chores ..

before we could go boating today we had to do some chores .. my grill was not working so well .. so i ordered some new parts for it .. well they have been sitting in the box on the kitchen table for a week .. these are the old parts .. they don't look so good .. well they don't work so good either ..

these are the new parts .. now .. we just have to install them ..

see this thing .. this is a fingernail ripper offer for sure .. i hate these things .. i have a much bigger version on my trailer hitch .. and i don't like it either .. i had to go and get the pilers so that i could bang on it to get it to go in ..

see the new pieces . almost done ..

all done .. now we can go and boat .. first i think that i will take some chicken out for dinner ..

they finally checked in ...

the kids called yesterday .. finally .. it seems that there is no cell phone reception in the mountains of colorado .. technology .. it has it limits .. they are having a great time .. cash is wanting a space shuttle .. so they were in Lake City doing some shopping .. no space shuttle but he did get a new frog .. and ellie .. she got a new husky puppy which she has named snow flake .. they also got new sweat shirts .. it seems that it is cool in the morning and at night .. and the ones that i packed are all dirty ..

snow flake is pretty cute .. and ellie looks like she is having super great fun .. oh mom .. she says .. this is just the best place .. i have made a new friend .. and grandpa takes us in the ranger .. and we went up to 12890 feet the other day and we got to play in the snow .. but there was one spot were grandpa would not let us get out of the ranger because there was a cliff right next to us mom .. there was like no room .. if we would have gotten out we would have fallen down the mountain .. and oh we are just having the best time .. wait ellie .. go back to the part about falling down the mountain .. oh mom .. i could not see the bottom of the mountain .. it was a really really long ways down  .. anyway .. we are just having the best time .. please tell grandpa to be careful .. oh mom .. you would love it here .. yes ellie i know that i would ..

cash also got some new socks .. john deer tractor socks .. and he has also pulled them all the way up to his knees .. cash .. we are going to have to talk about how you wear socks .. and cash .. he also looks pretty happy .. he has played with his chain saw .. he is not so crazy about the "pretend" part .. he is a little  upset that it does not really cut wood like grandpa's does .. and he has played in the dirt .. but he really wants a space shuttle .. mom .. can i get one when i get home .. can we go to walmart and buy one .. please mom .. ok cash .. i think that we can do that .. ok .. bye .. and that's it .. not one tear was shed on the part of my children .. my babies .. my sweet and wonderful babies .. it seems that they are doing just fine without me .. me .. however .. i got off the phone and cried for 20 minutes ..

holy cow !!!

no .. this is not a post about cows .. just wanted to throw in that disclaimer .. this is a post about my little bit of love that i got in a box on friday .. maybe jeff knew that i was missing the kids and needed a little lift .. maybe he is planning on being bad here pretty soon and is trying to pave the way so i won't be to upset .. maybe he was just being plain nice .. maybe .. well this list could go on and on ...

unless you are camera/lens crazy like my brothers friend bobbie turner .. or me .. this box does not mean alot to you .. but this will .. are you ready ..

i know .. HOLY COW .. that lens is as big as a child .. i know .. HOLY COW .. i almost dropped it when i opened the box .. but oh baby does it ever take some amazing photos .. or maybe i take amazing photos and the lens just looks good ... or maybe ... i take amazing photos and i look good and the lens is just really big ..

look at all that bokeh .. (blurry background for you non photo people out there) .. and what a great price on a seadoo .. oh man ... i need my kids back so that i can play with this new lens .. or maybe i can borrow ryan's sweet little rylee for a bit ..

instead we have noah .. and not much back ground so you can see the bokeh .. but noah .. he looks happy to be working at dick lane's doesn't he .. 

oh .. and here are my kids .. and yes uncle danny .. cash is still in his pj's .. and yes this is after dinner .. he is on vacation with granny and grandpa so cut him a little slack .. they made it to somewhere in new mexico .. where dad wanted to be .. it appears that they are really missing me doesn't it .. cash was to busy to talk .. he had things to do with grandpa .. that's ok .. i wouldn't have it any other way .. at least not right now ... i have a new toy to play with .. i should have it totally mastered by the time they get home .. so cash .. you are going to have to put on some clothes so i can take your picture !!!

how we watch tv ..

because i never let my poor children watch tv .. they are not sure exactly how they are suppossed to watch TV .. so instead of sitting in the chair .. ellie lays on top of it ..

and then there is cash .. in his chair with all his daddy's new straps ..

he was so tired .. i am glad that he did not fall out of his chair and crack open his cranium on his daddy's new straps ..

it is alot higher than it looks ..

and just for the record .. they are watching nick jr .. cash is working on his shapes ..

they're gone .. gone .. gone ..

granny and grandpa have kidnapped my children .. my beloved babies  .. i mean .. granny .. grandpa .. cash and ellie left for colorado this morning .. to go camping and ride the ranger .. ellie is holding her "hamster" .. she is taking him camping .. and no he is not real ..

we have been packing for days .. we spent all tuesday and a little bit of wednesday night packing .. making lists of things not to forget .. things that we needed to get at the store .. things that we needed to find ..

movie cases .. authorizations to treat minors .. i know .. i am being way over prepared and cautious ... but that means that not one bad thing will happen .. dirty laundry bags ..

dvd players .. chargers .. headphones .. ipods .. cameras .. batteries .. i didn't know that technology and camping went together ..

so we are all loaded up .. of course it took us 20 minutes to get the kids in the car seats .. movie players/ditty bags/backpacks/snacks/drinks all situated .. poor dad .. he was just waiting .. and waiting .. then it was time to say a very quick and speedy good bye .. i did not want to linger .. i did not want my children to cry .. and plead and beg me to go with me .. i did not want to hear their cries of how much they are going to miss me .. how they won't be able to breathe because they miss me so much .. well .. lets just say that i have a bruise on my leg and a broken rib or two where cash tried to shut the door .. except that i was still in the door .. hugging and kissing on him .. time to go mom .. he says to me ..

bye .. sweet children ..

have a fun time ..

i will miss you ..

call me .. text me .. email me .. take lots of pictures ellie ..

wait .. stop grandpa ..

bring them back .. i can't do it .. 8 days .. without my kids ..

wait .. 8 days without my mom .. oh no .. oh no .. come back !!

happy fathers day ..

we celebrated fathers day last night with matt .. sammie .. kali .. luke .. mom and dad ..

we did a lot of swimming ... and eating ..

and mom made her delicious chocolate sheet cake ..

and presents for all the dads ...

and road graders on top of dump trucks on top of dump trucks .. i hope everyone had a great fathers day !

a very scientific study ..

some people .. who will remained unnamed .. have said that i have an unusual love of oreos .. i do not think so .. everyone loves oreos as much as i do .. they ARE the greatest cookie ever made .. well .. besides the thumbprints from Merritts .. anyway .. oreos are great .. so to prove my point i conducted a very scientific experiment at work yesterday .. being a former science teacher i love science experiments .. and there is no better way to prove my point to the unnamed people than with hard data and facts ..

the poor fellas that i work with had no idea that i was using them as guinea pigs ... so i bought 2 packages of cookies .. chip ahoys and the best cookie ever made .. oreos .. (i am just a little biased .. yes i know .. ) .. so at 9 am on friday morning i set these new packages out on the lunch room table ..

see .. i posted the official time that the experiment started .. both cookie packages are opened ..

oh my .. what is wrong here .. it is 10:30 and half of the chip ahoys are gone already .. as of 10:30 i had not had an oreo .. remember .. we know that i already love oreos .. we are testing to see if everyone else loves oreos like me .. so if i eat one it will skew my data .. and we want to keep it scientific .. right .. oh my .. those oreos are calling my name though .. oh sweet .. pretty and brilliant jenny .. have just one .. no one will see .. and we won't tell anyone ... no no no oreos .. you are going to ruin my data ... we can not let the unnamed people win .. stay strong

as of 12:30 .. most of my beloved guinea pigs had eaten their lunch .. what is wrong here .. there are way more oreos left ..

and this is at 6:30 .. 1 chip ahoy cookie left in the whole package .. and for the record .. my kids were the ones who ate the oreos .. and ok .. i had 2 or 3 after lunch .. so what does all this mean .. does it mean that i need therapy for my love of oreos .. i wonder if i buy several new pairs of shoes will i be cured .. or do i need a serious intervention like shoes AND a trip to see gabe .. so that i can discuss my overwhelming love of oreos with gabe and then he will work his magic on my mind and soul and i will be ok .. or maybe i should just eat the rest of the package .. not tell anyone .. and declare the oreos the winner and tell the unnamed people that there is nothing wrong with me .. everyone loves oreos like me .. maybe there is something wrong with the unnamed people ..  i still think that i need to see gabe though .. i am feeling a little unbalanced .. maybe it was all those oreos ..

we were having a super time .. until the storm blew in that was ..

we had big plans to boat this morning .. have a picnic lunch .. swim .. tube and ski .. so we set out .. cash is singing his little heart out .. johnny cash of course ..

jeff was even in a happy mood .. nice to finally spend part of a day off not working ..

well hello there .. i am going to include more pictures of me .. even if i am shooting into a mirror .. thought you all might want to see me to !! .. not just jeff and the kids !!

pretty blue sky .. and yes ronda lau .. the lake is cold ..

so after our peanut butter no jelly .. turkey .. root beer .. orange pop and wavy lays it was time to tube ..

oh cash was so happy to be on the tube .. this is AWESOME he says ..

faster daddy ..

oh how quick things change .. he was done for the day .. so we switched gears .. time to ski ..

granny and cash sat in the water with ellie .. since this is her first time out this summer .. we didn't just want to throw her in the lake and see how she did .. so granny and cash helped her out .. well ...

as you can plainly see for yourself .. she totally remembers how to ski !!!

but then .. these showed up ..

i think that it might rain .. and rain it did .. so hard that it felt like we were being pelted with rocks .. so hard that we did not make it all the way back to the truck and trailer .. so hard that we had to pull over and take shelter in an empty boat slip ..

cash wrapped up in a towel next to granny with his heater .. the black thing that he is holding .. and next thing you know .. he is passed out .. took himself a nice little nap while we waited out the rain .. and ellie .. well ..

she was all huddled under a towel as well .. it was a great day .. minus the rain storm