Land Grab

Have you ever seen the movie "Far and Away?" It is one of my favorites. All about the idea of having your own land and making a life with it.  Remember a few posts ago when I said Shane and I like to dream of the future together? One big dream is that we might have a cabin somewhere someday. Well, we took the first step toward the dream. We bought and acre of property in Garden City, UT. A few minutes away from Bear Lake!

From the back corner of the lot you can see the lake, but mostly we are nestled into a little valley. It makes it seem pretty secluded and far from the hustle and bustle even though it is really close to town. Our friends bought some property across the street. We are close to some 4wheeler trails and snomobile trails and the Cache National Forrest. It will take a long time to actually own the land and even longer to ever build something, but we felt like we couldn't pass up the opportunity. The chance at the dream and a place for our family to gather someday. Who knows what will happen down the line. It might just be an invesment to sell later, but we would like to build a fun family get away. This seemed like a good place and a halfway point to family in Idaho Falls.

It seems a little scary looking at all the sagebrush and nothingness now, but potentially it could be great!

Pretend this picture is of us putting our stake, with a pretty piece of fabric on it, into the ground. Making our very own land grab!

Bird Watching

On the last morning of the reunion, before breakfast, Grandma and Grandpa gathered all the kids to go "bird watching."  They all went out in their jammies to see what they could see.

Abbie found a Blue Jay. She named her Aqua.

Natalie found a falcon. She named him Fawkes.

Jace got an owl. His name is Harry Potter or "Mouthboy" (Malfoy-has anyone else's kids thought that character's name was mouthboy? all mine have at this age. . .) depending on the moment.

Hallie found a Blue Heron! His name is Azul.

Here are the Jaussi grand kids with their birds. Such a fun idea Grandma!! They didn't let the birds out of their sight. The little kids made their birds some nests out of paper bowls and paper towels. Our last reunion they went on a "bear hunt". My mom has really started something and my kids are already wondering what they will do next time!!

Learning to Water Ski!?!

My brother Curtis who spends a lot of time at this beauty of  a cabin thought my kids might like to learn to water ski. So who dares try first? Jace of course. Who cares that he is four. The kid has no fear and thinks he is the best swimmer in the world.

This was his first try! I was on the dock helping him in and I couldn't believe how he just went for it! Shane got in the water to help him at first.

He ended up floating in the middle of the lake alone for a while. We were worried that he would get scared, but he gave everyone in the boat two thumbs up to let them know he was doing just fine!

Here is Natalie trying with a little help from Uncle Kenny.

She did pretty well, but we think the skis were a little too short for her.

Then we talked Hallie in to trying. She wasn't loving the idea, so she didn't give it her all. I wish she would have because she is so strong I think she could have done it. I am proud of her for trying though.

Abbie is our only one that didn't give it a go, she gets really nervous in the water, so we didn't want to make her do anything that would be too scary. I was so proud of them for trying something new. I think they would like it if we had more chances to try. We just aren't around boats that often.

See this handsome devil? This is my brother Curtis. He was so awesome to my kids the whole trip. He was the king of the boat and drove it on endless trips for water skiing, tubing, and twilight cruises.  He gave us some real crazy rides and lots of fun. He also took Natalie and Hallie fishing one afternoon. Super nice of him. Thanks Curt!

Jaussi Family Reunion-2010 Edition!

Could we have gone to a better place for a family reunion? I don't think so. My sister in law's family own this cabin and they have let us use it a couple of times. We love every minute we are there. It is beautiful, it is comfortable, it is so very fun. As you can see we are steps from the water. Island Park is just such a fantastic place. You feel so far removed from everything. What a great place to relax and enjoy our family!

Great adventures were had by all. Many trips on the kayak. A good dad to take everyone out who wanted a ride-his weekend exercise! What a beautiful view from the dock.

Four little monkeys swinging on a boat. They had fun on the here weather it was running or not! Abbie, Eliza, Jace, and Maelee had so much fun together all weekend. What cute little cousins!

If we weren't on the water we were cruising Bill's Island on the four wheelers. We saw a moose and her two babies one day. So fun. Natalie and Aunt Jane!

Abbie Kate

Hallie Jean and Auntie Jean doing their thing!!!

Grandpa taking the kids on the jet ski! Could this trip be more fun? We love Grandpa!!!

Here is most of the  Jaussi crew! One family had already headed home before this picture, but everyone in the Jaussi Clan was there for the weekend except Grandma who didn't feel up to the trip and Aunt Ann who was in Oregon. We all had so much fun. I love that we all love each other and truly enjoy our time together!

Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime?

When your kids are sort of sick and it is really hot outside? Have a Pirates of the Caribbean marathon and run through the sprinklers in between movies!

Jace has croup and has passed it on to Abbie. They are coughing like crazy, so I don't think anyone would want me to let them play in the neighborhood. Yet, they are getting more and more energy and don't want to be cooped up. Hallie made the suggestion for the days' activities, and I thought it a good plan. Fun/lazy/so your kids can rest day!

As for me, I should have been folding clothes the whole time, but I opted to cuddle my babies instead! With Natalie gone to camp I realize just how fast these cuddling years are flying by.

Just call me super homemaker/baker extraordinaire!

I got myself a Bosch mixer and blender! I saved up LOTS of Christmas and birthday money. It was delivered yesterday! I know it is a nerdy thing to get excited about, but I have wanted one for such a long time. My friend Jamie  lent me hers years ago when she had her twins. She knew she wouldn't have time to be her usual baker extraordinaire. I loved it. I learned to make bread! I loved making pumpkin cookies with no dough overflowing the mixer. I had a Kitchen Aid. It is great for little things, but it pales in comparison to the Bosch.

 I just might turn into a baker extraordinaire myself! Ok, who are we kidding. I won't but when I get the itch to be a super homemaker I will have this fabulous tool in my arsenal. A big thanks to parents and parent's in law for the cash I saved for a long time to buy this beauty! Money well spent. And now that I have it, I can buy some fun new clothes with my Christmas cash.(hopefully not in bigger sizes because of all the baking I can do!)

My Right Arm is Missing!

See this sweet face? It will be missing from our home for the next week! She went to Girls Camp for the first time. She was so excited! I am so excited for her. I have many a fantastic memory from my years at camp and I hope her time will be just as fun. 

The problem is she is my right arm. She literally helps so much around here and with such a willing heart! I was very blessed to have her as my oldest child, though she has not prepared me well for children that are normal!

Her siblings will miss her. Abbie and Jace were so sad she didn't wake them up to say goodbye this morning. And here is the shocker that made me want to document her leaving: Hallie got up at 6:30 this morning to say goodbye and help her with last minute things!! They do love each other! I hope they always care about each other like that, and if not, I have proven their love with this blog post! They have a real love/hate thing going on most of the time. They will get along really well except when they don't. And boy are those days rough. I am glad they have each other though and I hope they will always have a good relationship like I have with my super sisters! I am seriously so blessed to have them. (yea, yea, my brothers too!)

Celebrating the 4th of July on the 3rd!

We had a great 4th of July Celebration at my aunt Jane's. She does a great barbecue and we have fun with our family.

We had a great time eating burgers, corn on the cob, cute cupcakes, and homemade ice cream.

Then we had our fireworks show while we waited for the Stadium of Fire to explode!

We had fun with Jean, Jane, Ann, Laurie, Uncle Reed, and the Liston clan.

Nat wasn't feeling too well so her dad went in to cuddle with her. We love when Shane can make it to a family activity. Luckily he works just down the street and got to spend the whole evening with us.

Here is Russell. King of the fireworks. He is so patient and great with the kids. He is such a fun uncle. Our kids get just as excited to see him as they do their cousins. Maybe even a little more. They love Russell. I love that he is so kind to them. Dana found a good guy.

Las Vegas Getaway!

For our 15th anniversary we went on a getaway to Vegas. We actually went in the middle of June, but you go when the schedule permits. And when you can get people to love and care for your kids! Thanks to both grandmas by the way!! It was such a fun place to go to remember that you really do like each other! This was the view from our room at the Bellagio. It was fun to overlook the beautiful fountains.

Here we are headed out to the pool to relax. The longer we were in vegas the more time we spent at the pool. Reading. Doing nothing. Resting. People watching. Swimming. Enjoying the quiet.

The pools were so pretty. Each night there we went to a show. We saw Phantom of the Opera, Cirque de Soliel Love (the Beatles one), and Cirque de Soliel O (the water one). They were all great. My favorite was Love. The whole thing was amazing. If you are a Beatles fan it is a must see. In my humble opinion of course. So mom get all the aunties together for a trip. You will love it!

As always the Gardens at the Bellagio were beautiful!!! They had such a fun theme of bugs and hot air balloons for summer. Did I mention in my last post that I love this guy? Oh yea, I did. Still do. We had so much fun. Shopping, eating, relaxing, eating, watching shows, eating, swimming, wandering, people watching.

Did I say eating? Oh yea, I feel like we did that a lot. We did this 24hours of buffet deal where you can eat at a bunch of buffets in a 24 hour period. We were stuffed. We can now advise on the best buffets-Planet Hollywood was great, we went there twice! And the not so good- Caesars palace. We thought nice hotel, nice buffet. We were so wrong. Don't waste your money.  Anyway, we also ate at Serendipity. I had heard all about frozen hot chocolate. Had to try it. So glad I did. It was fabulous! Again my humble opinion.

Here is another shot of me and Shane. I didn't have my hair pulled back very much, but it sure seems like it with the pictures. Oops. We wanted this picture to show all the fountains and stuff at Caesars. The nutty lady taking the picture didn't quite do her job. Oh well.

We had a super time. I loved spending some time with my hubby. I did miss the kids-a little!  Can't wait for the next trip somewhere. It is always fun to get out to some new scenery!

15 years and counting!

"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident." 

                                                                       St Augustine

I am so grateful for whatever "fortunate accident" brought Shane into my life. Yesterday we celebrated our 15th anniversary. I can't believe how fast time has flown by. I also can't believe I actually love him more now than I did then. I definitely married my best friend.

We still have so much fun together. We still talk about everything. We love spending time together. We love watching our 4 children grow-amazed that they are ours! We love to work together. We have learned so much about each other. We are both stubborn and opinionated. We both know how to push each other's buttons. We also know how to apologize and forgive each other quickly. We love accomplishing things together. We love the quiet moments at night when the house has calmed down to a precious silence. We love going on dates. We love dreaming of the future we will have. We are just truly blessed to have found and nurtured such a wonderful relationship. I can't even begin to express my gratitude to him and for him.

Some things I love about Shane:

He is a hard worker. I don't think you can know him and not know that.

He is enthusiastic. I have rarely seen someone with as much energy.

He is passionate about life.

He is always trying to be better. He has an amazing record for getting to the gym at a horribly early hour.

He tells an animated story. Usually pretty loud, but always fun. (our kids always say his laughing wakes them up at night)

He brings me flowers-pretty ones. Even though I never think I want them. I always love them.

He jumps in the car to get me a drink or an ice cream anytime I say I need it to get through the day.

He stays up late with me to watch tv - even after a 12-15 hour day.

He has a great voice and a great talent playing the piano. I love those things even though I don't give him much chance to just sit and play. I love that he is teaching our kids to love music.

He values our relationship and my opinion.

He loves to spend time as a family.

He lights up when he sees our kids (except when they have been told to go to bed a thousand times!).

He has lots of opinions. Good or bad, I love this and I love that I have learned to navigate them.

He would do anything for me, the kids, or our extended family.

He is better looking now than 15 years ago and still loves me though I am not.

There are many more, but this is what came to mind. I love you Shane. Happy Anniversary!

Abbie Finishes Kindergarten!!

Here is my cute Abbie at her kindergarten graduation program. She was so excited to show us what she learned this year. Her whole class wore blue. My favorite thing about the program was watching Abbie. Yes, I know that was the point of the program, but she was so funny. She can't sit still to save her life. She was looking all around, leaning on the wall. Looking at the ceiling. Sometimes she would even join in on the songs! It will be a great accomplishment if/when I figure out how to help this girl focus. It is not her forte. It is a good thing she is so cute and nice. I think it helps to make up for her crazy ways!

Her teacher was Mrs. Epperson. Abbie loved her and so did I. She was a super nice and super cute teacher.

On the last day of school Abbie's class had a drive in movie. They were supposed to decorate a car to use at the drive in movie. (yea, we have nothing else to do for the last day of school, so throw in a big project!) Shane made the cute car (with the Ford sign on the front) and Abbie and I decorated the rest.

It turned out super cute and Abbie was really proud of it. She even found a shirt to wear that would match the car. They spent the last day of school having treats and watching the cartoon of Alice in Wonderland. She is so excited to be a First Grader in 6 weeks!!

Herriman Days 2010!!

As is the tradition we went to Herriman Days with our friends this year. We always go with the Eskelsons and the Schuts. This year we added a few families and had a great time. Here we are with our tent city. It has been perfected over the years to be comfy, cozy, and cool for all!

Natalie was too cool for tent city this year and sat with her friend Janae.

Hallie and Emily Schut. They love these activities. We don't go to the same elementary school anymore, so they don't see each other as often as they would like. I love that they have so much fun when they do get together.

Here is Jace with his new "thumbs up" pose. A favorite of late.

Abbie and Elsie at the fireworks. Loving all the free stuff they can get their hands on! We love Herriman Days. We love our friends. We always have so much fun!!