The Family Woodman

Austin Turns 10 with a Minute To win It PaRtY

2012-02-03T19:31:00.001-08:00

The boys started by stacking cups on top of each other, and then it pyramids!

Austin and Drew stacking their cups (above), then Drew & Jake Weatherill, Nathan & Connor stacking cups into pyramids with Austin making sure they aren’t breaking the rules!

Next up….shooting Q-tips out of straws into a bucket. Jake Weatherill, Drew Woodman, Connor Delucca, Nathan Bailey & Austin.

Then moving football shaped oreo’s into their mouths without using their hands.

Austin, nathan, Conner (above), Jake Weatherill, Jake Steimle, Drew (below)

Doing the Unicorn….stacking ding dongs on their forehead like a unicorn horn.

And finishing off with pizza & cupcake!

What a great party! Jake Steimle, Jake Weatherill, Austin & Drew Woodman, Connor DeLucca, & Nathan Bailey.

Austin’s 10th Birthday

2012-01-23T20:03:00.000-08:00

Can’t believe my sweet Austin is 10 years old. He is such a sweet thing and I can’t imagine life without him! His birthday started out by having a 2 hour snow delay from school so he and mom got to eat breakfast at IHOP. His bday party is this Saturday so more fun to come, and more photos to be posted soon! Love you Austy Boy!!!

Another fire…a little to close to home

2012-01-21T19:59:00.000-08:00

Reno had yet another crazy fire this past week. It spread quick and in just a matter of hours, 29 houses burned. I came home from work to find the boys perched on the bed in Jake’s room peering out the window. Austin was a bit freaked out, so I had him pack some clothes so he would be ready if we had to evacuate. He packed 2 bags in less than 2 minutes! Luckily, we didn’t have to evacuate because the wind moved the fire away from our neighborhood. And the next day it rained all day and now it’s snowing. Terrible timing but I guess you can’t control Mother Nature.

Taken by Rackel Hamrick Photography (LOVE her stuff)

Taken from Jake’s Bedroom!

Funny-isms!

2012-01-10T22:42:00.001-08:00

The boys were asking me the other day if I would read them the funny things they said when they were little. Of course I had NO idea where the little notebook was that I kept these “funny-isms”…but as I was trying to sift through some cupboards (organizing is one of my New Year’s Resolutions!) I found the book! The boys are in bed now but I am laughing hysterically on the couch as I read them to myself. Wish I would have been better at writing the funny things down. Hopefully I’ll remember more of them.

Jake-isms!

Feb. 2003 – (4 years old) We were having the inside of our house repainted. At the time Austin was only 1 so Jake was used to hearing him jabber. The workers were talking to each other in Spanish. Jake said to Tim, “Dad, why are they talking baby talk?” Dad explained they were from Mexico and so they spoke Spanish. (Ok that’s funny but there’s more!) Austin was babbling to himself one day. Jake turned to me all excited and said, “Mom, Austin is speaking Spanish!”

July 2003 – Words that Jake would say

Ma-za-gene: for magazine

Cock-a-doo-doo: for Cock-a-doodle-doo

Paa-u-ter: for computer

Hos-ti-bul: for hospital

6/27/04 – (5 years old) Jake was being a little naughty one day. Dad asked him where he got to be so deviant. Jake said “at Wal-Mart!”

6/28/04 – Mom offered Jake some brownies for a snack. Jake declined to eat them because “they won’t make me brave!”

8/29/04 – The Bishop came over to visit us one evening. We explained to Jake that the Bishop represents Heavenly Father and Jesus for our ward. Jake asked “Is Heavenly Father and Jesus coming too?”

Austin-isms!

Sept 2004 – (2 1/2 yrs old) Austin got on the scale one and and said proudly “look mom, I weigh a hundred bucks!”

7/18/08 – (6 years old) Austin lost his 1st tooth as were were playing at the Foothill park by our house in Curti Ranch. His tooth hadn’t quite fallen out yet but his gum was bleeding so he rinsed out his mouth in the drinking fountain. Wouldn’t you know it…his tooth fell out while he was rinsing his mouth out and went right down the drain. Obviously, he wasn’t to happy about it!

July 2008 – (6 years old) Austin had been watching cartoons and they have all those infomercial type commercials on during the day. Out of the blue, Austin said I needed to buy some green bags. Green bags are something that helps you keep fruits and vegetables fresh. He then proceeded to say, “You need green bags so that the ethylene gas won’t rot the food.” Now I didn’t teach him that!

Christmas 2011 ~ Opening Presents in Reno Before the Trip to Arizona!

2012-01-05T19:55:00.001-08:00

Opening Christmas presents at home before we leave for Arizona.

Christmas in Arizona!

2011-12-31T22:50:00.000-08:00

Holbrook Visit

2011-12-30T19:02:00.000-08:00

On the road to the Lone and Dreary Wilderness…I mean to Holbrook Arizona!


The Pow Wow where our favorite place to visit. I can remember riding bikes to the Pow Wow to buy candy rings and Pop Rocks to snack on!


1st Stop – at the El Rancho…of course! It was our favorite and one of the only places to eat in town!




Photos of the old Homestead! 806 N. 7th Street…what memories we have of this ‘ole house!!!

Looking out to the City Park from the front of the house. We spent many a hour at that park when we were little!

And who could ever forget ‘the ditch’??!!! I remember being brave enough to jump off that thing. It was like our right of passage! Now I can stand in the ditch and it’s about as tall as I am. But when I was little it was a LONGGGGG jump!!


Always will remember driving up the ‘hill’ to the church. The church was built right before I turned 8 so I was baptized there. Also saw Pres. Kimball there when he came to dedicate it.

Hewlett Elementary School (above) and Holbrook Jr. High

And we couldn’t do without some photos at the Wig Wam Motel! Didn’t realize how cool that hotel was until we moved away and saw it all over the new stories about Route 66!

Last stop…the old rock shop that was closed. I remember going there when anyone came to visit us so they could pick up some petrified wood.

The old railroad station and reminiscing about sitting at the railroad crossing here, sometimes for what seemed like HOURS in the heat of the summer, so the trains could cross by us.

Getting a treat at A&W, even though it’s not the old A&W we used to visit on McLaws Road where Grant worked and on a good day, would bring us home some leftover rootbeer! yum yum!

Stopping in Heber to let the kids play in the snow and the drive home as the sun set over the rim.

I Believe

2011-11-27T14:33:00.000-08:00

I Believe... in being happy,
in being kind to others,
in being kind to myself,
in working hard,
in loving what you do,in having fun.

That laughter is the best medicine,
in laughing early and laughing often,
in laughing a lot,
in the healing powers of cheesecake (when laughter fails to do the trick),
in the power of prayer.

In being the bigger person,
in education,
in life-long learning,
in good books,
in ~~Diet Pepsi~~ overcoming weaknesses.

In setting goals,
in doing the impossible (or at least the really hard),
in looking on the bright side,
that even if today seems impossible to get through,
that the sun will come out tomorrow,
and it'll probably be easier after a good night's sleep.

In giving gifts
in sharing talents,
that low maintenance is almost always best,
in creativity,
in potential.

In going with the flow,
in being somewhat organized,
in living economically,
in splurging when it matters,
that newer isn't always better.

In Choosing the Right,
in living with integrity,
in apologizing when I'm wrong,
in not apologizing for who I am.

In modern day revelation,
in a living prophet,
that my Heavenly Father knows me by name, and that he knows you, too.

That even when things are hard,
when we say "why me",
when things don't seem to make sense,
that even when we can't seem to go on another minute,
our Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to be happy.

Real Life...

2011-11-03T00:58:00.001-07:00

Real life at our house is a formal living room strewn with backpacks, shoes, school papers, books and anything else the boys need or have used in school because home builders in Reno do NOT believe in family friendly storage when they build houses!
Real life at our house is playing ball-related sports indoors. Mark my words, something important is going to get broken soon.
Real life at our house is the boys using their iPods to find funny YouTube videos that make us all laugh.
Real life at our house is Nickelodeon shows like “Good Luck Charlie”, Phineas and Ferb” constantly on and being watched by the boys. Guess it beats MTV!
Real life in our house is jewelry odds and ends on every surface, nook, and cranny. Supposed to stay in the den but these things seem to have legs and run all over the house.

Real life at our house are unmade beds that the boys can't wait to crawl into every night. Still sleeps the same as a made one and I’m just happy they don’t sleep in my bed anymore :)
Real life at our house is electronic charging cords plugged into every outlet in our house for cell phones, iPods, computers, etc etc. Makes me realize how blessed we are to have such luxuries in our lives.

Real life at our house is an easy dinner - how I love thee, grilled cheese sandwiches, cheese quesedillas, and mac-n-cheese. Just realizing we have a bit of an obsession with cheddar cheese!

Real life is when the boys follow mom to every room. Doesn’t matter where she goes, but the boys seems to follow soon after, taking up my private space…but I wouldn’t want it any other way!
Real life at our house is crazy and busy and chaotic and stressful and wonderful.

Giants Game in San Francisco!

2011-09-10T01:09:00.000-07:00

Jake’s 1st Day of Middle School

2011-08-29T22:12:00.001-07:00

How did he get to be so old??? He’s loving middle school already and they have a GUCCI new middle school campus!!! The school is only 3 years old and has the newest and greatest of everything. He’s also excited to see all his baseball friends who have gone to other elementary schools. What a change from the small town atmosphere in Holbrook and Monett where you went to the same schools with everyone in town!!!

Looks are deceiving because behind that straight face was a boy that was VERY excited to start middle school!! Just can’t get the kid to smile in a photo to SAVE MY LIFE!!!!

Off to the big big world of Middle School but the campus looks more like BYU to me than middle school!!

Mt. Rose Hike

2011-08-29T22:00:00.001-07:00

Climbing Mt. Rose with the Young Women/Men in our ward. It was about 11 miles round trip…and I’m sure feeling it in my legs!!! At least I made it to the Summit to take some photos of the group:-)

Jake’s State Baseball Tournament

2011-07-31T19:31:00.001-07:00

Jake’s team ended up taking 2nd in the State Little League Tournament. Here are some photos of the games.

The Silverado Fields in Las Vegas.

Jake usually played 3rd base, but could also be found on the pitcher’s mound and in right field.

Fun at the Southpoint Hotel pool

Trading baseball pins at the games.

Getting a G-Bomb at Purple Penguin Shaved Ice. The G-Bomb is named after Garrett Gouldsmith (Jake’'s teammate who used to live in Vegas and frequent the PP OFTEN!!) There were 30 people in line in front of us!!!

Great pic by Adriana Bain during the last game when I was at home on the couch getting the play by play through text messages from other mom.

Spontaneous trip to Lake Tahoe 7/30/11

2011-07-30T22:32:00.000-07:00

Jake out in the water
Austin getting ready to crawdad! Sawyer & Austin crawdadding.

The catch….4 crawdads.

My shadow with Austin!
Jake Weatherill, Jake, Tevin, Sawyer, and Austin.              Sunset on the lake.

Twighlight Swimming! Best time of the day to be at the Lake.

Hannah Tevin

Sawyer
Hannah, Tevin, Sawyer

Jake’s Home Run

2011-07-12T21:40:00.001-07:00

Jake’s 1st at bat in the 1st game in the district tournament and hit a home run!!! Go Jake!

Washoe 10-11 All Star Team

2011-07-12T21:23:00.001-07:00

Nevada District Champions! Vegas…here we come.

4th of July BBQ

2011-07-06T17:22:00.001-07:00

4th of July Fun

2011-07-04T01:31:00.000-07:00

Swimming party at the Hearne’s pool.

And a BBQ with the All Star Team at the Bains…and catching frogs at the pond by their house.

Crock Pot Baked Beans

2011-07-02T13:46:00.001-07:00

I just went to find my best ever baked bean recipe…and am PANICKING because I can’t for the life of me find it! Luckily, the internet is at my fingertips…so I did a search and this looks like the recipe I had. Hopefully it will turn up soon, but for this year’s July 4th BBQ, I’m hoping this will be just as good.

Crock Pot Baked Beans

1/2 to 1 pound ground beef
3/4 pound bacon, cut in sm. pcs
1 c. minced onion
2 (1 pound 15 ounce.) cans pork and beans
1 (1 lb.) can kidney beans, liquid removed
1 (1 lb.) can butter lima beans, liquid removed
1 c. catsup
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tbsp. liquid smoke
3 tbsp. white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper

Directions

Brown ground beef in skillet, drain off fat and put beef in crock pot. Brown bacon and onions, drain off fat. Add in bacon, onions, and remaining ingredients to crock pot. Stir together well. Cover and cook on low for 4-9 hrs. Feeds a crowd

Washoe All Stars ~ Reno Aces Game

2011-06-22T20:45:00.000-07:00

Reunion

2011-06-22T01:19:00.001-07:00

View Full Album

Hiking in Park City

2011-06-20T21:34:00.001-07:00

Bowling

2011-06-20T21:15:00.001-07:00

A trip to Provo isn’t the same without a bowling spree at the BYU Game Center!

Wednesday ~ Temple Square

2011-06-15T18:38:00.001-07:00

Austin’s Swimming Accident

2011-06-15T18:12:00.001-07:00

Austin and some of his cousin’s BEGGED me to take them swimming after dinner, so I finally did so they would quit bothering me! Long story short, he did a flip off the side of the pool, hit his head, and we took him to ER for 13 staples. He didn't once complain that it hurt. We took him into the doctor in Reno when we got back and got the staples out. The only complaint I've heard from his is that he couldn't swim (and still can't for another week) so that was the worst of it.

On the way to Park City

2011-06-15T17:37:00.001-07:00

Austin Turns 9

2011-01-28T23:41:00.001-08:00

Pinewood Derby 2011

2011-01-28T23:30:00.001-08:00

This week was the Pinewood Derby for Scouts. When Tim told me that he was building a car for Austin, I asked…”Well what about Jake?” I couldn’t believe that Jake had actually outgrown the event…and is now to old to participate. How sad!

Austin’s “redesigned” car from from 2009 (when I cut it out with a hacksaw while Tim was in bed recovering) did quite well. He won 3 races, and was eliminated by the boy who won the race (see bottom picture).
It was a fun day and even something I modeled in my 1st grade class as a writing assignment. Love how life always fits into 1st grade!

Celebrating the New Year with Abby & Drew!

2011-01-03T23:53:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T11:25:00.000-08:00

Austin (8) ~ 3^rd Grader, Baptized in January, GREAT student, loves baseball and the San Francisco Giants! Discovered the joy of selling on Craigslist! Buys video games with money from Craigslist! Mom’s buddy!
Jake (11) ~ 5^th Grader, Great Baseball Player, made the 10/11 year-old baseball All Star team which took 2^nd in State! Also loves selling things on Craigslist, looking for bargains on EBay, playing video games, and spending time outside with friends (or texting them)! He & Austin talked mom & dad into getting a puppy…Buddy the YorkiePoo (or PooYork as mom like to call him!)
Chad (22) ~ Has been reading meters for NV Energy for 2 years, just offered a permanent position in the Company Mailroom! Moved into his 1^st apartment…and loves it! Great big brother.
Danielle (27) ~ Working as dental office Receptionist, Loves spending time with friends and boyfriend David, attended MANY weddings this year (so took a 2^nd job to help pay to attend and be in all the weddings this year!), Amazing daughter and big sister!
Tim ~~ Still at home on the road to recovery, in remission but trying to get his strength back and get rid of those darn headaches! Mom’s maid (he keeps the kitchen spotless, vacuums, and does laundry!!!), We’re all grateful he’s with us this holiday season!
Lori ~ Busy! 3^rd year of teaching First grade, loves being home with the boys (and dad) more, now that Tim is better determined to finish master’s degree in Education in 2011 (6 credits to go!), started making jewelry for fun & turned it into a business on the side. See her goods at:
http://www.charminglychic.etsy.com/
www.charminglycb.blogspot.com.
We wish you all a happy and a joyous Holiday Season!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T11:12:00.001-08:00

Celebrating Danielle’s 28th Bday!!

Buddy in a lampshade

2010-12-13T23:50:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos of Buddy and his lampshade! He has some type of abscess on his neck about 2 months after we got him…so had to have surgery. He had drains and staples so hence the lampshade to keep him from scratching. He managed to yank it off several times so I had to tighten it up a couple notches…which didn’t make him happy! I tell the boys that he’s cost me more money in medical bills than they have. As for Tim…he’s still in the lead when it comes to medical expenses!

Winter Wonderland

2010-11-28T09:18:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-27T11:06:00.000-08:00

Jake gets a new doo from Kylie~!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T22:47:00.001-07:00

Jake was invited to his 1st “cool” Halloween party so found the perfect hippy costume. We drove up Mt. Rose highway to his friends house, took this photo, and headed down the long driveway….only to see that no other boy was wearing a costume. Jake immediately ran back to the car and hopped in, refusing to get out. SOOOO I drove him home, he changed, went back, and enjoyed himself as himself!!! ARRRR, if this is a taste of what the life of a teenager is all about??? Then I’m doomed!!

Austin as a ghost…with his good friend Nathan (the alien).

Yeah Right…his mother made this (it’s a mummy pizza)!!!!

Playing around in Buddy’s crate!

Buddy

2010-10-17T20:31:00.001-07:00

Newest Member to our Family

2010-10-17T08:43:00.001-07:00

Introducing BUDDY! The yorkiepoo who joined our family on October 12, 2010!

The Rib Cookoff on Labor Day!

2010-09-28T20:14:00.001-07:00

The boys had never been to the famous rib cookoff, so we decided to go. The ribs were yummy…and was the lemonade and snow cone. Both boys ended up winning a hermit crab in an arcade game so now we have 2 hermit crabs (oop make that 1 because Austin’s died this weekend), 3 hamsters, and 2 teeny tiny dwarf rainforest frogs. One of my friends is giving away a tiny yorkie dog…but I’m afraid to ask my husband if I can have it! It is SOOO DARN CUTE!

My new venture

2010-08-31T21:49:00.000-07:00

Check out what I'm doing at the Charmingly Chic Boutique in my 'spare' time. It was a hobby I got into to make gifts for friends and family. So many people asked where I bought the charms that I decided I should start selling them. Now I'm signed up for 3 local craft fairs that all happen before Christmas. It was theraputic...at first. Now it just keeps me busy, and up until wee hours of the night.

All Star Photo Gallery

2010-07-26T10:05:00.001-07:00

Jake’s 9/10 All Star Team won the Division 1 Championship. There are 4 Divisions in Nevada so they are 1 of 4 teams now playing in the State Tournament.

Above (the pinning ceremony)

Before & After

2010-07-26T09:50:00.001-07:00

BEFORE…Danielle (14), Chad (9)

AFTER….Danielle (26), Chad (21)

Some Photos Taken by the Boys Playing with Dad’s Webcam

2010-07-20T19:21:00.001-07:00

2010 Photos

2010-07-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

Go Washoe!!!

2010-07-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

So far Jake's All Star team is 3-0. If they continue winning, they'll play Monday, Thursday and then in the Division championships on Friday. If they win Divisions they continue playing in the State tournament which is also in Carson City. GO WASHOE!!!!

Jake’s Eve

2010-07-07T00:28:00.001-07:00

As I was sitting on the couch at midnight tonight, it made me think of what I was up to at this time 11 years ago. I was on my way to the hospital!!! I was 9 months pregnant with Jake and IT WAS TIME! We got to the hospital just before my labor pains went into full gear. I went through labor all night long and luckily didn't feel much because I opted for an epidural (one of the best decisions I've ever made)!!! However, it wore off come morning and the nurse wasn't paying to much attention to me until it was TOO LATE. So, I had my 8 lb 13 oz baby without a lot of help from pain meds. I can't say it was the easiest thing I've even done...but it sure has been one of the best things ever. I still remember getting mad at everyone when they called my baby huge, gigantic, enormous, etc etc because he was my tiny little bundle of joy. Then I saw him next to the other babies in the hospital nursery and realized he was a bit bigger than the other newborns. That didn't matter one little bit because he was so cute and happy and I loved holding and cuddling him. Now he doesn't like to cuddle AT ALL and is very independent. My mom used to tell me I was not real cuddly either when I was a baby. Even thought I don't get to kiss and hug him much, that's ok because he's still my baby and I'm so glad he's mine!

Beautiful Lake Tahoe

2010-06-30T20:09:00.001-07:00

A quick trip to Lake Tahoe for the day.

(Below Austin, Will Bradfield, & Jake)

Jake's Turning 11!

2010-06-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

Can you believe Jake will be 11 next week! He wants to have a baseball party, of course, so I'm trying to make an invitation that looks like a baseball game ticket. How do you like the draft below???

Austin at the Driving Range

2010-06-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

Both boys love to hit golf balls. Here’s Austin at the driving range at the Grand Sierra Resort.

He’s got a pretty good lefty swing!

Giants Game

2010-06-28T20:17:00.000-07:00

Tim took the boys and their friend Conner to a Giants game in San Francisco when I went to Arizona for Christian's graduation. They had a BLAST!!!

Jake, Austin, and Conner

One Cure for Summer Boredom….

2010-06-25T21:46:00.001-07:00

Picture a perfect summer evening. After 2 1/2 hours at Jake’s practice, I decided it was the perfect time to start a project I had in the garage so started refinishing a bench for my class. I sanded it down with a hand sander and pulled out the paint. The boys were bored….so I asked if they wanted to help paint. Will, our neighbor jumped right up and said “yes”! It was so funny because he couldn’t wait to get going with the roller brush. I put them ALL to work and had the bench painted in no time at all.

I didn’t get a photo of it, but Jake sat on the bench a bit to soon and painted the back of his shirt and shorts to match the bench…Great!!!

Will, Jake, and Austin hard at work.

The finished product (and just figured out how to do the watermark with the blog logo).

What cute kids!!

2010-06-25T17:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos I just came across of the boys when they were little. I was watching them swim today, glad that they are now self sufficient in the pool…but also sad because they are growing up TOOOOOO Fast!!!!!

Jake & Hannah

My family with Grant’s family at NaNa’s house.

Jake’s Allstar Jersey

2010-06-21T20:56:00.001-07:00

Jake got his Allstar jersey tonight. Just needs his hat and pants to finish off the uniform!

Boys Will be BOYS!

2010-06-19T19:35:00.001-07:00

Jake wearing a hat made of an envelope. Looks like the pope???

Some of the odds and ends I found after Austin ate lunch. Baseball gear…of course, chocolate milk…of course and some Happy Meal paraphernalia.

Jake playing ball!

Summer Reading

2010-06-17T21:54:00.000-07:00

I went to the library the other day...see previous post, looking for a book that our neighborhood book club is reading. Well, there were over 100 people on the waiting list for that book, so I searched for something else for ME to read!!! I'm not an avid reader, but I enjoy a good SHORT book every so often and that I have found. When I was student teaching, my lead teacher read the story of "Desperaux" by Kate DeCamillo. LOVED the book (didn't really care so much for the movie) so decided to check out some of her other books, mainly because they were easy reading.

So, I finished "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" yesterday as I was watching the boys play ball, and started and have read 1/2 of "The Tiger Rising" during Jake's Allstar practice. All I can say is these books are both GOOD READS and I recommend them to anyone both young and old! In fact, I'm going to read the Edward Tulane book to the boys before school starts. It's such a cute story with a great moral.

Ok, better go so I can finish "The Tiger Rising".
Carry on!

Summers make me DOMESTIC!!!

2010-06-16T18:16:00.000-07:00

Look what I made today....homebread bread and strawberry freezer jam!!! I used the Ball Freezer jam packet thingee and just followed the directions! Yummy!!!

School's Out for Summer....

2010-06-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

Can't you just hear Alice Cooper singing "School's Out for Summer"???? Well, the boys and I are out for summer and it's one of those lazy days. I'm sitting in the public library today, just across the way from the Little League fields and all they want to do is play baseball! I've been here since 11am (it's 1:30pm) and they want to play at least another hour. Thanks heavens for the library!!! The regular season is over for Jake but he made the Allstar team...so now the work begins. He has practice everyday (starting tomorrow) until July 4th. The State tourny starts on his 11th bday, which is July 7th. That means no vacation for us because the boys start school again on July 12th. My summer break is different from their's, so I'm off until very end of August. YeeHaw!!! Anyways, wish I could upload the picture I took of Mt Rose in the window right in front of the computer I'm sitting out. It's only about 65 degrees outside, but I guess I shouldn't complain because it beats the heat!

Christian’s Graduation

2010-05-30T21:35:00.001-07:00

My nephew Christian's graduation from Dobson High School.

Christian's Graduation ~ Dobson High School

2010-05-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

Disneyland Photos!!

2010-04-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

Jake is a Dodger….Spring Ball 2010

2010-04-26T20:16:00.000-07:00

Easter Day ~ 2010

2010-04-10T17:53:00.001-07:00

Look what the Easter Bunny left for the Woodman’s.


The kids having an Easter egg toss in the backyard.

2010-04-08T14:17:00.000-07:00

We're going to DISNEYLAND!!!

2010-04-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

We are headed to DISNEYLAND for spring break! The boys have never been so it will be a much needed vacation for ALL OF US!!!

We have been saving money for many moons...doing garage sales, selling on Craigs list, and collecting coins. Here is the jar of coins the boys have been collecting for over a year. I just cashed in today and it was $108...less the stupid fee they charge. Should have let Tim take it to the casino. Oh Well! (ps: one of the boys made the label several years ago. I think the spelling is priceless...)

Happy Easter to My Peeps!

2010-04-02T21:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter to all my 'peeps' out there! I made the Easter treat below for some of you here in town. Isn't it the cutest idea!!!! I found it on a new blog...just click the little house over there on the left of my blogpage for the link and other CUTE ideas for Easter.

Here is the direct link to the snack toppers: Eighteen25 Peep Download.
The cute bunny silhouette is my next project and I already have the "Egged" pictures printed and eggs stuff to put in some of the neighbors yards...CUTE!

Dying Easter Eggs!

2010-04-02T20:49:00.001-07:00

Tonight Austin BEGGED me to dye Easter eggs. It’s always so messy so I wasn’t too excited, but it’s just something you gotta do at Easter! We bought a Tie Dye kit this year and the eggs were actually very easy to dye and turned out cute and COLORFUL!

Austin is MAD because Jake licked his egg! Oh, what a rough life!

Sleepy Boy

2010-03-28T20:30:00.000-07:00

This is a classic. Austin went in to my room to take a bath before bed...and fell asleep. Thanks heavens the water was low and I was checking on him pretty regularly. He's my sleepy boy and can fall asleep just about anywhere....just like his Papa Johnson!

Silhouette Profile

2010-03-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

I am bound and determined to make a silhouette of the boys before they go to college. Here are the photos I’m going to use. Let’s see if it works.

ps: I just found out I can use my cute font from Kevinandamanda.com here &here

Got Hamsters???

2010-03-20T20:48:00.000-07:00

Here are the newest additions to our family....

Click here to see them in action! Watch here!

Ouch!!!

2010-03-20T17:28:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that I have a toe that is KILLING me! It has been hurting since before Christmas. With my life as a runner, I've had my share of toe problems. But this one is the king of all of them. I've been shrugging it off thinking to myself, "if Tim can have 4 brain operations, then my stupid toe thing is nothing". But, after a trip to urgent care and my PCP, and several antibiotics that did nada...I FINALLY went to a podiatrist. It was a yeast infection under the base of the big toe nail and I won't go into any details of what he did, because you'd get the heeby jeebies! But the picture says it all (especially when one of my students stepped on it yesterday. I seriously saw stars and starting crying in class because of pain!) Hello, can you say a teacher crying in class was pretty pathetic...but it HURT!!! Can't remember crying from pain since Jake was born (he was one HUGE baby)

Ok...the quote is a little lame but the picture was my sentiments exactly!

Boys and their guns!

2010-03-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos Tim snapped on one of his trips with the boys to "the hills" (and no, not Beverly Hills) for target practice.

Don't they look motley???

And the horses are always watching, and aren't startled at all when the guns are fired!

Making Donuts...

2010-03-20T16:54:00.000-07:00

The boys got a craving for donuts, so we made some homemade ones. They were pretty good, but the house smelt like grease for weeks so I think we'll stick to buying them at Smith's from now on!

Pinewood Derby Photo Finish!

2010-03-19T18:41:00.000-07:00

Last year, Tim had just finished his 4th bout with surgery so the boys and I cut out Jake's car with hand saws in the garage! That was a treat! Tim bought a nice saw this year (which was ok with me because it came with a FREE hand sander) so they worked and put together some nice cars for the big race.

Austin's 1st night of Scouts just happened to be the Pinewood Derby.

Austin is 8

2010-02-23T23:17:00.000-08:00

Dad and Austin before the baptism

Devon Ludlow and Austin (Both from the Foothill Ward)

The Family ~ Tim, Austin, Lori, Jake, Nana (Margene)
The family ~ (Back) Nana, Tim, Lori, Charlie, Cheryl, Kylie, Chad, (middle) Jake, Abby, (front) Austin, Drew
Woodman Brothers ~ Austin, Chad, & Jake

After the baptism we had the Johnson family traditional dinner of champions…NAVAJO TACOS! Jake found that putting Nutella on his bread was good. It has now become his favorite ‘snack’.
Drew and Austin
Kylie, Abby, and Cheryl

2010-02-08T18:48:00.001-08:00

Dad and Austin before the baptism

Devon Ludlow and Austin (from the Foothill Ward)


The Family ~ Tim, Austin, Lori, Jake, Nana

The family ~ (Back) Nana, Tim, Lori, Charlie, Cheryl, Kylie, Chad,
(middle) Jake, Abby, (front) Austin, Drew

Woodman Brothers ~ Austin, Chad, Jake


After the baptism we had the Johnson family traditional dinner of champions…NAVAJO TACOS! Jake found that putting Nutella on his bread was good. It has now become his favorite ‘snack’.
Drew and Austin

Kylie, Abby, and Cheryl

Little Child in White

2010-02-08T17:28:00.000-08:00

Lia Ludlow, Abby & Kylie sang this song at Austin’s baptism. This was recorded during the practice before the program started:

Video ~ Little Child in White

Jake's Baptism

2010-02-05T13:46:00.000-08:00

Walk down memory lane ~ Click here for Jake's baptism link

Dear Austin~

2010-02-01T00:19:00.000-08:00

Dear Austin,

Love, Mom
I just have to write this letter to your future you today because I have been thinking about how grown up you are getting. This Saturday we were walking into Wal-Mart (our favorite place) and I tried to hold your hand. You would have nothing to do with it, and that made me sad to realize you are growing up! For the first time in your life, I have been able to tuck you into bed this month and you have stayed there ALL NIGHT without getting up, or wanting to sleep on the couch, or on the floor in the master bedroom, or even next to me in bed (which makes me squished in the middle) with you grinding your teeth and turning over all night so that I get NO sleep. But, this morning I woke up with you next to me in bed because you said you had a nightmare. I think that is your little way of me having mercy on you and letting you lay down without much of a fuss.
Then as soon as you wake up you are GO GO GOING!!! I had to laugh yesterday when Jake said, “Mom, I think there’s something wrong with Austin! I think he must have taken Dad’s happy pills!” You are always skipping jumping, singing, and joyful in whatever you do around the house. People outside the house (school, church, baseball coaches) think you NEVER talk because you are so quiet!
I think you are really going to be a GREAT athlete Austin. You love to play ball of any kind…but especially baseball. you took a break this season from Little League, which makes me happy because I can spend more time with you. I thought we would sit by each other at Jake’s game…but you are always with the other kids at the field throwing tennis and racquet balls against the dugouts. You love to be outside and I have to DRAG you into the house everynight, usually after dark, so we can get ready for the next day ahead of us.
You are an amazing student Austin! I am so impressed with your self motivated learning style. You always rush right home and the first thing you do is get out your homework and do it. We never have to ask you twice to get your homework done either. Sometimes I think you like doing it so you can beat Jake. He takes a little…ok a lot more prodding than you do to get his assignments completed. You also put 110% into all the projects you have at school. I loved the biography you did on Babe Ruth this year in 2nd grade and the things we learned together while we read about his life. You always have such inquisitive questions on the world around us and I learn so much trying to answer all the questions you toss my way! You also have a great passion for reading. Sometimes I feel I have to focus a little harder on Jake’s reading because his AR goals are so darn high, but you just go with the flow and do your own reading. Usually when I start reading to both you and Jake, you quickly close your eyes, start jerking ever so slightly, which lets me know you are asleep.
You are such an angel when you sleep. You love to have your arm or leg wrapped around me when you sleep and I love it. I love the way you love to cuddle with me. I know it won’t last for much longer so I try to take advantage of every opportunity I get to snuggle with you! You still like me to give you piggyback rides upstairs…which is quite a feat for me anymore! I know I won’t be able to do that much longer so I try to take advantage of carrying you up the stairs when I can. You also love to sit on my lap, especially when I’m on the computer. It’s not always the most comforable thing because you are getting so big, but I just can’t stop myself from wrapping my arms around you and giving you big kisses because I love you so much!
You are also such a tender hearted young boy. Dad always comments that you have such a tender heart and I agree! You are so kind and willing to serve around the house. You are always so happy and bring a smile to our faces
Your dad and I will always love you Austin, and we know you will spread your wings wide and fly as soon as possible and not a moment later. But while you are still under our wing, we hope to have some influence upon you. We hope to encourage you to be a gentle giant and teach you how to harness your spiritual and physical powers. We hope to teach you of your impact on humanity and that you cannot hurt another without hurting yourself. We hope to develop and channel your multifaceted talents and lead you to a path you can follow throughout your life. But most of all, we want you to always know that we have a deep concern and love for you boy. We yearn for the best life for you and will do all we can to help you achieve your potential.

Wordle.com

2010-01-31T09:35:00.000-08:00

Love this site. You can type in a bunch of 'related' words and then change the font, spacing, direction of words, etc! I cut and pasted my wordle into a powerpoint slide and then saved it as a jpeg file to create the following images!

Go to http://www.wordle.net/create to get a Wordle!!

Watermarking (labeling) a Photo!

2010-01-29T21:32:00.000-08:00

Wow...this is REALLY easy to do. Thanks to Kenzie for her tutorial (see it here)!!!

Egg Carton Deco!

2010-01-28T18:14:00.000-08:00

Here is a project I found Someday Crafts from Simpsonized Crafts and Then Some that is made by using egg cartons, styrofoam, paint and beads. Just wanted to link so I remember it’s something I want to make before school starts in August.

Our Next Door Neighbors....

2010-01-27T21:28:00.000-08:00

These were shot by Rachel (Nevadanista for short) just behind our house. The wild mustangs come down from the hills to eat the suburban peoples grass. They are always at the elementary school where the boys go. We also see them in the spot where Tim takes the boys shooting. We love them!

Am I that Brave???

2010-01-27T20:49:00.000-08:00

This might need to be my next project for the bonus room.... Dare I do it??? Tim did buy a new electric saw and sander for the pinewood derby cars. At least I could put the power toods to use for more than a few days out of the year!

I'm going there Someday!

2010-01-27T20:03:00.001-08:00

Just realized I can visit this place. I've seen it a million times when I worked at the power company and had to drive to Winnemucca or Elko or Battle Mountain or Valmy. And they say Nevada is not a wasteland???Still trying to figure that one out because unless your in Incline, which is the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe, then you're pretty much in a desert wasteland. Anyway, here are more photos of the strange place that I plan to visit on my next trek to Provo. Fun huh!!!

http://thundermountainmonument.com/

Chili Recipe

2010-01-23T22:41:00.000-08:00

Need to try this chili!

Austin Turns 8!!!

2010-01-23T22:25:00.000-08:00

Austin turned 8 yesterday. Wow, how time flies!!! We got up yesterday morning and spent some time looking through his scrapbook photos. I've only done the 1st six months of his life so LOT's of catching up to do. He was such a good little baby...and oh so cute! He had such beautiful dark hair and olive skin. He even commented yesterday that he thought he had brown skin when he was born. Then we came downstairs to have breakfast and set the timer to go off at exactly 11:24am....the time he was born. We had a little celebration and he "officially" turned 8 years old.

For his birthday party, we had an "army" themed party. I made an army tank cake with camo colored cake and frosting. We played fun "army" games. After the party, Austin said it was the best birthday ever! That makes all the work and CRAZINESS worth it to momma!
Here is a video of the festivities! Happy Birthday Austin!!!!

I Love my Family

2010-01-23T10:05:00.000-08:00

Here are some odd and end things I’ve done that are family related. One is a Wordle…and the others are collage mousepads from Costco.com that I save as a photo!

School Benches

2010-01-22T22:21:00.000-08:00

Ok...I had to give away the benches for my students when they remodeled our school! We got brand new furniture so we had to get rid of everything else. I saw some other teachers who hid their benches and brought them back in the fall. Now I'm thinking I need to build some benches for the kids to sit at when they come to the 'teachers table' to work. They have to be 'putty' color to blend in, but it's doable.

Photos from 2003 & 2004

2010-01-22T12:47:00.000-08:00

Paper Flowers

2010-01-20T19:15:00.000-08:00

These are oh so cute!

More Photos

2010-01-20T12:56:00.000-08:00

Refinishing a Bookshelf...my 1st attempt at repainting something!

2010-01-11T14:12:00.000-08:00

Here is the finished product!!! Yeah!!!

It turned out great and is a lifesaver in the classroom

since there are LOT's of shelves on the back to store math 'stuff'!

Ok...let me try this for the 3rd time!!! I just got a new laptop and for some reason, I'll be typing and my works are self select themselves and then erase when I push the next key. So anyways, can I say that this project has been a pain in my hoodas??? And you may be asking what's a hoodas...well think umble butt, junk in the trunk, bootie...well I think you have the idea. I could go on for days about trying to get the stuff cleaned up, but finally decided the part that had dried was a bit easier to scrape. It wouldn't scrape all the way off so I borrowed a hand sander. That didn't work so bought the lowest grit sandpaper at Home D-pot and used my husbands grandpas little wooden manual sander to take off the many layers of paint. Between the 40 grit, and some wood filler, I got the gummy mess to at least look presentable. I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to doing things, so this has gone against every grain in my being to leave some of the bubbly mess under my final coat of primer.

I go to Home D-pot looking for some "expert" advice on what type of sandpaper I need (I'm thinking 40-80 grade). Anyway, the guy says "Oh no, you have to strip the puppy". Ok, he didn't say puppy but he took me over to the paint strippers and said this HAD to be my 1st step. Well, let me tell you that was NOT expert advice. I took the stripper home, got all decked out in my protective gear, and began spraying. (He also said to get the spray can type to make it easier). I couldn't wait to get going with my scrapper and waited the alloted time. Mind you, I only sprayed the top of the bookcase and top shelf to make sure I had enough time to scrap. Well, it came time to scrape. Well, scraping bubble gum consistent goop was NOT FUN! Seriously, the crap was like bubble gum and involved several coats of paint.

Anyways, today we got the 1st coat of paint and BigJ and LittleA helped me out. They love to paint, which used to be a pain in the hoodas...but today, it was a BIG help to have them painting along with me! Luv those boys:)

Finally…I getting some scrapbooking DONE!!!

2010-01-05T13:07:00.000-08:00

2003
2004 2006

Spending my 40th in Las Vegas

2010-01-02T17:37:00.000-08:00

I was going through some old photos, starting my quest to put them into digital scrapbook pages. Here are some I found that brought back a smile! This was when we went to Lake Las Vegas for my 40th bday. (Love the last photo's reflection in Tim’s sunglasses of the pool at our hotel!!!) Tim bringing the car around….or rather he’s wishing it was his car to bring around!!!

There’s that cool reflection!

Kylie Singing the National Anthem!!!

2010-01-02T11:00:00.000-08:00

Our niece Kylie (Charlie and Cheryl's daughter), sang the National Anthem at Reno Bighorns game on New Year's Day. She did an AWESOME JOB!!! Click below to listen to her sing.

New Year’s Day ~ 2010!!

2010-01-01T11:02:00.000-08:00

The Reno Woodman bunch spent the evening at the Reno Bighorns Game. Kylie did an amazing job singing the National Anthem and we had a great time eating junk food and visiting at the game!

Tim and Charlie were the only ones watching the game.

Winter Wonderland!!!

2009-12-11T23:38:00.001-08:00

If I were sending Christmas cards this year, this would definitely be the picture I would use. I can't get the rest of the family to pose for me and almost have to bribe the boys these days to look my way! This was taken up near Gold Lake outside of Graegle California. We went to visit the Hix cabin the day after Thanksgiving to see the addition to their cabin and go cut Christmas trees. It had been snowing all day so we weren't going to cut the trees due to the weather, but it cleared up a bit so we all decided to make the trek to get a tree because the weather was supposed to be worse the next few days. The caravan of about 7 4x4's all followed Mike to the area we were going to cut the trees...and then it happened. We all had to stop because there was no room to make it all the way up the hill. With no room to turn around, we all had to back down the mountain, slipping and sliding all the way. We all got stuck, the women cut down and hauled the trees to the road, but we had our CHRISTMAS TREE!!! After a much longer day than we expected in the snow (which the boys LOVED) we all went back to the cabin for a wonderful turkey chili dinner. Yum!! That is a day that will definitely be a memory in years to come!!

A Woodman Thanksgiving

2009-12-08T19:08:00.001-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving dinner with Charlie and Cheryl’s family. After dinner, the kids took over the tv…is that sac-religious with football on the tube??? Anyways, we had a very musical evening with lot’s of singing and dancing….see LAST video for the Woodman boys showing off their moves!

“We All Live in a Yellow Submarine”!!!

What up with the push-ups Jakers???? The boys rockin' out to Kylie's jammin!

2009-12-06T22:17:00.000-08:00

I love this picture of the Reno temple. It was taken by Rachel Hamrick who is in my ward. BEAUTIFUL!!!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T19:25:00.000-08:00