Huckaby family

Oldies but goodies!

2011-04-13T08:20:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures I found that were taken back in December but I thought they were so cute that I would share them now.

March was a whirlwind

2011-04-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

Rodney and I celebrated our 13th anniversary on the 25rd of March. We happened to be at the temple just a few days before and decided we should try to recreate one of our wedding pictures. Boy have I aged in the last 13. I know I can blame it on the 4 kids but that doesn't seem to make me feel any better. I was fortunate to marry one of the most wonderful men in the world who tells me on a daily basis how beautiful I am so I wasn't quiet aware of my aging until I saw this picture. I am very grateful for the last 13 years and can not express with words how wonderful Rodney is to me. I can name a million things that have changed in the last 13 years but the one thing that has not changes is my love for this wonderful man and the 100 % assurance that he was made just for me.

We spent spring break in Utah. Thanks to the fact that my camera was on the fritz I did not get a lot of pictures. But we were able to spend some time with Rodney's parents. I hung out with my sister Nicolle and spent a whole hour in Joanne's Fabric without any children (it was heaven), We spent some time at my parents and celebrated Samuel's 5th birthday (Thanks grandma and grandpa). And last but not least we attended Travis' wedding. All in all it was relaxing and nice.

Here is a picture of Travis, Hope, Bill and Skelly at the Salt Lake Temple. It was so great seeing Travis so happy. What a wonderful day.

Foxy Visitor

2011-02-21T14:10:00.000-08:00

We have lived in Cascade for over 5 years now and we see foxes all the time. They are always crossing the street or running across the grass at the church. Jack got about 3 feet away from one once. He was trying to feed it jelly beans. We have also seen baby foxes in a culvert by our house, but this is the first time I have got a picture of one. It was running through our yard and I just happened to have the camera out and got it just in time.

Winter Carnival

2011-02-21T14:06:00.000-08:00

We made our annual trip to the McCall winter carnival. It was a beautiful day and the kids enjoyed all of the ice sculptures.

This was my favorite sculpture. I guess I still have a thing for frogs even though I already kissed mine and he turned into a prince.

Skating Family Home Evening

2011-02-21T14:01:00.000-08:00

We had a fun Family Home Evening ice skating activity at a pond in town. We had pizza, hot chocolate, skating, sledding, a warm fire and a lot of laughs

Will would not put his pizza down so he could go sledding.
The pizza was great.

Jack Playing Basketball

2011-02-21T13:35:00.000-08:00

Jack played basketball again this year. He loves it and improved his playing over last year. He was a lot more aggressive and a lot better at handling the ball. He average 6 points a game and had a great time. This video has some high lights of his game against New Meadows. He is the kid in the cream colored shorts. The highlights are of his 3 baskets he made in that game and two great assists. Also a little example of his ball handling. I got rid of the voice on the video because I am a loud fan/parent and it makes Jack upset that I kept telling him to hustle and move his feet.

Jack as Walt Disney

2011-02-21T13:24:00.000-08:00

Jack's class did a living wax museum. They had to read a biography about someone and then be that person in the wax museum. Jack choose Walt Disney. He did a great job and his teacher complimented his acting abilities.

Jack singing the National Anthem

2011-02-21T12:41:00.000-08:00

The 4th and 5th graders at Jack's School got to sing the National Anthem at several Basketball games in February.

Will Singing Wheels on the Bus

2011-02-21T12:02:00.000-08:00

Will learned to sing Wheels on the Bus in Nursery. He does the actions better without the balloon but would not put the balloon down for several days.

Keep on Truckin into a new year.

2011-01-06T13:42:00.000-08:00

I know we say it all the time "This year went by fast" but holy cow, Where did 2010 go? I really am starting to fill like time is just turning into a blur of everyday good living. The kids go to school, play, make me laugh, and make endless messes, grow and grow and grow. I fill my days with the usual things and the days all blend into one. But when I pause to think about where I am in my life I realize what a good life I am living. My kids are such a joy and I am realizing how fast they are growing and not going to be around much longer. I am resolving this year to sit back and enjoy the everyday monotony of life. It is good. So as I march into another year that will be gone before we know it. I will be happy that life is just the way it is.

Gracie however is not so happy the new year started. Her friend Nina has moved to New Zealand for 6 months and Gracie has been an emotional little thing. I keep reminding her that she is lucky she didn't move away forever. Not much help.

Will has resolved to spend some more time in deep thought and promises to make lots of messes to keep me busy.
And we are all going to try harder to find ways to enjoy the snow.

Christmas Happenings

2011-01-06T12:50:00.000-08:00

Nicolle and Odie came to visit for Christmas. Samuel asked me every day for a month if it was the day the Odie was coming.

We have a tradition that we make sugar cookies on Christmas eve. This year Christmas eve was so crazy and I was so far behind getting everything done that we make the cookies the day after Christmas. They still tasted great.

Will only knock over the Christmas tree twice while it was up.
The kids new way to set up their nativity
I didn't take a lot of pictures this year but this is my favorite. It has been awhile since we have had a big tree in our house. We don't have a lot of space and so for several years we have had a little tree that sat on top of the TV. Our friends thought we were pathetic and brought us this real tree. The kids thought it was great to lay under the tree and look at the lights.
Rodney and his great branch choir put on a Christmas program. They looked so cute and did a wonderful job. It was a great way to remind us of the real meaning of Christmas.
The primary kids all sang a song and Jack was a cow in the stable.

Utah Trip

2011-01-06T11:46:00.000-08:00

We took a trip to Utah for Thanksgiving. I did take hardly any pictures. We had a great time though. Gracie and I went with my mom and sisters to see the Rockettes Christmas show in Salt Lake. We had a great Thanksgiving dinner with the Huckabys and We got together with the Eberhards. The best part of the weekend was meeting Travis Eberhards Fiance, Hope. We are so excited about the wedding and are so happy for Travis.

Travis Huckaby entertaining the kids.
We also had some great pictures taken by my brother in law.

The Eberhard grand kids
The whole Theron Eberhard Family.
This is our family picture. It turned out so great. If you happened to get our Christmas card I was a little unhappy about the way it looked after it was printed and I like this picture a lot more but I had already ordered the card. That is the way life is I guess.

Free Ski Day

2011-01-06T09:05:00.000-08:00

Rodney found out that Brundage a ski resort by us was going to have some free ski days. They are celebrating 50 years in business. He decided that we need to become skiers. Rodney and I both know how to ski but we are still in the novice/intermediate group. Rodney hit the second hand stores around and found me, him, Jack and Gracie all skies. We went to Brundage and had a great day of skiing.

Here are mine and Gracie's skis. We were quit proud of our $15 gear.
Jack and Gracie Looooved skiing. I could not believe how fast they picked it up. Especially because Rodney and I were not that great of teachers. Kids have no fear I guess that is why they learn so fast.

The kids did not like us to ride on the lift with them. I found out on the way home that Jack saw a girl fall off the lift. They definitely would not be alone if I had know that earlier.
Jack just took off down the hill. I had a hard time keeping up with him. He still need to learn how to snow plow and turn but luckily the bunny hill was just the right slop so he could parallel down and as long as he could keep is balance he made it to the bottom of the hill.
Gracie was a little more timid but if she thought she was going to fast she would just fall down. By the end of the day thought she was able to go around the ski school cones and was really good at turning back and forth on the slope and snow plowing.

We ate lunch in the car.
Did Gracie have a good time? This face says it all.
Gracie and I enjoying the lift ride. We had a wonderful day and hope that we will be able to go a few more times. Tamarack witch is only about 30 minutes away is open this season and we are hoping that some ski time might remedy my strong dislike of the snow and long winter.

For Grandma Eberhard

2010-12-26T18:00:00.000-08:00

Terrible Twos Photo Shoot

2010-11-17T08:15:00.000-08:00

I took Will out to the railroad tracks in town to take some two year old pictures. I took 120 pictures and he looked and smiled at the camera in one. He looked at the camera and frowned in two and........

......tried to throw a rock at me 3 or 4 times and.......

...... gave me a cute pouty face in about 5 of them and.......

.....acted like I wasn't even their in about 40 of them and........

.....walked away from me in the rest.

Samuel cooperated!

Favorite Holiday in November

2010-11-17T08:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Will!!

Will had his second birthday on the 7th of this month. He is growing up so fast. He is a very sweet and kind kid, gives great kisses and hugs, and has a very contagious laugh about 50 % of the time. The other 50% of the time he has his own mind and know exactly what he wants and no one and nothing is going to get in his way. I suppose this come from being the youngest of 4. He has learned he has to stand his ground or get run over. Will is a great joy and I am grateful for the two years he has been with us and all the things that he has taught me.

Second birthdays in our house mean a room full of balloons from dad. Will LOOOOOOOVED his balloons. It was the quietest Sunday I have had in a long time. The kids went in the room, shut the door so the balloons couldn't escape and played all day.

Enjoying a beautiful Indian Summer.

2010-11-16T16:23:00.000-08:00

The first week in November was beautiful. The weather was so nice in the afternoon that we were able to go out and ride bikes and scooters.

I spent a lot of time sweep up pine needle that were in the driveway. Will had a great time jumping in them.

We had a Happy Halloween

2010-11-16T15:30:00.000-08:00

Rodney's parents were here a few day before Halloween so we had a party and carved pumpkins. Carving pumpkins is not my favorite activity but it wasn't as bad as I thought. My kids must be growing up. A great time was had by all.

Rodney wanted to be the scariest Frankenstein ever. Of course he waited until three hours before we were leaving to go trick or treating to start on his costume. In town where you can not just run down to Walmart and buy things that you need Rodney is a pain on Halloween. He turned out ok but his big block of wood head that was chinked to his head fell off once and almost hit an unsuspecting trick or treater. Can anyone say lawsuit? I also only had white face paint and so I added food coloring to it for his face. Once we applied the makeup I washed my finger and it was stained green. I was hoping that Rodney was going to be stained green too. Unfortunately it all came off.

Jack was a very cute Harry Potter. Thanks to a Groupon his costume only cost $15.

Will was suppose to be dressed as a devil which if you know him personal was a great pick. Instead he ended up dressed as a very stubborn two year old which is a even better match.

Gracie decided she wanted to be a black cat. We had a great time taking pictures of her acting like a cat.

Samuel was a very handsome looking cowboy.

This picture was taken before we ever went trick or treating. He was having such a great time running around shooting every one it just wore him out.

Samuel was debating several weeks before Halloween about being Zoro apparently running around jabbing everyone with a sword is just as tiring as shooting them.

Rachel's Ramblings

2010-10-23T14:59:00.000-07:00

Posting without pictures is something I don't often do but I have been so busy I don't think I have taken a picture in weeks. After reading this you might understand why my posts should have pictures. I spent the last several weeks getting ready for Relief Society Souper Saturday. One of my favorite days of the year but usually I am helping out cutting vinyl and getting other projects ready and so it keeps me very busy. I have found that when I thought that I would have more time because the kids are in school I was mistaken. I seem to have less. I think on average I get in the car and drive into town 3 times a day. Town is really only five minutes away but it takes so much time to load kids into the car. I have found though that I have had a little time for exercising which is helping me have a better attitude about life. I had a funny night last night. The phone rang at 4:00 am. Of course I jumped right out of bed worried that something horrible had happened because who calls at 4 o'clock in the morning. I looked at the caller id but the number did not register I was after all half asleep. I said Hello and my dad said "Rachel" My heart went racing. I knew that my parents were traveling to Germany and of course all the dreadful things that could have happened that would cause my father to call in the middle of the night ran through my head. Then he said "Wash the Potatoes". What? We had a conversations about potatoes two days earlier. Did he realize it was the middle of the night? Yes he realized he was checking to make sure his cell phone was working all the way on the other side of the world. Thanks dad for the wake up call. Rodney and I could not get back to bed for a half an hour because we couldn't stop laughing. Thanks dad for the heart attack and I will make sure I wash the potatoes.

Weekend Road Trip

2010-10-06T14:02:00.000-07:00

We took a really fast trip to Utah this weekend to see conference. Rodney's friend got tickets so that we could go with him. Notice in the picture that Gracie does not have her seat belt on. I think I told her at least 50 times to put in on this weekend.

My brother Travis was actually in Boise on Friday and Saturday so we stopped and had dinner with him on our way past Boise. We ate at a Bask restaurant. The food was really good and there was a lot of it. (Yes Rodney is a funny color, No he is not sick he was photoshoped into this photo. Travis has the photo the waiter took with all of us on his phone.)

As many trip as we have taken to Utah in the five years that we have lived in Cascade we hardly ever stop at the rest stops. We did this time and the kids thought is was a blast. They loved having some grass to run around on. We have no grass in our yard and think it is a real luxury.

Will is not the easiest child at this time in his life and threw a tantrum when ever we tried to put him in the car, hold his hand, put him in a shopping cart, stop him from bolting across a parking lot, or anything else contrary to his plans.

This is me waiting for our friends at the Utah Capital building. It was such a beautiful day. The weather was perfectly pleasant and conference was great.
This is Rodney in the parking lot for the General Authorities and other leaders of our church.

If your wondering how we parked in here Rodney's friend has the last name of Monson.
Here we are at the conference center.
Here is a picture of the podium from our seats. It was really cool being this close and actually watching the speakers in person. I have been in the conference center once before for conference but was clear at the back and ended up watching the big screen instead of the person speaking. Thanks Scotty for sharing such a wonderful experience with us.

Happy Birthday Gracie

2010-09-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

Gracie celebrated her 7th birthday yesterday. What a blessing and a joy this little girl is to me. I love having someone to make cute things for and paint finger nails with. Gracie is a great big sister and for the most part plays nicely with others and trys to include the little boys in the things she is doing. She is a little feisty but I suppose with three brothers she has to be. Gracie love school and one day will learn to get up and move fast as it is she now loves to lounge in bed for 15 minutes before she can get moving. I love my little Princess Gracie.

We had a toe sock day for Gracie's birthday.

Enjoying a Nice Fall.

2010-09-27T13:06:00.000-07:00

The weather has been really nice and we have been trying to get out and enjoy it because we know it will not last. We went to a framers market on Saturday and got some pears and pumpkins. We also got to go on a hay ride and enjoy some bluegrass music. What a nice way to spend a Saturday morning.

We also went to a concert in the park last week. This is something we used to do a lot but don't have as many opportunities to do it here is Cascade. Will is a dancer and he just can't help but move when he hears music playing. He had a ball and stole the show because everyone was watching him dance.

A visit from Grandma and Grandpa

2010-09-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Eberhard came to visit for the kids birthdays.

Grandpa spent some time teaching Will how to shave.

We made a trip to Riggins and tried to find some blackberries to pick. This is the boys taking a break by the Salmon River. We didn't find any blackberries but we had fun exploring Riggins.

Grandpa brought a bow and arrow and we all had a try at shooting the cardboard box.

Happy 10th Birthday

2010-09-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

Jack celebrated his 10th birthday on the 19th. It is so hard to believe that 10 years have passed since he was born. Jack is a great kid. He does very well is school and absorbs information and remember everything that he hears unless it is directions for doing a chore. Jack is a very compassionate and is loving and kind to his little brothers and sisters. He does like to tease though and does plenty of pestering too. Jack likes to talk a lot and is always asking how things work, or why things are the way they are. I am now famous in our house for saying "Google it" because I only know the answer to about 1 in 4 questions that he asks me. I love Jack a lot and can't imagine our family without him.

Some Happenings

2010-09-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

This is Samuel on his first day of school. He was needing a little speech therapy and so he goes to school on Wednesday and Thursday mornings for three hours. He really likes it and Will and I enjoy our mornings were it is just the two of us.

Will is learning to help around the house even when his help is not so helpful.

Rodney and I went with his brother and sister and their spouses the McCall for dinner one night. It was nice to have an evening without the kids and we tried out a new restaurant in town. We ate some great BBQ and had a wonderful time.

Will and Samuel are really bonding with so much time alone now that the other kids are in school.

We drove to Sweet, Idaho for a stake dance. It was a cowboy theme which if you know Rodney had him hooked even though it was over an hour drive. Rodney was driving and made Will car sick and he threw up in the car and so he ran around in his diaper.

Just Hanging Around

2010-09-27T12:24:00.001-07:00

Rodney had to work out of town for two weeks. He returned Labor Day weekend and rewarded the kids by giving them rides on the boom truck. The kids loved it. I found that I have a fear of heights that seem to be growing with my age.

Another School Year

2010-09-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

The kids are ready to start another school year and both are very happy to be going back to school.

Jack will be in 4th grade this year.
Gracie will be in 1st grade and doesn't she look excited.

Will

2010-09-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

This blog is to help remind me how much I love this little guy. He hasn't been sleeping very well the last few weeks. He wakes up about 4 times a night. He fusses and fusses. He takes me down stairs to the frig like he wants a drink and then pushes it away when I give it to him. He wants me to turn the tv on. He wants to be as much trouble as possible and not go back to sleep. I haven't been very happy with him lately but when you look at the cute little face in this picture you can't help but just want to give him a hug and kiss. I just keep telling myself this to shall pass.

A Sad Tale

2010-09-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

I grew up with a dad who always had a beautiful garden and since the time I finished my first house have always tried to grow a garden - never successfully. I did not inherit my dad's green thumb. Since we have lived in Cascade I have not had a garden spot because we rent and I couldn't dig up the yard anywhere. I decide this year to turn the flower be into a garden. I planted broccoli, romaine lettuce, tomatoes and zucchini. The broccoli got eaten by some critter. The Romaine lettuce grew well but it was lettuce. The tomatoes were on their way to making me very happy and looking pretty good when the weather decided to change and we had a week of 25 degree nights in August. I am so sad. The zucchini and tomatoes are goners and I am seriously thinking about giving up my dream of being a gardener.

Samuel the 2 wheel riders.

2010-09-01T12:28:00.000-07:00

Samuel is now an expert bike rider. He taught himself to do it with just a lot of trial and error. That is the way all of the kids so far have learned to ride. I consider myself lucky to not have to run down the road holding the back of a bicycle. I am so proud of you Samuel.

Huckaby Paddle Board School

2010-08-19T15:32:00.001-07:00

This Post is for Todd. This is a invitation to come to Cascade and teach at the Huckaby Family paddle board school. We have students at all levels of learning. Lodging and food provided. The pay isn't great but it is a guaranteed good time.

What we have been up to.

2010-08-19T13:46:00.000-07:00

We had a great time in Boise shopping for school things.We have been enjoying the new whitewater park here in Cascade. We have been down the river in tubes and in a raft and I even went down on a boogie board.

A family that rafts together, stays together.
" My future is so bright I have to wear shades" Will has not got to raft down the river but he has a good time running around the park and waving and saying Hi to everyone that walks past him.
We have been taking care of nasty bites and cutting hair.
Will before Haircut.
As sad as I was to do it I finally had to cut Will's hair. I was very sad to see his curls go and think that he looks a year older without them. Oh well I suppose they will grow back.

Of course we have spent a few days playing at the lake.
Jack is an aspiring surfer.

Will loved every minute that we spent at the lake.

My kids are always so willing to pose for me. I think they are the cutest subjects to photo but of course I am a little bias.
We enjoyed Cascade's sidewalk art day during our county fair. There were some really cool pictures done. Jack thought the picture of the cat in the window was great.

Down the Whitewater Park

2010-08-13T18:23:00.000-07:00

Rodney and Troy took the kids for a raft ride down the river here in town. It is pretty much flat except for where it goes through the Kelly Whitewater Park. They had a lot of fun and it is a fairly safe environment for them to experience and learn to raft.

Samuel on a two wheeler

2010-08-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

Samuel is trying to teach himself how to ride a two wheeler and is doing pretty well for his second day.

Great Sunny Day!

2010-06-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

We are having a great time enjoying the sunshine. Grandma Huckaby made a surprise visit for a couple of day. Rodney decide to give her a bicycle ride and they had a great time. We also spent most of the day at the opening of the first whitewater park in Idaho. The Kelly Whitewater Park.

The Govenor of Idaho came and made some comments

Grandma took a great nap in the sunshine.

We watched the Nez Perce do some cool drum songs and dancing.

We dipped our feet in the river to cool off.
We danced and enjoyed the band.

We enjoyed great free hamburgers, drinks, and ice cream.

We watched the Kayakers do cool tricks in the river.
Here is a picture of part of the rapids at the park. It is so pretty. We invite you all to come visit and we will take you for a float down the river. We had such a great day. We are all a little sun burned but are so grateful to be enjoying the sunshine. Summer is here.

Jack's Puppet Show

2010-06-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

This is Jack and Mr. Bubbles in their class puppet show. Enjoy

Water Water Everywhere

2010-06-11T13:15:00.000-07:00

It has been raining and raining like crazy here. I have long for the sunshine and any sign that summer was on it's way. We went down to Boise on the 4th and drove through the worst rain storm I had ever seen. The river through the canyon was raging and very full. In the five hour that we were in Boise the river went up about two feet. Anyway because of all the rain they are letting more water out of the dam here in Cascade than they ever have in recorded history. Doesn't that sound impressive. I wish the pictures were more impressive but it was such a awesome site to see.

This is a picture of the river and you can see it is right to the top of the bank and raging something terrible. Believe it or not there were kayakers everywhere even in the down pouring rain.

A stop to see the river.

The boys

2010-06-11T13:10:00.000-07:00

These are my handsome boys. Don't they look great in their ties? I had to drive to Banks on Saturday morning and when I go home Rodney and the boys were just getting back from being at a baptism. They looked so cute so I had to snap a picture.

Jack participated in his cub scout pinewood derby. He made a great looking car and had a lot of fun racing it. Rodney and I are far from experts at building fast cars but we were all happy that he won more races that he lost.

Schools Out

2010-06-11T12:57:00.000-07:00

Gracie made it through her kindergarten year of school. She loved school and learned a lot. She is going to have the same teacher next year, Mrs. Henningson. Her teacher is hoping that Gracie doesn't grow to much over the summer or she will end up taller than her.

Jack loved his 3rd grade year and was very sad to see it end. He had a great teacher Ms. Anderson and came out of his shell a lot this year. His class spent the last couple of month making some puppets and did a great puppet show on the last day of school. It is crazy to think that he is almost 10. Where does the time go?

The 3rd graders and their puppets. Jack's yellow puppets was named Mr. Bubbles. I will try to post the video of his part in the puppet show.

Will always loves a trip to the school.

Got to love this boy.

2010-05-14T13:46:00.000-07:00

This is a very deceiving face Samuel is actually one of the sweetest kids I know he just happens to have a very crazy personality.

Bye Bye Hair

2010-05-14T13:39:00.000-07:00

Gracie is so beautiful with her long hair but it was so hard to keep the tangles out especially with her running around the yard and playing hard. I have hinted for several months that we should cut Gracie's hair. I had plans of course to have a someone that knew what they were doing cut it as soon as I could convince Gracie to do it. One evening I made my normal comment "Gracie when are we going to get your hair cut." She said "Tonight." It was 8:30 and bed time but I decided not to let the opportunity pass me by. We cut it before she could change her mind.

Finished Product. Gracie is still beautiful and we have much less tears at hair doing time.

Bed Time Stories

2010-05-14T13:37:00.000-07:00

Who is putting who to bed?

Biggest Snow Storm of the Year!

2010-05-14T13:31:00.000-07:00

Yes I know it is hard to believe but this is what we woke up to on April 29th. The snow made me very depressed. This is beautiful in January but right before May is a little crazy or me.

Jack's Class Making News

2010-04-13T15:03:00.000-07:00

Camera Issues

2010-04-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

I have been having some camera issues like rechargable batteries not holding there charge so that when I think I have full batteries and go to take a picture the camera turns off. Also the battery compartment won't stay closed very well and so the camera is acting extra retarded. It is definitely time or a new camera. Anyway the point is pictures have been few and far between but this pictures is one of my favorties that we did take in March. Gracie and Madison were having great fun with the wigs. What do you think Grandma, Future hairdressors?

Jack Receives his Bear

2010-04-13T13:18:00.001-07:00

At Pack meeting in March Jack received his Bear award. he worked really hard on his achievments. We had a lot of fun doing things like comparison shopping at the store and cooking meals and carving soap. Jack really likes scout and right now is working on his pinewood derby.
This picture is of Jack and his den. His leaders Brother and Sister Smith are so great. They raised 4 girls and so scouts is very new to them but they are so patient and do such a good job.

Happy Birthday Samuel!

2010-04-13T12:56:00.000-07:00

Samuel had a great time celebrating his birthday. We had to make a trip to Boise the Saturday before his birthday so we decided to go to a park and have a picnic for his birthday. He was really excited because any park play in cascade for the last 6 months has had to be done in snow suits. It was a little windy but the kids played and played. I really wanted a good picture of Samuel for his birthday but him and the camera were both having a hard time cooperating. I guess this pictures is perfect because it matches his personality perfect.Will loved the park and ran and ran and ran all over.

I had to work the week of Samuel's birthday so we didn't have a big party. But I did manage to get a cake made. I came up with the idea and then convinced Samuel he wanted a baseball cake.

Break Dancers

2010-03-01T14:41:00.000-08:00

The kids love to dance and dance. Break dancing has become one of Jacks favorites. I thought the all looked so cute but Will especially made me laugh trying to do the worm like the big kids.

Busy Busy Busy?

2010-02-05T12:48:00.000-08:00

I have not posted anything for such a long time. I could say it is because I have been so busy doing really important things. But I really don't feel like I have accomplished anything for the amount of time that has past. Winter has become such a hard time for me I really don't have a lot of motivation. I do feel though like 4 kids keep me running and moving all over the place. On a normal day I leave the house 3 times. Once to take the kids to school. Once to pick up the kindergartens. And once to pick up the kids in the afternoon. If I add anything extra like Library board meeting, Young women's, scouts or basketball to the mix I spend a lot of time in the car. I am grateful for the things we have to participate in and am trying to enjoy the days when I only have 1 child involved in things instead of all 4. I have no idea how I will juggle that. I have spent some time in the last month doing something that I have wanted to do for a long time. For a year of so I have wanted to make a felted bag. Which is a bag you make with 100% wool yarn and then washed in hot water to get the felted look. Of course I did not know how to knit. In November we had someone come and teach the young women to knit. Since I now new how to knit I was determined to make a cute bag. Below is the finished project.

This is not a great picture and I am still working on the handles but I think it turned out pretty good for my first project not counting scarfs. To make a felted bag you have to make it about a third bigger than you want it when it is finished. It took about 13520 stitches to complete. I am now fairly good at knitting and purling. Practice makes perfect.
We have also been helping Jack work on a lego kit that he got for Christmas. Rodney decided to start training him to work for Huckaby Bros.

Nicolle came to visit for New years and brought her dog Odie. He loved to lick Will's fingers and Will didn't seem to mind Odie cleaning him up. It worked out great.

Jack has been playing basketball with a school team for 3rd and 4th graders. This picture makes him look like and NBA star but unfortunately his team is not quit ready to be drafted. The are having a lot of fun though and have two more games to play. It is great fun to watch him.

Also as you can guess we have been spending a lot of time in the snow. The kids go out pretty much every day to sled. Luckily our yard is fairly sloped and they have plenty of fun without even having to leave the yard.

Craft Fun With Grandma

2010-02-05T12:42:00.000-08:00

When Grandma and Grandpa cam to visit Grandma brought some really fun foam craft projects to do with the kids. The had a lot of fun and they turned out really cute.

Ice Skating on the lake.

2010-02-05T12:29:00.000-08:00

Ever since we moved to Cascade Rodney has dreamed of ice skating on the lake. When ever we are in a second hand store he is always looking for and buying ice skates. So when my parents came up a few weeks before Christmas and the lake looked to be the perfect conditions nothing could stop him from living his dream.

Her is the Huckaby skate shop where everyone found a pair of skates they could wear. (I did not skate because taking care of a 1 year old while on skates is impossible.)

This is Rodney clearing the snow off of the ice.

Isn't this picture so cute?

Samuel spent a lot of time on his stomach or on his back side but he didn't seem to mind. He thought is was a blast.
Will loved walking across the ice but had a hard time staying upright also.

This is what Will really thought was fun.

Results of 1 year photo shoot

2009-12-14T12:06:00.001-08:00

This was so much fun. I did have a hard time though taking pictures with my cheap camera. Will was so excited that all my pictures turned out blurry so I borrowed a SLR camera and then even though he was wiggly they turned out perfect. The last 4 I edited on a web site called picnik.com.

Doesn't Will look good enough to eat?

Fun with the Camera

2009-12-11T16:13:00.000-08:00

Yolanda let me borrow her fancy camera so that I could take one year pictures of Will. I had a little bit of fun taking pictures of everyone. Here are two of my favorites.

I was setting up to take pictures of Will and everyone thought they needed to participate.

Gracie is at the age where she thinks she need to pull a goofy face for every picture. Luckily I got one of her smiling.

Adorable don't you think?

Samuel is the perfect model he does whatever you tell him to do. Maybe I ought to get him a job as a model.

Random pics

2009-12-11T16:00:00.000-08:00

This little boy is a huge fan of The Incredible Hulk.

This is what the kids look loke after I have finally coaxed them out of bed in the morning. At this time of the day this is the only place you can find heat in my house.

All the kids were looking so cute I thought I would try to get a picture. Will had other plans.

Ever since Jack was little Rodney played this game called Moose with them. They love to do it. I personally think it looks painful. They usually end up laughing.

Will is 1!

2009-12-11T13:45:00.000-08:00

On Will's birthday I was suppose to take the Young women and Young men in our branch to the hot spring for an activity. So Rodney and the family came along. Will loved every minute in the hot springs. I think he is half fish.

The weather was very cold but we had a picnic in the park anyway. Taco soup was not exactly what Will would have ordered for his favorite meal but it did make the YM/YW happy.

This is Will's birthday cake. I think it turned out ok. They never turn out like I have pictured in my head. My head is very artist my hands just have a hard time delivering

As you can see Will enjoyed every bite of his cake. Now we brace ourselves for the next years of his life. We love you Will.

November Happenings

2009-12-11T10:58:00.000-08:00

I have been really bad at getting photos posted. November seemed to fly by so fast and December is busy, busy, busy. But here are a few photos of some of the things we were up to in November.After several years of fund raising our city got a new park. We helped lay sod in October and then when the toys finally arrived the kids could not wait to go and play. It is a great play ground and the kids loved it. They are looking forward to getting a lot of use out of it when the weather warms in July!

October Happenings.

2009-11-09T12:27:00.000-08:00

Jack ran in the Cascade Lake Run 5k. This is him with a group of friends before the race started.

Jack did really well. Especially for a kid that does not train. He got 3rd place in his age group and he was the 9th male to finish the race. Way to go Jack.

I thought Samuel was so cute falling a sleep on top of a stuffed animal. That is exactly what I wanted to do but as you can see I wasn't quit done with my chores for the day.
We decided to paint pumpkins this year instead of carve them. The kids had a lot of fun with this activity. They love doing anything that involves paint.

Rodney was being stubborn and wouldn't paint his pumpkin so I finally convinced him he could draw a face with a Sharpie.

Jack helped sew his Halloween costume. (by the way it is cheaper to buy a penquin costume than it is to make one. Hind sight is everything.)
I went to the school for a costume parade and Samuel joined in the parade with Jack. After the parade I went to Jack's class to get Samuel and he did not want to leave. Jack's teacher is great and she found a desk for him and set him all up to participate in the read-a-thon that they were having. We ended up staying at the school all morning with Samuel being a very happy 3rd grader. He really wants to go to school.

This is Will trying on Rodney's wig

Here is a picture of this year's characters. It was a beautiful day in Cascade on Halloween. I was worried it would be freezing or snowing. The weather turned out to be great.
Here's Napoleon Dynamite taking my kids trick or treating.
Will loved his treats.

Look Grandma I am getting better!

2009-11-04T10:43:00.000-08:00

I can walk!!

2009-10-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

Grandma I can walk!!!

A few last trip pics.

2009-10-23T10:33:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of what our room looked like on the ship. It was great to have a floating hotel. We could see lots of different places but we didn't have to pack our suit case and change hotels. It was great.

When we would come into our room at night the guys that cleaned our room had folded towels into cool animal shapes.This is the staff of the ship singing a goodbye song.
This was out favorite Waiter on the ship. His name was Putu and he was from Indonesia. He worked in the Italian restaurant on the ship and he would bring us cotton candy with our Gelato. Yes major sugar rush.
One of the days we just spent on the ship we all dressed alike, not on purpose. It was a lot of fun going on this trip with my sisters. I will always treasure having spent this time with them and seeing the things we saw together. Love ya Nicolle and Julie.

We had a great time and I think this picture says it all. We were tired and ready to go home.

Thanks mom for this great experience!!!!

Day 9 - Sicily

2009-10-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

The last port that we stopped in was Messina, Sicily.This is a view of Messina from the ship.

We really only saw Messina from the window of the bus because we took a bus to a different city. From the bus we saw a lot of 20 somethings walking around with backpack and then we spotted the University of Messina. (picture above)

We took the bus to a town called Tormina. This is a view of the ocean from Tormina. Sicily was very beautiful. From Tormina we could see Mount Etna which is an active Volcano in Italy but we could not get a good picture because it was hazy.
Nicolle and Julie enjoying their last day of vacation.
Tormina had some really pretty architecture.I loved this picture. Everywhere we went there were these little restaurants that looked like this. Tables just scattered along the stairs.

In Tormina is the smallest street ever. This is the street sign.
This is Nicolle standing in the street.

We didn't spend a lot of time here but it was fun to see a little bit of Sicilian culture and taste a few of their treats.

Day 8 - Athens, Greece

2009-10-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

One of our last stops was the birth place of democracy, Athens and the Acropolis. Athens was named after the Goddess Athena. The story goes that Athena and Poseidon were fighting over who the city belonged to. The people living in the city decided that they should each give them a gift and whichever gift they liked the best would have the privilege of having the city named after them. Poseidon struck the ground and water flowed. Athena struck the ground and an olive tree grew. They picked Athena because if you have an olive tree you have food and heat, you have a source on income and you have free time because while the olives are growing there is nothing to do and so you can spend time philosophizing. The olive tree above is at the Acropolis in honor of that story.

The word Acropolis means high place and this was basically the main part of the city and where they would go if they were being attacked. The above picture is the Parthenon. This amazing structure was built in ten years. Which is amazing because most of the other ruins we saw took hundreds of years to build. This building was built to represent the people working together for a common goal. One of the greatest symbols of team work. It was built by the people for them to use and is basically the birth place of democracy. It is where the people in Athens would come to discuss their ideas.
This is another temple that is up on top of the hill. I can't remember what God this temple was built for.
This is a view from the top of the Acropolis. The structure you see in the middle of the picture you might recognize if you have ever seen footage of a concert at the Acropolis this is where they are held.

This is a ceiling that took 14 years to restore. That gives you an idea of what a task it is to restore these structures. The dark pieces are original pieces and the white pieces are ones they had to make. The black stuff is from a fire that burned when the Acropolis was attacked and they can not get that damage off.
This is a view of the city of Athens from on top of the Acropolis. Athens was a huge city and it was made of 8 story high cement builds and was very dirty and just not a very pretty city to drive through. But it looks cool from this view. There are a few old neo classical building that they have kept in good condition. You can see those further down.
This is the stadium built for the first modern Olympics in 1896. It has absolutely no parking and so when they just recently had the Olympics in Athens they held the archery competition in there.
Here is one of the old neo classical building. They are used to house government offices.

It was getting towards the end of the trip and we were all running out of steam.
This is a statue symbolizing the unity of Greece.
Here is another piece of art we saw in the city.

This is a running man made from sheets of glass.
Here is a picture of some great thinkers of our time.

The Acropolis and Athens was such a cool place to visit and have a glimpse of that part of history.

One more day of pics left.

Day 7- Kusadasi, Turkey

2009-10-13T22:08:00.000-07:00

Our day in Kusadasi was one of the most memorable days of this trip.This is a picture of Kusadasi to give you an idea of what the city looked like. Turkey was one of the most frustrating places to communicate with the local people. I had a very hard time understanding their English. The other countries we were in everyone had accents but you could understand them really well. Here asking a simple question like "Where is the restroom...the bathroom...the water closet...the toilet....?" "Ohhhh over there." Very frustrating. But Turkey was a beautiful place and even though we could not communicate well the people were nice.

The first thing we did in Turkey was go scuba diving. This is something I have wanted to do for a long time. I found a place that had beginner scuba diving and made arrangement through email to be picked up and spend a few hours scuba diving. I was nervous that the arrangement would be ok. Everything went perfectly. This is a picture of the place where we started.

This is Nicolle who is very excited. She had been snorkeling before but never scuba diving. And Julie who was not so excited. She hates putting her face in the water. She actually did not make it under the water.
This is me. Can you believe I went scuba diving. I have always had a fear of drowning and thought this was a perfect way to conquer that fear.
This is Nicolle showing off her cool swimming moves.

This is me feeding the fish. Our instructor found these little spiky black balls and cute them in half. The stuff that was in the middle the fish loved and swarmed around to eat it.
This is the sign for yes I am still breathing and everything is OK.
Nicolle feeding the fish.

I love this picture of Nicolle. Her eyes make her look like she is very nervous. I don't think that she was though.
There was a sign at the scuba place that said Caution you will never be happy on dry land again. Way true I am already wanting to go scuba diving again.

Our next stop that day was the ruin of Ephesus. We took a private tour so it was just the three of us and our tour guide and a driver. When we got out of the car at Ephesus it started to down pour. When we got back in the car it stopped raining. that was the way the rest of the day went. Also I don't have a lot of explanation of what the pictures are because I understood about half of what the guide said. I did understand that the excavation that is done here was done by foreigners and the Turkish government takes taxes to say they are spending it on excavating but they aren't really doing anything. 'The above picture is of the amphitheatre.
This is the library which was said to have housed over a thousand books, or scrolls as they were in that day.

This is a view looking down the main street of Ephesus.
This is us hiding out under and archway with our guide waiting for the rain to let up. Our guide was really nice and every time he was ready to move to another place he would say "Come my friends." I have not idea what his name was. I could not understand what he said it sounded like R2 to me so that is what I called him.
This is a river running down the street created by all the rain. I was smart today and had my tennis shoes on so I was not slipping on the marble street.
This was part of the bath house. It should not need any explaining.

We also visited St. Jeans Basilica that was located about 10 minutes from Ephesus. As I understood it this was not just a church but a sort of community inside of wall where St. John brought Mary, mother of Jesus, and it was a place where the christian could be safe and worship.

This was inside the Basilica. Does it look familiar to anyone? Can you guess it's purpose?
This is a view from the basilica. Very green and pretty country side.
Our other memorable stop was a carpet factory or school as they called it. Our guide says that we were right near a school where girls learn to make rugs would we like to go see. Of course that sounds like a cool cultural experience. Of course what it really was was a high pressure sales jewelry and carpet store. This is Nicolle testing out the rug for flying capabilities. I thought is was the only way we were going to get out of there. Luckily Nicolle did want to buy a rug.

After the purchase then they taught us how to tie know for rugs and let us try it out.

Overall it was a great day and we had some unforgettable experiences.

More pics coming!!

First Steps!!

2009-10-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

Grandma I did it. I took my first three steps last night. This isn't a great picture of me standing by myself but I am so excited I can't sit still. By my birthday I am going to be all over on my feet. Love Will

Day 6 - Santorini, Greece

2009-10-12T21:47:00.000-07:00

I will apologize now or the amount of pictures for this day. Santorini was the most beautiful and unique place that we went. I had a hard time selecting exactly what pictures to share. Santorini is a group of islands made from a volcanic eruption and so that are made of volcanic rock and pumis stone. There are about 5 islands that make up Santorini but only 2 of them are inhabited.This picture that looks like snow capped mountains is a view of Oia, one of the most unique places I have ever seen. More pictures of Oia are further down.

This is a view from on top of the cliff looking down into the water. Santorini's main island is sort of moon shaped and in the curved section is the worlds deepest caldera. That is what this picture is.
Santorini is known all over the world for it's award winning wine. (no we did not taste any) Because of the high winds that they get there they weave their grape vines into a sort of a basket and get them to grow low to the ground in order to protect the grapes. They also grow a lot of pistachio nuts.

We took a tour where we walked through a few little villages. This was a road we were walking down. I thought it was more like a sidewalk. I guess I am used to the wide open spaces of the west. Above the car you see a gate which was very common and the beginning and end of the villages. The bells symbolize the 3 saints watching over the village and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Santorini was full of Greek Orthodox churches. I think they said there were over 300 on the island. Most are privately owned. It is a great honor there to have a church built on you property. There are only 8 priest to service all those churches.
Here is a piece of prime real estate. Our guide told us and land is sold at a premium and this plot would sell for about 150,000 euro. Is anyone looking for a summer home?
We saw these guys selling fish on the side of the road. I was tempted to buy my lunch there. ("Ew")

This was a very interest old castle built by the Venetians. It was being renovated and people were living in it. Our guide told us houses in here were very expensive. Everyone wants to live in the castle.
This is me sitting on some one's front porch in the castle.
Nicolle and I walking through the castle. How would you like this to be the sidewalk you walked up to get to you home everyday?
I put this picture in here because this guy was so cute. As we walked by he waved and smiled at us. of course we could not communicate with him but he was so cute.

Julie snapped this picture. She was trying to get the little lady in the background but this cute family stopped and smiled for her. It was the first day back at school and we had just passed the school and they were returning from walking an older child to the school.
You may have notice the blue door and gates in the picture. Until recently it was a law that you had to paint your house blue and white. It is one of the things that make Santorini so unique. Our guide told us that 80 percent of the pictures that people see of Greece were taken in Santorini. The white house with blue are what you think of when you picture Greece. Nicolle was on the hunt for pictures of cute blue doors. This was my favorite that we took.
After our walk through the little villages we spent some time on a black sand beach. Black sand because it is volcanic rock.
This is a view of the little resort where we were at. It was the end of the tourist season so there was not a lot of people around. This is really the only beach time we had the whole trip. About 30 minutes after we left here is started raining.
This is Nicolle and Julie using our beach towel for protection from the rain.

This is a view of Oia. It is a village built just hanging of the top of the cliff basically.
Isn't is just beautiful and amazing?
Of course this beautiful village was a little perilous for me. I was wearing flip flops. (Day at the beach!) They did not have any traction on the bottom and all the streets were paved with stone or marble, very pretty and very dangerous for me. I had to wander around in my bare feet. I know I look great sporting the wet dog look.
This house was amazing to me. These people basically put a house front on a cave. They are living inside of the cliff . I wanted so bad to go knock on the door and ask to see inside. I was very curious as to what it would look like.
This was another place where basically they had put a door and some window in the rock to make a cave house.
I put this picture in because I think Nicolle's face is the best. We had ridden a city bus from one village to Oia and were waiting to catch it to go back. There was not really a formal bus stop we just went back to the place where the bus had dropped us off. It sort of looked like there was a line and so we tried our best to fine the back and like good little girls who are not used to using public transportation we waited. As soon as the bus was in sight all of these people came out the the wood work and started pushing and shoving to get on the bus. They didn't even make room for the poor people who wanted to get off the bus. We of course did not make it on that bus. We Waited forming what we thought was a line for the bus. Second bus shows up. Similar problem. Finally we made friends with some Australian ladies who had been waiting about the same amount on time. We did our best to form a line. We were now at the front and afraid of getting trampled we held hands and formed a semi circle that would allow the people getting off the bus to get off and held off the masses until we go on. It was a great experience to make me grateful that I don't have to us public transportation on a regular basis.

I put this picture in because it was one of my favorite pictures of Nicolle on this trip. I just think she looks beautiful in it which is not really fair because we had been walking in the down pouring rain. You saw the picture of what rain does to me.
Despite the rain we had a great day in Santorini. It is definitely and place I would love to go back and visit for a longer amount of time. If you have seen the movie The Sisterhood of the Traveling pants it was filmed here and one thing we did not get to do is ride a donkey up the mountain side. Next time I guess.

Day 5 - Katakolon, Greece

2009-10-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

The fifth day of our trip we visited the port of Katakolon, Greece and Ancient Olympia.This was a house out in the country side between the port and Olympia. Being the wife of a builder I was interested in how they built their houses. Nothing was built from wood. They were all cement houses with stucko everywhere we went. I guess we won't be moving to Greece anytime soon.

We visited the site of the Ancient Olympic. Olympia was a place where people gathered for sporting events and religious worship. It was used from the 10th century BC to 426 AD.

There were ruins or temples and gymnasiums where the participants of events could practice and condition.

This is the ruins of a bath house.

This is where the olympic torch is lit and starts it trip around the world every Olympic year.

Here are the ruins of a temple to Zeus' mother.
This was the coolest part of Olympia the Stadium. The word Stadium is actually a term of measurement. It was so many steps o Hercules. This is the spot where the ancient olympics took place.
We thought that since we were here we should tryout for the olympics. As you can guess we weren't even close. Though I almost got Nicolle to run the whole length of the stadium to get a good picture.

After our visit to Olympia we went to a Best Western Hotel where we had some Greek snacks. I don't know if you can tell in this picture but one of the snacks was octopus tentacles. I had told myself before the trip that I was going to do things out of my comfort zone and try new things. octopus was a little to far for me though.

Julie on the other hand had no problem trying it. I think "It is rubbery" was her response. EW!
While we were enjoying our snack we were entertained by some Zorba dancers. They did some really cool things.
We all joined in with the dancers. I like to dance and I can two step and waltz but I was not so successful at Zorba dancing. I just can't wiggle my hips. We had a great time and burned off some of the thousands of calories we had been consuming on the ship. This was a fun and cultural experience.

After all that fun we headed back to the ship and did our laundry (Oh what fun!).

More Pics to come.

Day 4 - Corfu, Greece

2009-10-08T13:54:00.000-07:00

Our next stop was Corfu which is a beautiful island on the west side of Greece.Corfu was a beautiful place. It had a lot of flowers and hills covered with green trees.
There are about 70,000 olive tress on Corfu and is the main source of income on the island.

Here is a picture of the old fort that was the townI(can't remember the name) and then the more modern city built around it.

We rode on a bus around the island and the roads were so skinny. They looked like one way street and they were very curvy. We had to have very good bus drivers. I thought they were one way until cars started passing us coming the other direction. It got really tricky when there were cars parked on one or both sides of the street also.
The first place we visited was a palace built by Elizabeth, Empress of Austia. It was called the Achillon Palace because of the statue of Achilles that was in the court yard. The palace was full of carvings and statues from greek mythology. The above picture was a court yard that had statues of the 12 muses.
Elizabeth, Empress of Austria

The Statue of the dying Achilles that the palace was named for. Hopefully you all know this story.
After the Empress died a king of Germany bought the palace and he put this statue of Achilles on the palace grounds. Originally his helmet was gold plated so the king could see it shining in the sun and he aproached Corfu from the sea.
The view of Corfu from the palace.
This is a picture of a little island called mouse island. It has a little church on it that is really popular to get married in.

The next place we went was a private villa to have lunch. This is a picture on the villa.
A funny thing happened while we were arriving at the villa and hopefully Nicolle won't care if I tell the story. As we walked in there was a table with drinks sitting on it. One was a orangy color and the other was clear. Nicolle crabbed the clear one thinking it was water and took a gulp of it. She started spitting it out in the bushes. I started laughing. of course it was not water but Ozo a alcholic drink from Greece. Leave it up to Nicolle for comic relief.
This is the beautiful place we got to enjoy lunch in.
This is what we ate. It was about 20 different greek specialties. I tried a little of everything even the fried squid. I did it so Rodney would be proud of me.

This was out hostess. She was very nice.
This is a picture of olives on the tree. They are about 1 month away from being ripe.

Our day in Corfu was wonderful. It was a beautiful place that I would love to go back to and spend more time.

More pics to come.

Day 3 - Dubrovnik, Croatia

2009-10-06T19:54:00.000-07:00

This picture is a little out of order but I can't figure out how to fix it without redoing my entire post. Anyway this was one of my favorite places we found while exploring Dubrovnik. I saw a sign and wondered what is was for, of course it was not in English (very frustrating). I found this little jewlery shop that was in a garden it was so pretty. I have never shopped in such a cool atmosphere. Notice the no picture sign? Just for the record Nicolle took this picture.

Dubrovnik was a beautiful port town in Croatia. We went to a place called Old Town which was a fortified city built in the 13th century to protect the people from invasions from the sea. Here is a picture of the wall surounding the city. It is 20 feet thick is some places.

Here is a view looking up from the waters edge.

You might think that this place was just for tourists but most of the old buildings looked like they were apartment building. We took a turn off the beaten path and climbed and climbed stairs and we saw apartments where people were living in the old city.

This is a view looking down one of the little streets or sidewalks. I call them street because one we saw had boards over the stairs so they could drive a little tractor down it.
This old town had some beautiful buildings.
This is a view of the town outside the fort. Cement and stucko buildings with red tile roofs everywhere.

We were looking for a restaurant that I had read about on the internet that had cliff divers. When we asked for directions we were directed here. We went through a door in the fort wall and came out to this. It was these steep steps going down the cliff and it was a little cafe that served drinks just hangin there on the cliff. It was so neat.

This is a view looking up at the cafe.
This is a view of the ocean from the cafe. It was a beautiful sunny day. We didn't have very many of those on this trip.
We climbed all the way down the step and made it to the water edge. 3 days of the trip and this was the first chance we got to touch the Mediterranean sea. We took off our shoes and enjoyed the moment. It was a great day.

Day at Sea- Day 2

2009-10-02T15:25:00.000-07:00

The second day of our trip was spent at sea. We woke up at 7:00 am to see the Stromboli Volcano. This is an active Volcano. You can see smoke coming out of the top.

We were surprised to see a village at the bottom of the Island. This picture shows one of two villages on the Stromboli Island. About 50 people live in this village. There aren't any roads that cross the volcano so the only was to get from on village to the other is by boat.

What do you think people do for a living that live on an active volcano?

As we were passing through the Straights on Messina which is the water between Italy and Sicily we looked over the railing and saw this boat zooming along the side of our ship. They were the coast guard for Italy and someone from there boat had got on our ship for something. After a minute he stepped off the ship onto their little boat without a life jacket and then they sped away.

When we leaned over to take a picture of the boat this nice Italian man waved to us.
We went to a cooking demonstation and tried to learn how to make some fancy pasta dishes. I am a more hands on learner so no I won't me makeing anybody any pasta.

It was a formal night in the dining room so this is us all decked out in our fancy dresses. The sea was really ruff this night and as we were walking to dinner in our heels we were having a hard time walking down the hall straight. I started getting really seasick and did not really enjoy the formal dinning experience. The raw beef thing I ordered for my appetizer might have had a little to do with it also.
These pictures were mostly taken for Rodney, which if you know him you know he is a total food person. He would have appreciated this dinner more than I did.
A beautiful sunset from the deck of the ship. A great way to end a relaxing day at sea. (I am not sure this sunset pictures was taken this actual day but every night at sea the sunset was beautiful)

Greek Isle Cruise- Day 1 Flying to Rome and boarding the ship

2009-10-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

After being home for two weeks I am finally caught up enough to get some pictures posted.Nicolle and Julie enjoying a Cinabon while waiting to get on the plane in Salt Lake City. This was the begining of a 14 hours trip to Rome Italy.

Nicolle was able to sleep on the plane after taking a sleeping pill. I didn't take one and this picture is the evidence that I was not able to sleep on the plane. I read 3/4 of Twlight instead.

When we arrived in Italy we had to get in line to show our passports. There were a million people it looks like a herd of cattle and we were all merging into a line with one person looking at passports. We stood in line for a little over and hour. Still the first day of vacation so we are still smiling despite the situation.

Our home for the nest 10 days the MSNoordam.
Me on the back deck of the ship overlooking our departing port Civitavecchia, Italy

The first thing you do once everyone is on the ship is have an emergency drill. Don't we look great in our lifevests.

We found the shuffle board games as we were exploring the ship. We didn't actually play a game. We ment to latter in the trip but never found time.

We also found this chess board on the ship Julie and I played the first game was a draw. We basically took every piece from each other except the king and one other. We started over and I won. All that practice with Jack paid off.

We took a tour of the kitchen and meet the head chiefs.
The kitchen staff was amazing. This guy was making flowers out of vegetables. The food was really good on the ship. I did though find some things I couln't eat. Anyone that knows me well that will not surprise.

Dick Nourse the retired anchor man from KSL and his wife were with the group from Salt Lake that we were traveling with. They were very nice. If you are from Utah you will recongnize him.

More pictures to come.

First day of school

2009-08-30T16:52:00.000-07:00

Here are Jack and Gracie on their first day of school. They were both so excited to go to school. After lunch Gracie said she was ready to go back she thought she was just home for lunch and then she got to go back to school. She was a little disappointed that she only got to go in the morning.

Rodney and Will

2009-08-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

I have been getting a lot of comments lately about how much Will looks like his dad. I was not sure if I can see it but I found this pictures of Rodney when he was 1 and they look similar especially the lack of hair. What do you think?

Sad Samuel

2009-08-04T12:23:00.000-07:00

On the 29th of July Samuel broke his collarbone while getting off the trampoline. It was a very painful experience because they can't do anything to set it or cast it. It just has to heal. For two days he sat on the couch and any moving for sitting up or going to the bathroom made him cry and throw a fit. Finally I bribed him that if he would get up and walk to the car with help I would buy him dinner at Howdy's which is our gas station and he loves the chicken legs there. He walked to the car and once he realized that his arm was the only thing hurt and the rest of his body still work he has been fine. Keeping him from running around and falling and hurting himself again is now my new challenge.

Samuel had a lot of sympathy from everyone.

A trip to warm lake

2009-08-04T12:06:00.000-07:00

Rodney and Troy got a job repainting a house at warm lake which is about 30 miles east of us. So we went up and stayed for a night and had a great time. The kids had fun playing in the pretty much the whole day. We took a little hike around the edge of the lake and we also pick huckleberries. It was a short but relaxing vacation and warm lake was very beautiful and quiet.

View of the cabin the boys were working on from the dock.

Gracie liked being in the canoe as long and it was tied to the dock.

Rodney and Jack paddled all around the lake.

Gracie and I slept on a screened porch.
Our view out the front door in the morning.

Yum yum huckleberris!

2009-08-04T11:53:00.000-07:00

We love this time of the year when we can go and pick huckleberries. It is always an adventure because huckleberries usually grow on a inclined hill and there are always lots of mosquitoes. All the kids are good helpers some of them eat almost as many berries as they pick. Our favorite things to do with the huckleberries is to make milkshakes, but we also like eating them in pancakes and Rodney even threw them into some stir fry he was making (weird).

What we have been up to in July

2009-08-03T15:58:00.000-07:00

One day we went grocery shopping in McCall. I had heard that there was a fountain in town that the kids could run and play in so I had the kids wear their suits. The fountain was right next to the lake so they swam in Payette lake and played in the fountain. McCall is much more fancy of a place than Cascade and the beach was really nice. The down side is it was much more crowded. The kids still had fun.

Will had his first experience with sand

Samuel wasn't real sure if he liked the fountain.

I have these really pretty flowers in my yard that just grow every year without me watering them or taking care of them in any way. I had taken pics of Gracie there before but Rodney thought we needed to take advantage of them for a photo op. So I decided a little boy could be in the flowers if he was with his mom. They turned out ok.

Rodney tried to water ski one day when we were at the lake with some friends. Let's just say he had fun trying.

Will is getting bigger and cuter everyday.

Will has also finally learned to crawl on his knees after a month of doing the worm.

For the first time since moving here 3 1/2 years ago I have managed to grow a decent flower bed that hasn't been over run with weeds.

Jack got a tie from our Branch President. He wanted to wear it one sunday but Rodney was at a morning meeting and I don't know how to tie a tie. Rodney had shown him once but he never had really got it down. But this morning he pulled his scout book out that had directions and this was the finished product. Way to go Jack!

One day Jack made this cat out of dominos

After two months of on and off rain, mostly on, Gracie found this huge mushroom in our yard. (This picture is from Jume)

We have enjoyed several trips to the lake to roast hot dogs and marshmallows. The kids love to roast marshmallows.

One day Rodney and I made a trip to the temple and left the kids with Yolanda. She lives on the road that goes from main street up to the lake in Cascade. The were swimming in the yard, which turned into waving at the cars, which turned into selling popcicles for $.50 a piece. They ended up making $10.00.

Will had his very first dip in the lake. I don't think he liked it very much.
Jack went tubing at our branch beach party with Harris and Tyson. Jack is fearless about doing things in the water.

Free Fishing Day in Idaho

2009-06-17T15:25:00.000-07:00

Rodney loves free fishing day because he really only likes to fish one day a year and this way he doesn't have to buy a license. Also Cascade has a great event for kids at a pond in town and it has become somewhat of a tradition. Rodney gets his fishing fix and the kids have great time.

This is Jack realizing he needs to develop patience if he wants to be a fisherman. The fish just don't bite fast enough for him.

Gracie enjoyed holding the pole for the first half hour we were there but then she learned she would rather play with worms and already caught fish rather than actually fishing. (see lower picture)

Samuel loved fishing. He just sat and sat holding that pole in the water. Rodney was not even paying attention to him and I saw a line that looked like it had a bite when we figured out it belonged to Samuel we ran to help him reel it in. He is the most patient of all the kids and it paid off.

Gracie used to be my most picky eater!

Will was trying to decided--Peaches or worms?

The kids each caught a fish and won a free fishing pole. It was a fun day!

June Happenings

2009-06-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

Will has started smiling this cute little closed mouth smile.

Will has started eating baby food and he loves it.

Jack found a little frog in the yard and it was going to be his pet until Uncle Troy said that he was going to feed it to the snakes and then Jack let it go so Troy couldn't find it.

Samuel has decided he is a baseball cap boy and wears this hat all of the time.

It has rained a lot and the lake it higher than it has ever been since we moved here. They are letting more water out of the dam. What is normally a little trickle was an amazing site.

Will turned 7 months on the 7th.

Will's First Play Date

2009-06-17T14:33:00.000-07:00

Will had a friend come and play for the first time. Garrett is in our branch and is just two weeks younger than Will. Will (mostly his mother) has always been jeolous of Garrett's great head of dark hair. But they are still great friends and love to slobber together, stick the same toys in their mouths, and smile at each other. They had a great time together.

Schools Out!

2009-06-17T14:28:00.000-07:00

Jack made it through second grade. He had a great year. He was very excited because he wanted to earn the star reader award before the end of the year and he did. He also recieved an American Citizenship award that was presented by the principal. He is a really good student and I was very proud of the progress he made this year. He did decide however that he likes art better than math this year. Will see if that sticks. I am not sure I will survive summer with all the kids running around. Any helpful craft activity ideas or anything to keep kids busy let me know.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

I am very gratful this Mother's Day for my 4 greatest blessings, my children. They each bring such joy into my life. Jack is growing up so much and is starting to be such a great helper and doing things without being asked. Gracie is my little princess that is my chance to indulge in girly things like making her new jewlery and clothes. Samuel is the jester in my life always making me laugh and smile at the things he does. And Will is my soft and cuddly baby. Being a mother is more difficult than I thought it would be before I became a mother. But I find great joy in being a mother and there is nothing better in the world than having your child climb up on your lap, give you a big hug, and tell you that they love you.

Will at 6 months

2009-05-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

This is how Rodney keeps Will entertained while he is trying to work in the kitchen

Will got along with the ladies while we were at Grandma Eberhards. He is going to be a ladies man.

This is Will trying on his brothers slippers.

Will on his 6 month birthday.

Will is just starting to eat food. Grandma Eberhard gave him his first taste of Grahmn crackers.

Huckaby Happenings

2009-05-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

This is what I get now when I ask Samuel to smile.

Gracie lost her first tooth in April.

Gracie is still a great helper with Will. She loves to play with him and keeps him happy for me.

Jack entered an art contest at school that was sponsored by the Idaho garden club and the Long Valley garden club locally. His picture of Woodsy Owl won 1st place from the local garden club and 2nd in the state for his age group.

Easter here was cold and windy. We did have a fun time dying eggs though and our hands turned out more colorful than the eggs. I bought a weird egg dying kit apparently.

Looking for a Good Laugh?

2009-04-28T13:31:00.001-07:00

If you are looking for a good laugh go to youtube.com and search for Rodney Huckaby. There is a video of his german opera lip sync. Enjoy

Some Favorite Pictures of Will

2009-04-13T13:32:00.000-07:00

Will took a little cruise in the Tonka truck.

Will is just starting to learn how to sit up by himself.

Will went for walk with us on a nice warm day. He looked so cute in his Ewok outfit.

This is one of my favorite pictures I have taken lately.

2009-04-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

I thought these pictures of Samuel and Jack were so cute.

Will is already 5 months old. Time passes so quickly. Will is getting such a cute personality and is such a good baby. We are enjoying every minute with him.

This is Rodney passing on a very important General conference tradition.

We survived 11 years of marriage.

2009-04-13T13:06:00.000-07:00

Rodney and I spent our anniversary with the kids eating mexican food in McCall. We decided this year we would let the kids celebrate the eleventh anniversary of the start of our family with us. We had a great time and I am grateful for every minute I have to spend with them. We tried having Jack take a picture of Rodney and I together but they didn't turn out. I love Rodney so much. He is the best.

Happy 3rd Birthday Samuel

2009-04-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

Samuel turned 3 on the 23rd of March. He has grown a lot and changed a lot in the last year. He is becoming very independant. He can use the grown up potty and he can talk your ear off. He also will not hold my hand to cross the road or go into a store or anything, unless of course he sees a dog and then he practically scales me to get off the ground and away from the dog. Samuel is quite the character and is always making me laugh. It has been a great 3 years.

Grandma thanks for the great stuff that you sent in the mail. Love ya lots

Gracie in a tree

2009-04-12T21:20:00.000-07:00

Gracie climbed into a tree in the bakcyard and got stuck. The funny thing was that the tree is full of huge thorns. I can not figure out why she was even trying to climb it in the first place. She is full of adventure and trouble.

This is Gracie with the bag she was suppose to be cleaning the car out with converted into a hat.

Cute pictures

2009-03-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

I just liked these pictures. I never get sick of taking pictures of my kids. I am grateful they are always willing to smile for their mom.

Gracie and Will

2009-03-26T11:23:00.000-07:00

Will and Gracie on his 4 month birthday.

Gracie teaching Will how to play the piano.

Gracie and Will have a really great relationship. She loves to carry him around the house so that he can be doing whatever she is doing. He is very tolerate of her attention and seems to prefer her over Jack or Samuel. One day when I got out of the shower I found that Gracie had tucked Will into my bed and given him a puppy to sleep with. He had fallen asleep just as happy as can be. I told Gracie "What am I going to do when you go to school and I don't have you to help me." She replied "Mom when I come home I will take care of you." Gracie is growing up so much and really has a motherly streak in her.

Skiing

2009-03-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

Rodney spent a beautiful day skiing with his sister Yolanda. Tamarack ski resort which is about 25 minutes from us was closing early. A friend had given us some free ski passes but I wasn't feeling very well so Rodney took Yolanda on the last day the hill was open. Rodney borrowed some 3 oot skis from a friend and he had a blast doing 360 turns down the hill.

Gracie is growing up

2009-03-26T11:14:00.000-07:00

What a cutie group of pink cousins.

Gracie finally mustered up enough courage to get her ears pierced.

Family Home Evening Painting

2009-03-26T11:11:00.000-07:00

For family home evening we painted on canvas'. I ended up with some great art work.

Getting Caught Up

2009-03-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of all my kids at 3 months old. Who do you think look alike?
I got a new hair do. I am kindof a control freak and so this now my hair is a little our of control. I am trying to embrace it.

In February we went to McCall the annual ice sculpture festival. The weather had been a little warm and so some of the sculptures were melting. But we still had fun together.

Long Time No Post

2009-03-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

Will at 3 months old

This is will checking out his high chair for the first time. He liked being up were he could see everyone.

I have a ton of fun pictures but my computer has been at the computer doctor for over a month and Some on the pictures are stuck on my camera until I get my computer back. I have my old computer but it is very slow when it comes to posting things on the internet. Here is a quick update. Will is getting bigger. He weighed 13 pounds at his 4 month visit. He is starting to giggle which is really fun. Samuel is finally potty trained which is great to only have to change one kids diapers again. Gracie has her first loose tooth and is very excited about it. She also got her ears pierced a week ago. Jack is spending some extra time reading. He wanted to earn a ticket to roaring springs and has to read 600 minutes for it. All is well in Cascade. We go 8 inches of snow yesturday which was a good thing because when it isn't snowing it is about 4 degrees outside. So we enjoy the lesser of two evils. Hopefully I will get the computer back soon and can post some fun pictures.

Christmas Dress

2009-01-21T20:41:00.000-08:00

Gracie finally wore her Christmas dress to church for the first time this Sunday. Look at my baby girl she is growing up so fast. Does anyone know how to stop kids from growing?

A right of passage

2009-01-21T20:35:00.000-08:00

Jack had his first lesson on tying a tie this sunday. It was one of those things that made me happy and sad at the same time. Happy because Jack is becoming so grown up and independant and doesn't need so much from me anymore but sad for the same reason. He seems to be growing up so fast. I am trying to cherish all the little things before they are goine.

Will at 2

2009-01-21T20:22:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Will is already 2 month old. Time really flies by.

As you can see in this picture it looks like he might have a little bit of Samuel's personality.

French Braid

2009-01-21T20:14:00.000-08:00

I french braided Gracie's hair for the first time. It was a lot of fun but as you can see I am terrible at parting.