you, thank you, my wonderful husband.

Tragedy...

A couple of months ago my friend Jayne introduced me to this lovely concoction that was Raspberry Chipotle sauce, mixed with cream cheese and you eat it with tortilla chips. Deeelicious. I have been craving it but she said she got it in Texas. To bad for me. Or so I thought. I was then told by my other friend Mirm, that she saw it at Wal-mart. Gasp. I run right to Wal-mart and they are out. They have Blueberry Chipolte. I try it. Good, but not the same.
The search is on. I call my loving mother in P.G. and ask her to check her Wal-mart. Being the kind person she is she calls me and says she can't find it. I guess I will be taking a trip north to West Jordan where Mirm said she found it at Macey's. But, my mom calls back about 5 minutes later with news that she has found it but it is the last bottle.
Long story short... She gives it to my lovely sister Jammie, who brings it to the gym to give to me.
I open right then, sniff it, give Jammie a taste(mmmm delightful), I take a taste,(hmm heaven.)
I am giddy folks. I am so excited to take it home and eat some for dinner, then tragedy strikes.
I am getting out of my car and the bottle slips out of my hands and SPLAT on my driveway. I am sure they heard my scream all the way to Missouri. (Did you Jen?)
I was devastated. I was so very close to tears, but I had to be strong. The kids were watching.
Now the search is back on. Anyone going to Texas?

Another guitar concert....

but this time I was smart. I e-mailed the teacher and asked what time the guitar group was going to play. She e-mailed back and told me between 7:40 and 8:00. It started at 7:00. We showed up about 7:30, walked in, sat down, the guitar class came on. They played 2 songs and we were OUT OF THERE by 8:00. Couldn't have timed that one better. Oh yeah, Colton did a good job.

Viva Las Vegas!

Jeff and Darren(Jeff's co-worker and good friend)left for Vegas last Sunday for training. On Wednesday Darren's wife Allison and I flew down to meet our men. It was an uneventful flight. We left our house about 11:30 and the plane left at 1:35. We walked up to the kiosk, got our tickets, checked our bags and had an hour to kill waiting for the plane to leave. Everything was smooth sailing. We landed in Vegas at 2:00 amidst a sea of cowboy hats. They were everywhere. It was the National Finals Rodeo this weekend. The first night we were in Vegas we headed over to the Tropicana to watch a show. Jeff and I have never been to a show. It was the Folies Bergere. It was really good. The costumes were amazing and the show itself was really fun. Jeff was sorely dissapointed in the costumes (they were wearing them), but he thought the show was okay. Apparently the 10:30 show was topless. Oh dang, sorry Jeff. So if you are ever in Vegas and want to see a show, check out the Tropicana. The earlier show has clothing (what there is of it) and the later shows do not. The next day while the men were in class Allison and I went over to the Orleans and watched Twilight. Allison had never seen it and I was to happy to see it again. It is better the second time.
Also, while in Vegas I discovered a new passion. It is called crapps. Oh my heck, that has got to be the funnest thing I have ever played. It was a blast. While at the crapps table I was propositioned by an old man. When I declined, we became buddies, and he even lent me 5 bucks so I could stay in the game. I won $60 bucks, and then I lost it all the day we left. Oh well, time and money well spent. All in all we had an amazing time. Thank you mom and Joyce for watching the kids.
Now we are home in our own soft beds, and soft water. It is good to be home, we missed the kids.

The Anticipation...

After weeks of excitement we finally made it to Twilight. Kinzie and Jaycie counted down everyday for a week. They were so excited. My lovely sister got us all tickets. And by all I mean, nieces, nephews, aunts, sisters and our mom. We piled into the movie theater with all the other women and I think about 3 men/boys. It was filled with excited chatter and giggles. The previews come on , and then the movie starts. Bella comes on, screams. Edward enters and the theater comes to life. I will confess I got a little carried and I too did scream like a little girl. Well, it was just to add to the excitement:) I will admit, I was not to thrilled with the actor they had cast as Edward. I thought he should be better looking. I made a mistake. Dang people, he was so freaking sexy, and the chemistry was hot. I will also admit that any of the vampires in that movie can come and bite my neck at any time.

Conversation with Kinzie....

We were watching the CMA's the other night and Miley Cyrus came on with her dad to announce an award.
I said: I don't really like her dress
Kinzie: I think I am going to throw up....Oh wait someone did.. on her dress.
I laughed. She is pretty quick.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KINZIE!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Kinzie "boo - sparkle" Magnusson.

Eleven years ago today Kinzie was pulled out into the world and into our lives. And on my Grandpa's birthday too. Ever since then we have been kept on our toes. She makes us laugh, and cry. We are so glad she has blessed our home.
Eleven things we love about Kinzie:
1: She is a big helper
2: She makes us laugh
3: She is sassy
4: She is smart
5: She has a beautiful smile
6: She is quick witted.
7: She is strong - mind and body
8: She knows exactly what she wants
9: She is loving to her sister and brother
10: She is always willing to let Jaycie tag along
11: She makes our home a better place to be.

I also want to wish my Grandpa Simper a Happy 88th Birthday. It has been fun for Kinz and my Grandpa to share such a special day. We love you both.

What are you doing....

on November 21st? We are going to see Twilight. Already have tickets. I know you are all so very jealous.

Pumpickin Anyone

This is Jaycie's reminder to us that we needed to go and buy pumpkins for Halloween:

What do you think?

The last couple of weekends we have been painting Kinzie's bedroom. It was time for an update. This is the before:

And here is the after:
I still need to find curtains, but here it is. She really likes it, and it fits her personality perfect.

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

Tag

I am kind of getting sick of all these tags, but this one was fun and made me think:

Eight things I watch on T.V....
These are some that Jeff and I watch and some that are just always on


1. General Hospital (of course)
2. Two and a Half Men
3. The Office
4. My Name is Earl
5. Family Guy
6. My Boys (TBS)
7. Spongebob (kids)
8. Anything on Nick(KIDS)


Eight Things that Happened Yesterday...


1. Went to Work.
2. Kinzie came back from Clear Creek.
3. Went to the Gym.
4. Made dinner.
5. Woke Up
6. Took Jaycie to cheer.
7. Folded some laundry
8. Went to sleep



Eight Favorite Places to Eat....


1. Cafe Rio
2. Cafe El lago
3. Outback
4. Texas Roadhouse (all time favorite)
5. Macaroni Grill
6. Spaghetti Factory
7. Brick Oven
8. Paradise Bakery(new favorite)



Eight Things I am Looking Forward to....

1. Christmas, and all the holiday traditions.
2. When Jeff and I can tour the country on our harley's
3. Grandkids(not for another 15 years at least)
4. When we pay off the house.
5. Our next vacation...Just Jeff and I.
6. Trip to the beach, or Lake Powell, or both with the kids
7. Summer ( I hate the cold)
8. Retirement


I tag: whoever reads this and wants to participate.

Welcome Back Kinzie

Kinzie just returned from Clear Creek. She left yesterday with her fifth grade class. She didn't want to go because I wasn't going, but she decided she would miss out on a lot of fun. We sure missed her. The house was quiet and when we went to bed it felt like something was missing. I also worried about her, was she cold, hungry, sad, hurt. She has been to sleep-overs before, just not so far away from home. We are very glad to have her home.

The other Nikki Magnusson

We were informed the other day by Jeff's friends, that there is another Nikki Magnusson. They were online looking for our blog when they got a pleasant surprise. If they were really our friends, they would know My name is spelled with one K. This Nikki was naughty. So please, if you would like to google my name only use one K.

Picture Tag!!

This tag is great! It requires no thinking at all - Okay, here are the rules: Go to your pictures, go to your 6th folder, pull up your 6th picture and post it!

This is Jaycie with Ramsey. Our dog we had to put to sleep this past January.

I tag Jenn, Sherrie, and Mirm.

BRUTAL, BRUTAL, BRUTAL......

Colton had a guitar concert tonight at Willowcreek Middle School. He told me the teacher told him as soon as they were done performing they could go home. Awesome, we would be there and home within a half hour. WRONG!!! We get there and his group is freaking dead last. Of course they can go home right after, the concert is done. We sat for 2 hours listening to the Lehi JR. High Orchestra, beginning, advanced, and concert. Then we got to listen to Willowcreek Middle School beginning, advanced, and concert orchestra, then for our listening pleasure we heard the Lehi High School Orchestra. Let me just tell you I wanted to stab my ears with a dull fork. It would have been more enjoyable. Now don't get me wrong I like Phantom of the Opera, and Les Miserables, but this was brutal. This type of music is why we have serial killers. It is not Marilyn Manson, it is orchestra. I was going freaking crazy. By the time Colton came on I wanted to kill everyone in that whole freakin' auditorium. Colton came on and played hmmmmmm...about 30 seconds. Then the teacher announced the next concert is going to be December 10th. I have a Christmas party that night, I am sure of it. And if I don't, I will. Now I must go listen to AC/DC and calm myself so I can sleep tonight.

Happy Birthday Dad....

Well let me say this, about that...Happy Birthday to the man who has excellent taste in music, taught me to play baseball, showed me the way to Hart's, is known for his 'phrases', has 4 of everything(and I mean everything), and is the best fireman. We hope you have a wonderful day. From your "Favorite Daughter."

Husband Tag...

1. What's his name? Jeff

2.How long have you been married? 15 years

3.How long did you date? About 3 Weeks before we became engaged.

4.How old is he? 36

5.Who eats more? Him

6.Who said "I love you" first? He did.

7.Who is taller? He is.

8.'Who sings better? We both suck.

9.Who is smarter? I would like to say it was me, but I would be lying.

10.Whose temper is worse? His(of course. I am easy going :)

11.Who does the laundry? We both do. He will put some in to wash, and occasionally folds.

12. Who does the dishes? Both.

13.Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you're looking at the bed, he is. If you are in the bed, I am.

14. Who pays the bills? He does. I used to and then I decided it was too depressing.

15.Who mows the lawn? In the summer I did, but now he had Friday's off, so he does.

16. Who cooks dinner? Me

17. Who drives when you are together? Him, always. He doesn't like my driving.

18.Who is more stubborn? He is.

19. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? It's a toss up.

20. Whose parents do you see the most? Pretty even

21. Who proposed? Jeff did. Candlelight and Chinese food.

22. Who has more friends? He does

23. Who has more siblings? same, we each have 3

24.Who wears the pants in the family? psh. I do for sure. :)

I tag Mirm, Jenn, and Shaunte

Mascot Bowl

Tonight Harold Terry, along with the rest of the Police Deparment, were honored at the Mascot Bowl. It was really great to see Harold walking out onto the field with all of his co-workers and friends. He received a standing ovation and the tribute was really heartwarming. It was really awesome to see all the men in uniform receiving recognition. They risk their lives everyday and it was nice to see the community stand and give them that recognition they all deserve. We all are greatful that Harold is doing as well as he is.


After Harolds tribute and the National Anthem a couple of parachuters jumped out of a plane onto the football field. The kids said it looked like they had jet packs on. They came out of the plane and hauled butt onto the field, leaving behind a smoke trail.

For those of you that don't know what the Mascot Bowl is, it is a fundraiser for the Fireman and Friends Fund. The High School gets mascots from all over to come and play a fun game of football. Each year a different football team plays the mascots. This year the 8th grade football teams played the mascots. Here are a few of the Mascots. I don't know all the official names but the Bronco from the Denver Bronco's, the Philadelphia Eagle, Cosmo from BYU, Hoots the Owl from Orem Owls, Grizz from the Grizzlies, Bumble from the Buzz, the Jazz Bear, and I don't know why but Barney were all there. There were a bunch more, but I can't remember them all. It seem like most of the colleges in Northern Utah had a mascot here. The kids had a good time and thought it was pretty cool.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATILIE....

Happy Birthday to my little sister Natilie who loves...farmer tans, weird hair, and holding her children. I love you. Do you remember that post of me in My swimsuit? Well this is payback and not nearly as bad. I hope you had a wonderful day.

I am proud to say......

I got an A, on Colton's history paper. Thank you,I know, I am smart.

One Last time.....

We took the kids and went out on Utah Lake yesterday. It will probably be our last time this year. It was freezing cold. Jeff decided to buy the kids a "Molecule" for Christmas. He left it in his car, and as Kinzie rip-sticked by she saw it. She came bursting into the house "Dad bought us a molecule". Jeff's response...."shit". Well he didn't hide it very good. His fault.
I don't think we realized how big this thing was.

Jaycie will not ride on anything at the lake. She loves to ride in the boat, and she likes to swim. She is scared to death of falling off. She doesn't realize that we have all fallen off and survived. Well we had her convinced that you couldn't fall off this tube because it was just to stable, and we told her we would leave her at the lake it she didn't at least try it,so she did.....

Then I decided to ride on one of the big blue balls, and Kinzie also jumped up on one. Jeff was going like 5 miles an hour so Jaycie wouldn't be scared. Anyway somehow with me and Kinzie on the balls, it started whipping funny and I fell right off. That was it for Jaycie. My fault. I should have just went on a nice leisurely ride.
The kids had a blast. This thing whips you around so fast.

Even Jeff got into the action.

And for some, the excitement was just too much.

Jaycie asks......

What is cubic hair? HMM... I am stumped, what IS cubic hair? I think it is square hair. MOM... that's not what it is. What is it really? So I tell her the correct word and proceed to tell her what it is and she is totally disgusted. She has been listening to her brother and his friends talk. No more hangin out with the big boys, which she loves to do.

Do I look old????

I am so sorry about the picture but it was the only one I had. The other night we went to the mall to get the boy some shoes. Kinzie and I walked into my favorite store Buckle. While perusing the jeans a young man that worked there came up to me and the conversation went like this:
Him: Do you have a daughter that is a professor at BYU?
Me: jaw dropping and indignation dripping off me "Do I look that old to you?"
Kinz: "Dude she is only in her 30's"
H:"oh aaaa, well you just look like her so I thought....You really don't look THAT old.
M:"Your foot is so far in your mouth right now I don't think it will ever come out, so you should just stop right now"
H: "Okay, if you need anything just let me know.
M: "You are THE last person I would ask to help me."

Look at this picture. Ignore the laugh lines and the crows feet, and tell me... Do I really look like I could have a daughter that old? Why couldn't she have been my smokin' hot twin? My self esteem had taken a nose dive. I am thinking botox might help.

He is home.....

Well Rocky came home after another $200 bill. The vet does not know what the hell he has. Jeff was trained on how to give him a doggie I.V.,so he doesn't get dehydrated. I guess we will just hope for the best.

The Vet AGAIN!!!!

So we brought Rocky home from the vet on Thursday afternoon, and he was fine until Sunday morning. We found him in the same condition as he was in last week, so he is back at the vet. Can you say Holy Shit. I am really getting sick of this. The vet seems to think he has Crypto....he hasn't been swimming! :) (head scratch) jk. Hopefully this bill won't be as bad as the last. If it is, we will be going around our neighborhood begging for meals.

The $1210 dog...

Jeff came home for lunch on Monday just as the kids came home from school. He happened to look out the window saw that our dog Rocky was just laying by the fence not moving. He goes outside and the dog just looked at him with a glazed expression, his tail didn't wag, and he didn't lift his head. So off he goes to the vet. At first, he thought it was parvo, but that test came out negative. The dog was dehydrated, and had some sort of virus. They did x-rays, and gave him several bags of fluid. We were told he had to stay there for a couple of days. If we brought him home he would die of dehydration.
Now for those of you who know us, we usually wouldn't spend this kind of money on a dog. But, we had just recovered from having to put down a dog in January,(he was also a boxer) after spending several hundred dollars on the vet bill, and the purchase of the dog. The vet thought he maybe had a tumor. He was really suffering. It was heartbreaking for the entire family. Not only that, but the dog before that, Hank, which we had had for 12 years, had passed away during the summer. So there was really no choice for us but to see if he could be saved.
We don't understand how this keeps happening. I think we are not destined to own a boxer. We decided if this dog didn't make it we were either done with pets, or we were just going to buy some mutt from the pound and put him in the backyard, never to be played with again. Those kind seem to last longer than the papered dogs do.
But alas, the mighty Rocky pulled through. After spending 3 nights in the doggy hospital he is home recovering with his family.

Dog Purchase:$600

Vet Bills: $610

Saving the kids from meltdown and not eating for a month: Priceless

First Day of School....

Colton is in the 8th grade this year. He really had no feelings about school or anything else today. He is to cool to react any more. He looked handsome though. Tomorrow will be better when the 7th graders come and he can check out some new babes.

Kinzie is now in the 5th grade. This is a fun year for her. She gets to do Clear Creek, maturation, and Hope of America. She was also in high spirits this morning. She was more excited to wear her new clothes than going to school.

Jaycie is now in 2nd grade. She was so excited to see all her friends and her new teacher. She was up early and actually had on her happy face. Most mornings we are greeted with her onery face, so that tells me she was pretty excited.

I started my new job at the High School today. I got the girls up and got them ready for school and then I had to go to work. Dad was going to take them to school. They were sitting at the counter eating their breakfast and as I was walking out the door I started to cry. I never cry when they leave for school. I guess me leaving them was just to much for this wussy mom to handle.

Tagged - Quirks...

1. Link the person who tagged you...Natilie
2. Post these rules.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them.



1. When I am grocery shopping, my cart has to be organized. It cannot be messy. When I put the food on the check-out belt, it is organized also. Frozen all together, boxed food, and cans.
2. When I go on vacation my house has to be clean before I leave.
3. I hate, hate, hate, when towels are left out on the counter.
4. I can't stand not finishing a book. I can't just enjoy a book, I have to hurry and finish it, because something might happen and I won't be able to finish it.
5. I feel guilty when I don't go the gym. I mean serious guilt.
6. I hate leaving stuff unfinished.

I tag- Mirm, Jenn, Kathy, Jammie, Shaunte, and Dusty

Welcome to Wendy's may I take your order......

One afternoon I was sitting in my bedroom reading a book. Things were going well, you know, the kids weren't fighting,I could hear giggles, and every now and then I heard talking on walkie-talkies. This is a common thing in my house. Sometimes they are used as cell phones, and more often than not they are used as walkie-talkies. Well on this particular occasion they were used as intercoms. I was deep into my book when all of a sudden I hear a squawk, and then Welcome to Wendy's may I take your order? And then another squawk and- I would like a frosty, 2 chicken nuggets, and fries. I hear a ding, and then that will be $4.00. have a nice day. I came out of my room to see what was what and this is what I found:

The girls had turned my living room into a Wendy's. They were using the bay window as a drive-up. They were using 3 walkies. 2 were taped up on the window outside, and the other was used by Kinzie to take orders

Jaycie would ride her scooter to the first window, with her purse hanging on the handlebars of course, and order her food. Kinzie would tell her the amount, and then Jaycie would "drive" to the next window, pay her money and pick up her food. The bell was used to let Kinzie know when the "food was up". Just before Jaycie went the foot to the other window Kinzie would ring the bell signaling her food was ready. They have been playing "shopping" and "library", pretending they were buying school clothes, and checking out books, but for some reason this was funny to me. If only I could have a child's imagination. They spent hours playing this game. It was nice to see them getting along and having fun. It made me wish I was a kid again.

Family Reunion!

For our family reunion this year we went to Lodgepole. This is one of our favorite campgrounds. It is very pretty here, and clean. We are usually dry campers. This means we find a spot in the middle of nowhere and squat. We pull out the 4-wheelers and we are filthy by the time we get home. There are no bathrooms (except in the trailer) and no running water. So showers are out.
Spending 5 days in an actual campground has changed us. We now want to be campground campers. It only took us about 10 minutes to clean-up, when usually it takes at least an hour. When the kids bathed, it didn't look like they were bathing in mud.
I think the fact that it rained all 5 days we were there had something to do with the cleanliness also. I mean Wed. the rain came down so hard it washed the dirt that was on the asphalt back in the weeds where it belongs. Despite the rain, the kids had a great time. They rode bikes, did fun crafts, and Kinzie finally mastered the rip-stick, and broke pieces off her cast when she crashed on her bike. Good thing it comes off tomorrow. All in all, it was good times.
We are now "one of those people" who take their dogs camping. Rocky had had enough of the hard ground and decided since everyone else were sitting in chairs he decided he needed one to. The girls thought he was cold so they had to cover him with his blanket.


Goofy girls



One thing we love about camping is a campfire. I love the smell of the campfire, I just don't like to smell like a campfire. Kinzie started us all on a happy rendition of the campfire song. "Let's gather round the campfire and sing a campfire song, C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G song, (repeat) at least 4 times "It will help if you just sing along". You got to love Spongebob.

Happy Anniversary

I can't believe that 15 years ago today Jeff and I were married. It seems just like yesterday. It has been a great 15 years. For those of you who don't know Jeff and I met while cruising A.F. Main Street. Yes, I was one of those, but back then that was all there really was to do. We met and I went for a ride in his big truck and I was his ever since. Eight months later we were married and that folks was the LONGEST 8 months of my life. Never do a long engagement. It sucked. Well, 15 years later I am still happy and in love. Here's to 50 or 60 more great years. I Love You!

This is our engagement picture. I can't believe how young we look. In case you are all wondering who Jeff's stylist was, it was I. I permed the back about a week before the pictures were taken. It looked so hot!

Another Jaycie funny....

The other day Jeff and Colton were talking about a service project the Young Men had done for a family in the ward. The mom of this family was telling Jeff she would eventually like to build a shed, I think assuming the Young Men leaders would come and build it for her. Colton then mentioned that the son of this family, that is Colton's age, had built a fort. "If he could build a cool fort like that then he could build a shed." said Colton. Jeff replied with "have you seen the fort he built? A shed is harder to build." To which Jaycie replied, " Dad, what's a fortybuilt." We had a pretty good laugh at this.

Big Horn Ranch...

Yesterday my dad invited up to his campsite. We loaded up the four-wheelers and headed out bright and early in the morning. It is down by Birdseye/Indianola area and I must say it is very beautiful. A lot of beautiful trees, and a lot of wildlife. The kids rode 4-wheelers, shot pellet guns, caught frogs in the frog pond, and played on the playground. I would have to say by how dirty the bath water was, that the kids had a blast. Dad and Deedee have made their campsite a fun place for everyone. Thanks for inviting us, we had a great time.


The merry-go-round is always a favorite pass time. You will notice Kinzie now has a purple cast. She kept taking off the splint so the Dr. gave her a permanent one. At least for the next 3 weeks.

A broken thumb can't stop the fun.

The swings are so fun.

You can tell how much fun your kids have had by how dirty they were. My kids were filthy.

This is a lovely family picture. Thanks for the fun dad.

The Verdict is........

It's BROKEN. After a fun filled weekend in Yuba we decided it was time to get the thumb x-rayed. If you didn't read my previous blog then I will give you a rundown of what happened. Friday, just before leaving for Yuba, Kinzie came home from gymnastics with a hurt thumb. She had been doing back handsprings when she ran out of mat and hit her thumb on the floor. We convinced her if she went to the Dr. and it was broke she would have to have a cast and she wouldn't be able to swim or play in the water. So we gave her some ibuprofen and ice and went anyway. I didn't think it was broke, I thought it was just jammed. Later that night her thumb started to swell and turn purple. It had little movement, by Saturday her whole thumb was bruised and she couldn't move it at all. More ibuprofen, more ice, more fun in the water. Sunday was about the same so I got up this morning and headed to the Dr. At first the Dr. thought it was just torn ligaments but sent us for x-rays anyway. Later I received a phone call from the Dr. saying it was fractured and I needed to go an orthopedic surgeon. Oh shit! Well it turns out this type of fracture does not need surgery and we are to keep it splinted for two weeks and then have it x-rayed again. After that who knows. I wonder if I broke it worse, when I tried popping it back into place, you know cuz I thought it was jammed.OOOPS!

Wild Weekend!

Our weekend started off with a hitch. A couple of weeks ago Jeff's family decided we needed to go to Yuba. So Jeff's two sisters, his brother, his parents and us headed down on Friday. Kinzie went to gymnastics first thing Friday morning. When I went to get her she told me she thought she had broken her thumb while doing back handsprings. I then proceeded to tell her that if she did, they would put a cast on her arm and she wouldn't be able to swim or play in the water. After much deliberation she decided to go to Yuba and wait until Monday to go the Dr. So with Ibuprofen and ice we loaded up the "S.S. Mag" and headed out of town.
This would be the S.S. Mag.

The trip down to Yuba was uneventful. Jeff's parents followed us down and we were the first to arrive. We found our camping spot and the kids started to dig in. The sand that is. One thing about my kids is when we go camping, anywhere, they are in the dirt and or mud within the first five minutes we were there. Next to arrive was Jeff's brother and after a 3 hour wait to get their alternator fixed Jeff's sister Andrea showed up. They have a toy hauler like we do and when they opened their cargo door this is what was inside:
You know you are a redneck when....you can carry your boat into your trailer.
Anyway the kids all had a really good time. We fished, wakeboarded, buried each other in the sand, make castles, and just hung out.
A perfect castle for a princess.
Colton with his hair blowing in the wind. Look at those black clouds. We didn't realize what they were bringing in.
Kinzie chillin' with Grandpa.

About 4:30, Saturday the winds started to kick up, which is not unusual at Yuba. We all kind of hung out and then we started to get dinner ready. About 6:30 we were getting big gusts of wind. I took the kids into the trailer because they were getting pelted with sand. The wind wasn't to alarming until we looked out at the lake and saw 4 to 5 foot waves coming at us. The boats were not beached, they were anchored off shore. Well that was not going to be that way for long. The waves were starting to toss the boats around. Our anchor was holding pretty well and then all of a sudden it came lose. Jeff swam over to grab it and he had hold of the rope. I looked out the window just as he grabbed the rope. It looked like he was trying to hold a bucking horse. I bolted out of the trailer and went to help hold Jay's boat, while the men went to hold onto our boat. I was holding the side of the boat and one wave came and went right over my head. And then more waves came and they were picking me up and I was swinging like a flag in the wind. It was a good thing I was holding on or I would have been lost at Yuba. Finally, Jay decided to just beach his boat. About that time Jeff decided he was going to go into the middle of the lake and just float instead of beaching our boat or worse getting it sunk. After about an hour he came back. The wind hadn't stopped but the waves weren't that bad, so Mike, Kelly and Jay went and helped Jeff put the boat on the trailer. Good thing to because the wind was still blowing when we left.

This is the end of the storm. The waves weren't very big here, but I was too busy holding on to boats to get a pic of the big waves.


The result of the "perfect storm," a sunk boat. So glad it wasn't ours.
If I can figure out how to make a slide show I will post more pics later.