Notes

It truly is amazing what a little note can do:
if it comes from a cousin who you think is the coolest thing ever, it can offer self esteem like no other and lets you know you are loved...

or it can be something you find on your calendar. Something that makes you stop and go WHAT?!

(it is a day that parents say YES to everything. tyler found it wrote on tal's calendar and told him things only count if they are on mom's calendar, easy fix right:)

They can put a mom's mind to ease after she has been resting and wakes to find the house way to quiet as she goes looking she notices a little sticky note stuck to the back door, right at eye level... right where he knew mom would be able to see it.

They can make tears come to your eyes and put prayers of gratitude in your heart, when they come as an answer to a prayer...

and hopefully "they" know how truly thankful we are.

Who would have thought such a little thing could do so much.

You're Gonna WHAT???

Tyler has had a gunsmithing project in his head for months. He would mention his idea to me and I would just shake my head and smile. I kept saying to myself, "It is a perfectly good gun, why does he need to change it... it is a collectors edition, what is he thinking... be the supportive wife, be the supportive wife", so I just kept shaking my head and smiling.
Soon he started mentioning his idea to others.
It occurred to me that he was really serious.
I think it is safe to say that we all thought Tyler had lost his mind.
So we came home from visiting with Tyler's family (the night before Brynja's reception) around 10:00. He gave me a kiss goodnight and told me he was going to spend some time in his gun room... he was going to do it. I knew he would be a while, so at 1:30am I smiled to myself and hoped all was well. At 3:30am I laughed, surprised that he was still at it but really not too surprised. But at 5:30 I just shook my head in total disbelief. At 6:30am when he crawled in bed I gave him a kiss and asked how it went. He laughed and told me about his night. I smiled and congratulated him... and then threatened his life if he was grumpy, impatient, or ornery during the day.
I'll give him credit, he was a good sport through the day and was tons of help with the reception.
So here it is... the project he has thought and thought about and finally did. Enjoy.

This is how my project gun looked when I bought it. Pretty nice, but not quite what I wanted. (I can't buy this gun the way I wanted it).
(for anyone not Tyler, I will explain, it is a ruger flat top .44 mag, 6.5 inch barrel, black grips, and a 50th anniversary to boot)

This is part of the reason that Jaymie couldn't believe I would do what I did. It is also the reason I didn't do this a lot sooner. I couldn't decide exactly how I was going to go about "it" and make it look right.

I had to do something to it so I bought these grips after Christmas. They made quite a difference, but it just wasn't enough. The gun is just way too long.
So...I was going to shorten the barrel of the gun.
(aka cut 1/1/2 inches off of the barrel of a perfect gun!!!)

This is the gun stripped and ready to start cutting. It took a lot of thinking to get brave enough to get past here.

The Guts

Trying to get the front sight off.

Still trying.

Lots of help, lots of advice.

Way more help, way more advice.

Deep in thought. Stupid thing wouldn't come off. I finally had to take it to my uncle's welding shop and use the big torch to get it hot enough to get it off. I have rarely been as sick as I was after I cooked the sight off. It looked awful, the barrel was discolored and the finish on the sight was bubbled up and ugly. I really hoped I wasn't going to have to have a new barrel built.

After the big cut. I cut 1 1/2 inches off of a perfectly good barrel.
Pretty sickening, huh?

Squared up, and ready for the sight. I had to shorten and reshape the front sight base so that it wouldn't cover up the wording on top of the barrel.

The sight actually stuck to the barrel. That made me happy.

Self explanatory.

The finished product. I just about wore out my shoulder patting myself on the back. Then I shot it. Five shots went really well. Number six didn't. The sight fell off. I stuck it back on a few days later and have shot the heck out of it since. I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself and thrilled with how this gun turned out.

We all thought he was crazy,... but we all agree, it looks awesome, HE DID AWESOME!!!!
Oh the joys of being married to a gunsmith.

Boring or just Content

A very good friend once told me that I was probably the most boring person she knew.
I laughed.
She is one of the busiest non boring people I know.
People are blown away when they find out we are friends. We are defiantly total opposites.
Tonight I thought of my friend and what her Saturday night would include,
mine looked like this

boring,...yes, but perfect for me.
Children sprawled over the floor, husband relaxed, yes, even the dog makes it complete, as we watch an old black and white movie.
For the next 7 days my life will be nothing but boring. Tyler's cousins are staying with us while their parents are in Hawaii. I looked at their schedules and I am already tired. Teenagers are going to add some life to our house.
In 7 days I think I will be ready for the boring again.

Rub-A-Dub

How cute are my 4 men in a tub!

My Orrin

I love this little man

he is determined, stubborn, friendly, a people person, and all his own.
It was at the end of Brynja's reception that I noticed his pants were tucked in his boots, who knows how long they had been that way, at least it is cute. And truth be told he gets it from his dad.
He is obsessed with being Woody, loves anything camo, and is so stinkin whinny lately.
Days like today I just need to give a little extra love, sometimes that isn't the easiest to do, but I am going to try.

The Reception Through Tallon's Eyes

Tallon loves taking pictures. He is actually quite good for an 8 year old. So he was in charge of taking pictures during the reception

see... not bad
My favorites: the cup, the picture, and the self portraits!!

Witch's Brew

The boys favorite part of Brynja's reception was definitely the drink

who doesn't love the effect of dry ice!!

A Little Down Time

We have a day of down time between the wedding and reception. Tyler went and grabbed Carter and Kase for the afternoon and man did we have a busy house. 6 little boys, whoohoo! Carter, Tallon and Orrin wanted to play outside on the snow hill, while Kase and Vivin kept busy playing trucks.

What could make your day even better?...

passing timed math at school and getting a Golden Dollar!!! Way to go Buddy!!!

Kinda Cool

The boys were soooooo good yesterday! Being bigger is definitely helping in the behavior department. We made good time and when we came out of Alpine the elk were right on the road so we stopped for a few mins. As we were getting ready to leave I looked up the mountain and saw a coyote waking down towards the elk



The boys loved it! We watched it for a good 5 mins and it was really kinda cool. The elk didn't seem to care that it was even there, Tallon on the other hand did. If we would have had a gun and it wouldn't have been on the refuge, it would have been one dead coyote :)

The Wedding Day

Tyler's baby sis was sealed today to her love

Isn't she lovely!?!

The boys were so excited to go to the temple. Viv begged the entire way to go inside. We tried to explain but he just was adamant that he was going inside the temple. Lucky for him the Rexburg temple has a wonderful waiting room just inside the doors, so the boys got to go inside. The excitement in their eyes was amazing. To be inside the temple was magic for these little boys

Tytan and Van. Finally cousins that look alike

Tallon and Tytan. How Tytan loves his Tallon. Ty and I talked on the way home how grateful we are that the cousins love and adore each other.

Tallon with his aunt Brynja

Classic family pic. Why is it that only my family is in chaos?

Much better but not as entertaining

What a perfect day.
The sealing was amazing. The counsel, the love, the promises. It was all just perfect.
Congrats to the amazing couple.

Its a Good Thing He's Cute

Van has been a terrible sleeper lately and I do mean terrible!
But how can you stay mad when he naps like this

Little stink.
I just wish I was the one holding him and catching up on a few missed ZZZZ's.

The Face

Van is sooo not a fan of baby food.
A fan of the camera, yes...

but this is the face we get when we try to feed him

mouth clamped shut not letting anything in

hitting the spoon, sending food everywhere

if some gets in his mouth, serious gagging goes on

maybe one day

8 Months

I didn't think it was possible but Van got cuter this month

he also graduated from his baby bath to the sink

I love it when the babies are old enough for the sink

Van has started picking up "puffs" with his fingers and getting them into his mouth! He eats "puffs" all day, he can't get enough of them. He won't eat regular baby food. He just gags on it. When anything comes at him on a spoon or a fork he clamps his mouth shut, closes his eyes, and makes a sour face. Seriously it is the cutest thing EVER. But if it is a finger food of sorts he will munch all day. He stole Viv's fruit loops this morning and went to town. At least he is eating something. His favorite for the month was Grandpa Chad feeding him some Pumpkin Pie.

The past week or so he has went back to his bad sleeping habits. It could have something to do with the fact that he was still in a bassinet by the bed :) So last night Tyler broke down and finally set up the play pen, much better,... still not great but better.

He can now say "Hi dad" very clear. I worked so hard on the ma ma ma 's but nothing. He also says bab bab bab when Bobby comes through the door, I tell my self it is just by chance and that he doesn't say Bobby before Mommy but I am not very convincing.

He definitely learned what the flash of a camera means! It is awesome. Even if he is not the subject of the picture, he is there in the background, just smiling away.

He is starting to move. He is finally content to lay on his tummy and has started rolling to get across the room. He loves to get where his brothers are. They are definitely his favorite things in the world. I knew I wouldn't be the favorite for long. When the boys are out front playing, Van is in the window laughing and squealing. He does love me when I am on the computer. He puts his hands on top of mine when I type. Pretty much the sweetest thing ever.

He doesn't have a fear of strangers which is nice. Especially when I have to do church by my self with 4 boys because Ty is home with a migraine and Viv screams during the sacrament and I have have 6 little sunbeams by myself. Times like that strangers are good people :)
This month has been so fun for Van and his Daddy. Ty has only got to work one week since Christmas, which has left a lot of Van and Daddy time. It is great! Their afternoon naps and play time have really helped Van's development. As you can tell he is the HaPpIeSt baby. All the cute smiles were captured by Tallon, he gets the really big ones!