I will not be put back in the car.
Ready made balls eveywhere.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Monday, July 8, 2013
Nef Family Reunion 2013
Schedules did not work out the way we had hoped, and then last minute the guy who was going to train with Todd called in sick. So instead of getting to leave from Lewiston at 10:30 to 11:30, we left Tri-Cities at 1:30-2:00. It was nice because it was the 4th of July. So there was no traffic--meaning he was able to get back by 1:30 instead of 3 or 4. We will take the small favor. We jumped in the car. The kids played really well until we hit the Idaho/Oregon boarder. Boise is our half way point. We always stop and spend about an hour or so there stretching our legs and grabbing something to eat. But we still had about 30 minutes until we were ready to pull off. So Todd started singing 99 bottles of rootbeer on the wall. We sang the 100th vs as we pulled off the exit. And the girls giggled and sang with us. We occassionally switched up the vs and sang "50 bottles of rootbeer on the wall, 50 bottles of rootbeer, take one down, pass it around, and everyone has to replace their kidneys!" But the girls favorite, and we sang every 20 vs or so "take one down, pass it around, and everyone has to go to the bathroom again."
We stopped and ate and walked. There for the last bit of our walk back to the car, Todd had Kolten on his shoulders. When we got to the car, Kolten held on for dear life. "If you can't take me off your shoulders, you can't put me back in that car" or so he seemed to be saying. He was impressive in his ability to hang on.
Shortly after we got back on the road, they fell asleep. Todd and I switched off driving and napping, and at 3:30 we pulled into camp. Thankfully, Todd's mom let us borrow her tent trailer, so I would not have to sleep on the ground while pregnant. And she had it all set up for us. So we simply pulled out the sleeping bags, hit the potty, and went to bed.
The next morning it was fun to see and visit with all the family!! This year we camped at Green Canyon Hot Springs. www.greencanyonhotsprings.com is their web site. They have some fun pictures. We spent a lot of time in the pool. The boys wrestled to see who could dunk who first. It was fun to watch. They are all old enough that everyone could hold their own. And it depended more on how many times you wrestled than who was really stronger. It was fun to watch these brothers and brothers in laws be brothers instead of daddys for a few minutes. Later that night, they have a hot tub from the hotsprings, which was really not very hot that night. So we all ended up out there. They have a small cold pull, so you can cool off. And thus started the polar dip challange with us and the next family reunion too. Todd came out the champion--he was able to stay dunked for a count of 62. He was very proud of himself. He has always been my hero!! :)
That night after dinner, we had a camp fire program. There were some cute skits. Some shared some fun talents. Kylee did cart wheels. Karla led us in a song to help pass off an activity day requirement. Mom shared her legendary story of Rinder Cella. "Do not slop your dipper." We also did Grandma Christmas gifts in July. This year was really fun. The girls were excited about their gifts. Karla got a slip n slide. Kylee got a doll she can style their hair. Kaylyn got a ball. And Kolten got a fun little drill that makes noises. Their cousins also got simular fun gifts. But this year was exciting because for us older kids she got the girls necklaces from Rome. They are beautiful. And the boys got Nativities from the holy land made out of olive wood. They are beautiful. And then on top of that. She made each couple a quilt. Most of the quilts were made out scraps that go back 4 generations. They are beautiful. And it's fun to have something made from his parents. And we could use an extra quilt. I have a fun gift I'm working on for his mother--and I really hope she likes it as much as we love the gifts she gave us. And hopefully I can finish by Christmas. I'm starting to look at all I want to make for Christmas time....and with a new baby coming--I really need to get to work!!
I always enjoy the time we just sit around and chit chat. It was fun to compare my belly to Trudy's belly--she is due at the end of the month with her first. We are so excited for them. We got to catch up on the ins and outs of everyone and swap fun stories. I had one conversation I'm not sure would have happened over the phone or internet. And I'm glad to know what's going on with them.
Kylee has a cousin just a few months older than her. But Jake comes from a family of boys. Jake kept trying to play with Kylee, and Kylee would come to me "He splashed water on me." I had to keep reminding her "that's how boys play. He likes you and wants to play with you." Once she quit being so girly--they played really well. And Karla was finally playing with Kevin who is 18 days older than her. It was fun to see--where as in years past they were too young....the boy, girl thing or something. It was fun to watch them play so good and get to know their cousins.
Friday morning we packed up camp and got pictures of family. And then we went on a family hike. It was a short 3 mile hike. And it was as much as I could do. I ended up starting late trying to get kids ready and off--and then I never caught up. But it was fun to walk with those young kids who couldn't keep up either. It was a beautiful view of the canyon from the top. Lots of pretty flowers. Karla and Kylee kept up with the fast group--while Kaylyn was practically dragged to keep up with the slow group. Kolten fell asleep on daddy's back.
After getting back to mom's house the boys went and shot shotguns while we girls got ready for Trudy's shower, the younger kids who did not go shooting played with the new slip n slide. We then switched who was in charge of kids while us girls celebrated Trudy's first little girl. Janice had some really fun games. Emily helped me as I anxiously tried to finish a blanket I crocheted for Trudy. We made a good team on the games. And it was fun to atleast see some of the extended family too. It was too short a visit in my opinion, but what else was there to do.
The next morning, us adults had a brunch with dad. It was fun to get to shoot the breeze and enjoy an adult meal.
Then the saddest part of every reunion--it was time for everyone to pack up and start going home. We all left with in a few hours of each other.
And the trip home was not as quiet as the trip out. It seemed as soon as we'd finally help one child drift off to sleep another one would start crying!! So we had one or two crying for several hours. While my older children countinued to insist on yelling at each other. We finally found a quiet country road--and fighting children walked out their energy some. We then got back in the car--and it was slightly better until we hit boise. After taking our usual break in boise at a play place--our children played nicely until they zonked after another rest area (30 minute) break. It's nice to be home. And it was probably time. But it felt like it went really fast. And we hate that we live so far away from so much of Todd's family. If we lived just a few hours closer it would be doable on a long weekend...but 10 hours is just too far. Having said that, we don't want to leave Tri-Cities. We like living here. We just wish it was a 5 hour drive home, so we could make it more often. We have been so blessed with an amazing family!!
PS pictures to follow if I get some. I didn't take nearly the pictures I like too. But this year it just didn't happen. But while I had to sit and rest between unpacking the car, I thought I'd journal this fun trip while it was fresh in my mind.
We stopped and ate and walked. There for the last bit of our walk back to the car, Todd had Kolten on his shoulders. When we got to the car, Kolten held on for dear life. "If you can't take me off your shoulders, you can't put me back in that car" or so he seemed to be saying. He was impressive in his ability to hang on.
Shortly after we got back on the road, they fell asleep. Todd and I switched off driving and napping, and at 3:30 we pulled into camp. Thankfully, Todd's mom let us borrow her tent trailer, so I would not have to sleep on the ground while pregnant. And she had it all set up for us. So we simply pulled out the sleeping bags, hit the potty, and went to bed.
The next morning it was fun to see and visit with all the family!! This year we camped at Green Canyon Hot Springs. www.greencanyonhotsprings.com is their web site. They have some fun pictures. We spent a lot of time in the pool. The boys wrestled to see who could dunk who first. It was fun to watch. They are all old enough that everyone could hold their own. And it depended more on how many times you wrestled than who was really stronger. It was fun to watch these brothers and brothers in laws be brothers instead of daddys for a few minutes. Later that night, they have a hot tub from the hotsprings, which was really not very hot that night. So we all ended up out there. They have a small cold pull, so you can cool off. And thus started the polar dip challange with us and the next family reunion too. Todd came out the champion--he was able to stay dunked for a count of 62. He was very proud of himself. He has always been my hero!! :)
That night after dinner, we had a camp fire program. There were some cute skits. Some shared some fun talents. Kylee did cart wheels. Karla led us in a song to help pass off an activity day requirement. Mom shared her legendary story of Rinder Cella. "Do not slop your dipper." We also did Grandma Christmas gifts in July. This year was really fun. The girls were excited about their gifts. Karla got a slip n slide. Kylee got a doll she can style their hair. Kaylyn got a ball. And Kolten got a fun little drill that makes noises. Their cousins also got simular fun gifts. But this year was exciting because for us older kids she got the girls necklaces from Rome. They are beautiful. And the boys got Nativities from the holy land made out of olive wood. They are beautiful. And then on top of that. She made each couple a quilt. Most of the quilts were made out scraps that go back 4 generations. They are beautiful. And it's fun to have something made from his parents. And we could use an extra quilt. I have a fun gift I'm working on for his mother--and I really hope she likes it as much as we love the gifts she gave us. And hopefully I can finish by Christmas. I'm starting to look at all I want to make for Christmas time....and with a new baby coming--I really need to get to work!!
I always enjoy the time we just sit around and chit chat. It was fun to compare my belly to Trudy's belly--she is due at the end of the month with her first. We are so excited for them. We got to catch up on the ins and outs of everyone and swap fun stories. I had one conversation I'm not sure would have happened over the phone or internet. And I'm glad to know what's going on with them.
Kylee has a cousin just a few months older than her. But Jake comes from a family of boys. Jake kept trying to play with Kylee, and Kylee would come to me "He splashed water on me." I had to keep reminding her "that's how boys play. He likes you and wants to play with you." Once she quit being so girly--they played really well. And Karla was finally playing with Kevin who is 18 days older than her. It was fun to see--where as in years past they were too young....the boy, girl thing or something. It was fun to watch them play so good and get to know their cousins.
Friday morning we packed up camp and got pictures of family. And then we went on a family hike. It was a short 3 mile hike. And it was as much as I could do. I ended up starting late trying to get kids ready and off--and then I never caught up. But it was fun to walk with those young kids who couldn't keep up either. It was a beautiful view of the canyon from the top. Lots of pretty flowers. Karla and Kylee kept up with the fast group--while Kaylyn was practically dragged to keep up with the slow group. Kolten fell asleep on daddy's back.
After getting back to mom's house the boys went and shot shotguns while we girls got ready for Trudy's shower, the younger kids who did not go shooting played with the new slip n slide. We then switched who was in charge of kids while us girls celebrated Trudy's first little girl. Janice had some really fun games. Emily helped me as I anxiously tried to finish a blanket I crocheted for Trudy. We made a good team on the games. And it was fun to atleast see some of the extended family too. It was too short a visit in my opinion, but what else was there to do.
The next morning, us adults had a brunch with dad. It was fun to get to shoot the breeze and enjoy an adult meal.
Then the saddest part of every reunion--it was time for everyone to pack up and start going home. We all left with in a few hours of each other.
And the trip home was not as quiet as the trip out. It seemed as soon as we'd finally help one child drift off to sleep another one would start crying!! So we had one or two crying for several hours. While my older children countinued to insist on yelling at each other. We finally found a quiet country road--and fighting children walked out their energy some. We then got back in the car--and it was slightly better until we hit boise. After taking our usual break in boise at a play place--our children played nicely until they zonked after another rest area (30 minute) break. It's nice to be home. And it was probably time. But it felt like it went really fast. And we hate that we live so far away from so much of Todd's family. If we lived just a few hours closer it would be doable on a long weekend...but 10 hours is just too far. Having said that, we don't want to leave Tri-Cities. We like living here. We just wish it was a 5 hour drive home, so we could make it more often. We have been so blessed with an amazing family!!
PS pictures to follow if I get some. I didn't take nearly the pictures I like too. But this year it just didn't happen. But while I had to sit and rest between unpacking the car, I thought I'd journal this fun trip while it was fresh in my mind.
A brother for Kolten
Kolten obviously doesn't realize what's going on yet. But this is why we are so excited for have another little brother for him. We have never cared much about the gender of our children. We don't get a lot of say in it anyway. But this time, for Kolten's sake, we really hoped for a boy. And we are so excited that they will have each other.
And I have to share this just because Todd is who he is:
http://youtu.be/ZazrQYirYLs
We are excited about another little baby boy.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Another baby.... blue or pink?
It's amazing all that they can do for babies these days. If my mom had tried to deliver me 200 years ago, I don't think mom and I would have made it. And yet, here we both are. I'm grateful that my life lasted longer than 9 shelter months.
Ultrasounds have changed things a lot. With Karla, Kylee, and Kaylyn, despite extra and frequent ultrasounds, we were able to wait to find out their gender till birth. I remember when Kylee was born, she was having some troubles and they whisked her away pretty quick. I kept asking, not understanding what was going on, boy or girl? I thought for sure Kylee was a boy.
Kaylyn I knew was a girl. Kolten I knew was a boy. Kolten didn't give us much choice. At 16 weeks, before your suppose to be able to tell, there he was very definately boy. We didn't need the tech to interpret that one for us.
Now baby #5 is on the way. We would be content, most of the time, to just wait until birth. But my mom really wants to find out--so for my mom, we're going to. This is our consession as we disagree on what to name the baby. It's our attempt at a peace offering.
My prediction:
I have a feeling/hunch it's a boy. But I'll admit, I'm not as sure as I was with the others. I'm nervous.
But if you look at our history, we have never had a baby without family also having babies. Karla was born just a month after twin boys. Kylee was born the year of the boys with 3 boy cousins. Kaylyn was born the same year as Nate. And Kolten was born after our two siblings who had all boys finally got their girls!! So as everyone is having girls, Kolten was born just a week younger than Lorna's Devrie.
So who is having a baby this year? Trudy!! And Trudy is expecting a little girl. Todd and I being who we are, we just can't do what everyone else is doing--so we have to have a boy. This is my guess. What do you think? I'll share Friday after I tell my mom.
Ultrasounds have changed things a lot. With Karla, Kylee, and Kaylyn, despite extra and frequent ultrasounds, we were able to wait to find out their gender till birth. I remember when Kylee was born, she was having some troubles and they whisked her away pretty quick. I kept asking, not understanding what was going on, boy or girl? I thought for sure Kylee was a boy.
Kaylyn I knew was a girl. Kolten I knew was a boy. Kolten didn't give us much choice. At 16 weeks, before your suppose to be able to tell, there he was very definately boy. We didn't need the tech to interpret that one for us.
Now baby #5 is on the way. We would be content, most of the time, to just wait until birth. But my mom really wants to find out--so for my mom, we're going to. This is our consession as we disagree on what to name the baby. It's our attempt at a peace offering.
My prediction:
I have a feeling/hunch it's a boy. But I'll admit, I'm not as sure as I was with the others. I'm nervous.
But if you look at our history, we have never had a baby without family also having babies. Karla was born just a month after twin boys. Kylee was born the year of the boys with 3 boy cousins. Kaylyn was born the same year as Nate. And Kolten was born after our two siblings who had all boys finally got their girls!! So as everyone is having girls, Kolten was born just a week younger than Lorna's Devrie.
So who is having a baby this year? Trudy!! And Trudy is expecting a little girl. Todd and I being who we are, we just can't do what everyone else is doing--so we have to have a boy. This is my guess. What do you think? I'll share Friday after I tell my mom.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Icecream Sundays
We have always taken how our children behave during church service very seriously. No being naughty and taken out to the hallway is not an invitation to play. Our kids were doing pretty good until Kolten was born and mommy started spending a lot of sacrament meeting in the nursing mothers lounge. With daddy left with the other 3 children, they quickly changed. And as Kolten weined himself, I ended up spending half the time in the hallway with one child or another with their noses in a corner. One sunday I had all three girls in a different corner. And I didn't know what else to do. I was starting to brain storm: maybe we will sit in the chapel for 30 minutes after church and practice!! When a sweet lady who watched me take child after child out, stopped and offered some advice that had worked for her. It has changed sundays for us.
Now each child gets 3 scoops of icecream as they walk into church. They don't actually get them until after dinner. But you start church with 3 scoops. If you argue with anyone, be too noisy, have to leave for any reason, or don't listen to mom or dad you loose a scoop. No you may not earn scoops back. Kaylyn had one sunday where she sat as the rest of us enjoyed our icecream. It was a sad day. Most sundays now everyone gets their 3 scoops. It's been heaven sent. We actully get to listen to sacrament meeting. Even Kaylyn behaves so that she gets her icecream. I don't pack all the extras I use to take to sacrament either. They each have their scripture cases which they get one notebook and their own little soap box full of crayons. If they don't remember them, it's their fault. They still have to behave for their 3 scoops.
We are now starting toppings on our icecream if you either fast for all of Sunday morning on fast Sunday or can tell us about what the speakers actually said durning said meeting--hense the notebook. Take notes, yes please!! We will see if they get more out of sacrament meeting this way. Either way, mom and dad sure are.
Now each child gets 3 scoops of icecream as they walk into church. They don't actually get them until after dinner. But you start church with 3 scoops. If you argue with anyone, be too noisy, have to leave for any reason, or don't listen to mom or dad you loose a scoop. No you may not earn scoops back. Kaylyn had one sunday where she sat as the rest of us enjoyed our icecream. It was a sad day. Most sundays now everyone gets their 3 scoops. It's been heaven sent. We actully get to listen to sacrament meeting. Even Kaylyn behaves so that she gets her icecream. I don't pack all the extras I use to take to sacrament either. They each have their scripture cases which they get one notebook and their own little soap box full of crayons. If they don't remember them, it's their fault. They still have to behave for their 3 scoops.
We are now starting toppings on our icecream if you either fast for all of Sunday morning on fast Sunday or can tell us about what the speakers actually said durning said meeting--hense the notebook. Take notes, yes please!! We will see if they get more out of sacrament meeting this way. Either way, mom and dad sure are.
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