DAY BY DAY

AGAIN...

2010-02-09T22:02:00.000-08:00

OK.. I did it again....
I let my Blog slip right thru my fingers..AGAIN!!
I can tell you all..Oh Iam so busy..(which I really am) but to busy to blog??
SO...let see... since the last time I blogged, Gavin took a trip to San Antonio Texas for football....he has had a college scout contact us about his football talent, I have been doing well with my health..been fairly healthy...other than a brief set back with my diabetes 4 weeks ago..Eric has been working hard..keeping busy at work..and KOdi...not much to blog on our little Kodi...he's been same ol' Kodi!!
Eric, Gavin and myself spent a week in Texas. He was asked to take part in the National Youth football combine. We got to stay with Eric's cousin Missy and Pat...what a blast that was!!! Hunting season is over for a couple months...a little time to get some things done around the house.

Oh my...I have been neglecting my Blog(s)

2009-11-20T23:50:00.001-08:00

OK...Well the wedding is done. Over..adios..ciao...
What a ride that was! The ups-the downs...I should have listened to half of you, and just eloped....but I do have to say... I wouldn't have traded it for the world!! Everything was amazing, and beautiful...we had every one their that meant alot to us...
Things have been crazy-crazy round here!
Gavin is going full steam ahead still with football..his season is winding to an end this next weekend, with the grid-iron bowl in Auburn Washington.
Some more exciting news, Gavin was chosen to participate in the Youth All American bowl in San Antonio Texas!!! This is huge for him...so he Eric and myself will be traveling to Texas in January. With that, we also were informed that he was in the top ten of d-ends for the entire west coast..and the top 20 for the entire NATION.....We are very proud of him, and know that things look bright for him as he progresses forward.
Kodi has been working on his Weebalos badges in scouts. He is excelling in school and doing very well!!
We are still on the same old schedule as before in regards to the parenting plan.. it sux, and that is that!!
Eric ...well he is working, working and oh yeah... working!!!!!
I should also mention that we have had a pretty eventfull hunting season..Gavin got his first spike bull elk!! We were so proud of him! Eric also filled his cow tag... so needless to say.. our freezers over-flowath with yummmy elk!
I promise to be back, and updating again!

ok people..Where have our readers gone???

2009-07-15T22:31:00.000-07:00

OK people........Have I let you all down by slacking on my posts? OK OK I get..I will try to stay on top of our posts!
You people just saw a picture of Eric with whip cream on his face!!!
Can I not get a comment out of any of you? You know who you are.....I seeeeeeeee
uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!! Cmon folks..let us know your still reading!!!

Sooooo BUSY.

2009-07-11T22:57:00.001-07:00

(TWO HANDSOME BOYS..PLAYING A VIDEO GAME YESTERDAY)

OMG..I cant believe how busy I have been lately. With Gav in All stars, we have had no time do to anything else. We are still anxiously working on wedding plans...or shall i say..... "I AM".I did tell Eric..."I need you to help me stuff the invitation envelopes". Being the sweet guy that he is.... he was more then willing!
Today was Gavin's Bday!
12 years old! Its so hard to believe that we have a pre-teen in the house!!!
Last month he had his birthday party so his friends could be their..we have found that planing a summer bday party is close to impossible! (anyways if you want anyone to come)
Today we just kind of bummed around the house. Eric did work outside, and the boys played. Kodi helped me make Gav's bday cake, and of course licked the bowl!!!!!
I will try to post more often...summer is just a hard time!
Here is a pic of Kodi helping make the cake, Gavin on my laptop....both of the boys being silly..they had suckers that had lips on one side(i know.....weird)
and one with Eric..Iam sure he will be pleased iam sharing it.. Gavin squirted whip cream out of a can on him!!! We all though it was hilarious... he on The other hand wasn't as pleased..but we managed to get a smile out of him!
ENJOY!!!!!!!!

Baseball,baseball and MORE baseball!!!

2009-06-22T11:33:00.000-07:00

Well, Gavin made it through his regular season of baseball.....just to be followed up with a nomination to try out for the Allstar team, and then he made the team!!!
The have been busy practicing 4 days a week, and this weekend they took part in a pre-Allstar tourney.
It was a lonnnng weekend... the boys played 6 games in two days.
The boys played hard and Iam proud to say they finished 2nd in the tourny!
Gavin played well, made some AWESOME diving catches in the outfield, and a couple RBI's.
Back to practicing all week, then the weekend of the fourth of July they began the Allstar journey.
Good job Gav, we are very proud of you!!!!

It's Almost Summer

2009-06-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

Well... the boys have ONE week of school left..which equals ONE week of my sanity left!.. No seriously...I look forward to the summer months because I really do enjoy having the boys home.
This summer should be as busy as most normal week days around our house.
Kodi is doing swim team this year. He really wasn't given an option as to if he wanted to or not.....we decided he needed some kind of activity to do and keep him active...he loves to swim, so I came up with swim team. He is very excited for it to start. We are so proud of him for agreeing to give it a try...after all you never know if you like it unless you try it!
Gavin got invited to try out for Little League All Stars so he will be doing that this weekend. (much to my dismay)
We were proud of him for getting enough all star votes to try out...but secretly hoping he doesn't make it. It interferes with football(because it goes all summer) and I personally don't care for the coach. I didn't want him to try out at all...but Eric said that wasn't fair, it's his opportunity not ours. So we gave him the option....he chose to try out.
(OK..so maybe Eric is right every once in awhile!!)
He begins light football training next weekend with some drill practice.
WE have a new addition to our family....2 baby kitties. They live strictly outside...I will try to get a pic of them and post it soon...they are pretty darn cute!

F.B.....U KNOW!!!!

2009-05-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

So last weekend was Gavin's big trip to Seattle for FBU (Football University)
I know we talked about it a few months back about how excited we were for Gav to be attending.
It was the most wonderful experience ever for Gavin. He loved it....and can't say enough good things about not only the defensive line coach he had but also the other campers.
As most of you know, our Gavin is sooooo small. He just hasn't grown into his little body yet. But size means nothing when you know how to play the game. Gavin is quick on his feet, thinks alot like someone who has been playing football for years, and is like grease lightening!!
Carl "Big Daddy" Hariston called him "speed racer". All of the boys in Gavins D-line group were all prep athletes that pretty much tripled him in size and weight...and Gav was quicker then all of them..but one.
We enjoyed the weekend, beautiful weather in Seattle and alot of football. KOdi was with his mother this last weekend so he didn't go with us.

AGAIN!!!!

2009-05-06T17:33:00.000-07:00

ME AND LUVY-AFTER MUSHROOM HUNTING

GAVIN INBETWEEN MUSHROOM HUNTING..POSEING ON A ROCK

HERE IS A PICTURE OF ERIC "AFTER" PAINT-BALLING HE IS LAYING IN BED..NOTICE THE BIG BRUISE ON HIS LEFT SHOULDER!!!!!!!!!

Well, here Iam AGAIN....with a whole week passing before I have done a post!!
OK..so I guess this might be my pattern for the next 4-5 months...to busy to sit down and blog...but please come and check I promise I will blog eventually!!!
Last weekend was a busy, fun weekend!
After one of Gavin's baseball games Gavin and Eric went to a paint-balling party!! Yes, Paint ball. They absolutely loved it! They both came home with bruises and welts on all parts of their body. Now we find ourselves online...looking for paintball guns!! Men are strange....why in gods name would you want to be shot with a speeding ball of paint, that leave bruises so big that would make your mamma cry?????? Ask them..cuz I seriously don't know!
After 4 hours of that, they came home exhausted. Sunday we headed out to a near bu park...where we mushroom hunted. Wer had tons of fun...and collected some nice morells. We had Shane and Danielle with us....(one of my best friends kids) and we got to teach them about alot of stuff they didn't know. Danielle found a "pet snail" who she called Gary.....Eric called Shane a "pavement Pansie"...because our big man hates to get dirty!!!! All in all it was a real fun weekend....one major thing missing was Kodi. So, once again I don't have any pics of Kodi to post.

UPDATE: Super Busy in Naches!!

2009-04-22T13:02:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast time flys!!
Eric and I have under 5 months left until the big day! I have spent alot of time planning, and organizing to assure a perfect day. Iam finding myself saying the same thing alot of brides do as they plan their wedding..."Wouldn't it have been easier to elope?" (I know for a FACT it would have been cheaper)
So as busy as I have been I missed some important days I could have been blogging.
Easter. Easter was alot of fun. We had Kodi this year, wich always makes our Holidays feel complete when we are together as a family. The Easter Bunny came, and we went for dinner at Mike and Christy's. Gavin, Kodi, Shane, Danielle and Austin had a HUGE Easter egg hunt.
Gavin is keeping busy as usual with Boxing and Baseball. He also is back to having ear problems again. He has a severe infection, and it doesn't seem to be responding to antibiotics. It appears their is a trip to Seattle to Children's Hospital in our future in the next week....and due to the infection...he won't be fighting this weekend. He is sad, as he has been training for months. The fight will have to wait until his ear is better.
We went up to the woods last weekend and the boys shot a little bit. Kodi is still learning, hopefully next year he will be mature enough to take hunter safety.
Eric and i celebrated our 5 year anniversary together. We had a wonderful dinner out, and he brought me some beautiful flowers.
The weather has been up-and down here and it appears spring is well underway, which couldnt make this house-full of hunters any happier....hunting season is on the horizon!!!
Iam posting some pics for everyone....
a couple of the boys shooting... one of Gavin pitching last week in his game, and a few of Easter Sunday...(Im sure gavin will kill me, as the wind was blowing, and his hair looks like he parted it on the side...lol...it was the wind!!!!)

A Wedding filled Weekend

2009-03-30T15:33:00.000-07:00

Busy Busy Busy!!!!
What a Busy weekend we had!!!
This weekend we tootled on over to Spokane to work on some wedding stuff!!!
It was actually alot of fun, and a nice weekend. We went over and stayed with mom and dad. We hadn't seen them since Xmas, so that was nice.
First off,
We went to visit with the caterer. A very knowledgeable lady....but a bit on the pushy side. Anyone that knows me knows that I can't be walked all over...and I'll be damned if they are gonna change my mind once I have it made up!
Eric and Mom sat back a bit, and let Dad and I do the talking and jiving.
We will see what she comes up with! We have a menu thus far as for sides,and salads just trying to decide on either Prime Rib and Chicken or Beef Tenderloin and Chicken.
At least we have it pretty much decided upon!
From their, we headed clear to the other side of town, where we met with the specialty Cake lady whom is doing our cake for us. Iam sooooooo excited about it! Without giving away any surprises...I will tell you all that it will be beautiful and jaw-dropping! I can tell you it will be a magnificent 6 tiers tall...and will have 4 different types of cake to choose from! I can hardly wait to see it! We let the boys pick a tier...they chose "Twix" Yep... twix!!!! It will be a white cake with alternating fudge and caramel filling layers...yummmmmmm!!.. You will have to wait and see what the rest of the flavors are!!!
YIpppppppeeeeee!!!!!!!!
And to wrap up our wedding planning weekend, Eric and I met with a talented lady who is going to play our music for us at the ceremony. She is a Harpist. At first, my brother gave Eric crap....and Eric asked me if it was necessary to have an extra charge just to have a lady play a harp?????
Well.. he changed his mind after he heard her play! Talk about amazing...and some of the most beautiful music you have ever heard! Even Eric said..he was impressed.
So, we chose the song for me to walk to, the song for the bridal party to walk to, and the song for Mom Becky, and Mom Lynette to light the unity candles to.
I feel good about the weekend, and like we got alot accomplished. I can't believe we have less then 6 months to go!!!!!

I love My New Blog!

2009-03-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

As I recently posted...I have started a second Blog!
Kind of a different one...and one Iam sure is not every-ones cup of tea...but something that I love sooooo much!
My new Blog is dedicated to my love for hunting and the outdoors.
It's been fun creating it.. and I have so much to talk about, but trying to keep it to one post a day. The best part about all of it is I have met so many women across the US who share the same love for Hunting and Fishing as I do.
I just love the ladies I have met, and could sit in front of this screen all day reading their blog updates.
Thought I would post on it again, since Iam loving it to pieces! Thanks Kate for encouraging me to make a 2ND one!
Hugs to everyone...
Oh yah.. I should mention...today we are exactly 6 months away from the wedding....eeeeeek!!!!
MY NEW BLOG~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
www.donthuntdontfishdontbother.blogspot.com

DON'T Do that GAVIN!!

2009-03-18T13:18:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don't know, Gavin Has been in counseling for about 6 months. In the process of it all, we found that no matter how much we don't want to admit it, and it's easier to deny it...their is a reason for the way Gavin acts at school and often times at home. Like I said, as much Eric and I hate to say it...Gavin does have ADHD...thanks to "Mark". Mark as almost ALL of you know, is as I like to call him Gavin's sperm donor. Mark was a very sick person, and from what i understand still is till this day...Mentally.
Unfortunately some of that stuff mentally is hereditary.
Gavin's counselor has been trying to get Gav leveled out with medication. We saw a HUGE difference in him on the first medication..."Adderal" But unfortunately, he started getting insomnia, and then wouldn't eat. He lost 3 lbs in a week... to much for someone his age and size. So, naturally...they took him off of it.
Then yesterday he started a new one....ridalin. he was doing ok, until he went to boxing. He was at boxing, doing his normal routine...and heavy work out with cardio. When he all of a sudden came to me and said "mom I cant breathe". He was gray-ish blue around his lips" He started to get scared(and so did I... but tried not to panic) Anyhow, it didn't resolve for almost 5 minutes... so I had to rush him to the ER. Eric met us their..Their they assessed him and took him straight back. They did an EKG which came back normal for his age.His heart rate was excelled. The breathing resolved itself, and Gavin felt better. As for me.. I wasn't!!1 I can watch him play football, and watch him get hit in boxing..but I know first hand when you cant breathe how fast that can turn bad...I was scared.
He came home and was totally fine. The recommended he don't take his afternoon med dose before any strenuous exercise.
DON"T DO THAT GAVIN!! YOU SCARED MEEEEE!

OK...I have another Blog

2009-03-15T20:00:00.001-07:00

www.donthuntdontfishdontbother.blogspot.com/

OK... so I did it.
I know some people who have two..YES 2 Blogs!!!
So I decided to make a second one too!
This one.. the one most of you look at will be our main blog for the family.
I was inspired my many woman on Blog Spot that have their own Blog about their love for the outdoors....hunting, fishing and everything else.
Iam just getting it going... but their are alot of gals out their who just like me are a mom, wife (or to be) and share the same passions as I do! Some have two blog to express their other loves in life......
So Katie.. yours is about shopping..Target..good buys, and a place to vent..mine is about Hunting as a women... in a mostly MANS world...and everything exciting that comes along with it! I also will post a new recipe everyday.. at least I will TRY to... a Wild Game recipe of some sort...Elk, Venison, Duck, Goose or anything else we harvest!! SO check it out...but remember Iam still putting things together!

QUOTE- From a Gal's Blog I have been admiring for awhile now...actually she inspired me to do a blog about what I love! Her blog is Deer Passion....This was her quote of the week this week...

The great pines, the green aisles leading away into the woods, the shadows under the thickets, the pine-pitch tang of the air, the loneliness of that lonely forest – all these things seemed familiar, sweet, beautiful, things mine alone… - Zane Grey

Lots of Little updates.......

2009-03-14T18:13:00.000-07:00

BEFORE AND AFTER KODI'S SURGERY

Cub Scout pinewood derby

Thing have been a bit out of sorts here at the house.

Kodi had Surgery last Monday on his ummmmmm...welllll.. as he likes to call it. "My Butt".

As you can see from the pictures, Kodi was born with a birthmark. The picture really doesn't do justice for how large the mark had grown to. It not only had changed in size, but it became dark in color, in fact black in parts of it.

Naturally, the doctor said "that needs to come off, NOW".

They removed it, and it was sent in for a biopsy. No news on that, but it's still early. Iam sure it will come back OK though. Anyhow... he is recovering well. At this point he is off all pain meds.... not even needing Motrin anymore..pretty much pain free. He still has many restraints though. No running, hopping, skipping...ANYTHING but a normal walk is OUT of the question. YOu can imagine how hard that is for him. Kodi also had his Cub Scout pinewood derby. He did very well and we were proud of him. He ended up winning 1 out of 3 races..unfortunately he didn't qualify for the next level of races....but he had a blast doing it!!!We learned alot for next year on what to do different to make his car even quicker.

Gavin has been keeping busy with school and sports.

He is still training for his first boxing fight. He was supposed to be going to Spokane in two weeks for a fight, but that has changed, and his first fight will now be April 11Th in Connel Washington.

He is training hard, and keeping up physically so he hopefully can pull out his first win. We will see. He also had baseball tryouts this weekend. Baseball season starts in just a few weeks...he will be VERY VERY busy boxing and playing baseball at the same time. At least untill after he fights on the 11th, then he will cut back and only train for boxing 3 days a week untill after baseball season.

He of course is up to his normal silly self.... making everyone laugh. As you can see by the picture I posted....what a goof!

Awwwwww... Eric in the Tux coat!! Can you tell he at least took his hat off for the picture?? Nice messy hair huh?

So we picked out the tux style that he and his grooms men will be wearing for our big day. My mom said he looked uncomfortable in the pic.. I think because everything he tried on was to small.... they didn't really have his perfect size. You also will notice in the picture he had a pink tie and vest on.... Im sure you all will get a good laugh out of that!!

NO our colors are NOT pink!!!!!!!!! Eric will be wearing a camo vest and camo tie...as will the boys and Eric's groomsmen. Things are coming along with the wedding planning. And adding up. It's amazing how quick things can spiral out of control..money wise. I think Iam doing pretty good at keeping our budget, and wallet in check.(Eric may disagree) But I really am trying .....................HONEST...IAM!!!!

We did have our first bump in the road in the planning.... our cake lady went bankrupt...I was so beside myself! We were able to get our money back, and thankfully have found a new cake shop that didn't have our date full yet. AND I have to add..... she is cheaper then the first lady!!!!! I cant believe how quick time is passing since the engagement...before we know it, it will be September.

Hope you all have a great weekend!!!

Playin XBOX in their Bedroom

Happy Things....ONLY Happy things this post!!!

2009-02-28T19:11:00.000-08:00

OK.. so most of you know.... things are HAIRY to say the least with all of the Kodi "Mamma Drama" I like to call it.

I know their is alot to catch everyone up on,but this post is gonna be all happy, fun things we are doing!

First off...Gavin's boxing!!

We are SOOOOOOO JACKED and SOOOO proud to announce Gavin will be having his first boxing fight!!!
Eric and I watched him spar on Friday in the ring, and we were SO proud! With his natural ability, and his agility..hes is excelling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So it will be 6 monhts next month since he started Boxing, and we are anxiously awaiting his fight. He will fight against someone his weight class, and another Novice...someone who also has never had a fight and is just starting off. This of course makes it fair. So here is the next exciting part.... the fight will be in SPOKANE..... That made Gav happy...so Grandma and Grandpa will be able to watch. Good Luck Kid...You will have a a HUGE cheering section!

GAVIN BOXING (on the left)

Kodi Salute- and The CubMaster awarding him his NEW BADGES!!

Kodi and DAD " GOOOOOD JOB KODERS!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Kodi Has been having alot of fun spending as much time with us as he has been. He is seeing how fun it is here...and what he misses when he is gone. He is enjoying the whole " Family" thing that goes on ....We have played a family game nearly almost every single night the last week....went ice skating, and has got to have his best buddy Riley over.Tonight was Kodi's Blue-Gold banquet. It is an yearly banquet cub scouts have. It is in a sense.... their "Birthday Party" This year cub scouts are celebrating their 99Th birthday. How exciting!!!

Anyhow... Eric cooked (he was good daddy and volunteered) for almost 70 people. Hamburgers and hot dogs, and everyone else brought a dish.
Kodi was recognized for his badge progress. He earned his official Bear badge tonight, and his Outdoor ethics badge.

He was presented it with his Den Leader, Cubmaster...and Eric behind him. It was alot of fun...Gavin came, he brought his buddy (they will go anywhere where their is FREE food..and lots of it) and Kodi brought his friend Riley along.

MORE FUN PICS---
ME AND KODI AT THE BANQUET...... (WE TRIED TO TAKE THE PIC OURSELVES) GOOOOOFY US!

GAVIN "LOOOOOK MOM....A WHEEEELIE, I CAN DO IT OFF THE JUMP TOO"

(IM THINKING LOOK ERIC.. A TRIP TO THE ER)

Gavin's Boxing/Kodi's Mamma Drama..and US EXHAUSTED!!!!

2009-02-18T16:01:00.000-08:00

It has been almost 5 months since Gavin started boxing.
And he LOVES IT!!!
He has really came a lonnnng way since he began. He boxes for YPAL (Yakima Police Athletic League)
It's an awesome Organization. He is coached by some of the very best coaches, and the Yakima Police Dept. heads up the whole thing.
SOOOOO here is the exciting news.... they never put a kid in the ring until they feel like they can defend themselves. We talked with Gavin's coach yesterday, and it sounds like he will get his first "spar" in the next couple weeks! That is super exciting...as he has been training his heart out.
It will probably be at least another 6-8 month before Gavin will have his first fight. It takes most kids on average 12-14 months of boxing before their first fight...because they wont just throw them in their to get hurt.
We will definitely try to get some pics of his first spar.... if he lets us that is. He will be sparing against a boy named Ricky who is undefeated and has been boxing for 4 years. They will put him in with Gavin because they are close to the same weight....and Ricky is so experienced that he knows how to spar and not hurt the other fighter. It will be GREAT for Gavin because he will learn alot.

As most of your know...we are going through some very rough times here in Yakima.
Since all has unfolded with Kodi's mom's "PROBLEM" We have benn taking things "Day by Day".
We are all in counseling and trying to get through this as a family the best we can, and hope that the courts will work in our favor.
Kodi as been attending Alateen meetings on tuesday nights (they call it "Alatween " since he is only 9) and is loving it. He is learning that his Mom's drinking is not his fault, and learning to focus more on being 9 instead of a adult and trying to take care of her.
We are pleased with what he has learned so far from the program...and it will become a regular part of his life.
Eric and I have too been learning and growing from this.
We have both been going to Alanon meetings.....to help us learn more about the disease, and how we can help Kodi. We also have learned tons...and will continue to make it a part of our lives also.
I think it's safe to say we are BOTH drained emotionally and physically.
Everyday it seems it is a constant run....here, their... between 3 different counseling apts. a week, Boxing, alanon,alateen, Cub Scouts, Eric working 50 hr weeks....planning the wedding, and dealing with Lawyer stuff.... we barely have a minute to ourselves to even think.
Two very special friends of ours...the Meluskey's (Mike and Christy) Have asked us to join them for a night out this weekend.....and we took them up.
We really need some time to ourselves....for ourselves... they are very good friends and recognized we needed some time out....It's sure nice to have such good friends!!! We only have a few good friend couples here in yakima...and appreciate them all... (Erin and Travis.. and a few others)

We are hoping we will have some positive news by the end of the week from the courts... please cross your fingers.
Gavin is dealing with things in his own way..... the Gavin way... which isnt always the best. He see's his counselor regularly and she has expressed to him any support he can offer Kodi at this time from one brother to another will go a long ways. And Kodi's way of dealing is to withdrawl.....he doesn't even want to play baseball this year. We will continue to encourage each of the boys, hug them, have ALOT of family time and help each one get through things , and try to keep our life as Normal as possible.
Thanks for reading.... HOPEFULLY we will have some good news to post by then end of the week on things!
Thanks to everyone for thinking of us!!!!!
HUGS from Yakima

A Special Valentines Gift

2009-02-12T14:31:00.000-08:00

Iam sure most of you are with me when I say..."How cool is it that Valentines Day is actually on the weekend this year??!!!!"
That means we all get to spend a whole day with our special Valentine(s)
I add the "S" because anyone that's a MOM knows you always have more then ONE Valentine!!

Although Eric is at the top of the list.....he has to share with my other two Valentines!!!!
I love all three of my boys, and could never ever have just one Valentine!!!
This year for Valentines day I got Eric some new cologne. He usually wears Calvin Klein Escape....but this yer Iam making him branch out...I got him Ralph Lauren Romance. Its smells yummmmmy!! It was one of my favs when i worked for Macy's. And of course LOTS of candy for him......and probably his favoritething of all of them will be his dinner, Iam making him one of his fav things..my seafood enchiladas. They say the best way to a mans heart is through his stomach.....well my Eric is no exception! (Now i just have to hope he doesn't read this before Sat. I think my odds are good)
This year we did something REALLY exciting for the boys. Usually its just a small candy treat and a card..but given all they are going through right now with the custody issues of kodi....we decided they could enjoy something out of the ordinary and super cool.
We got them tickets to see
The BIG Arena show "Walking with Dinosaurs ".
It is such an AWESOME show. Yakima will be the smallest arena they have ever preformed in.
You have to check out this link...to see the magnitude of what the show is all about! It is such a big thing that tickets went on sale at noon today.... and they were sold out for ALL 3 days in a mere hour!!
Luckily we were able to score awesome seats... thanks to me sitting on the phone for 30 minutes....and Daddy working lots of overtime. Tickets were not cheap..but it will be so worth it! We are giving them to the boys for V-Day, along with some candy.
Here is a couple links.. check it out if ya don't know what it is all about!
http://www.dinosaurlive.com/

and also at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_9GnP-lhaY

AWAITING THE INDY 500............

2009-01-29T16:39:00.000-08:00

OK, OK, SO MAYBE IT'S NO INDY RACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BUT IT MIGHT AS WELL BE TO US!

KODI HAS BEEN WORKING ON HIS PINEWOOD DERBY CAR FOR CUB SCOUTS.

ACTUALLY, THIS VERY QUICKLY BECAME A "FAMILY" PROJECT.

ERIC AND KODI CUT, DRILLED AND SANDED THE CAR TO KODI'S PERFECTION.

NEXT......

THE CAR HAS TO WEIGH A CERTAIN AMOUNT. NO ONE CAR CAN WEIGH OVER 5 OZ.

THIS IS VERY VERY PRECISE...TO THE POINT THAT THEY WEIGH EACH INDIVIDUAL CAR.

THIS IS WHERE BROTHER GAVIN COMES IN...... HE AND KODI KEPT WEIGHING THE CAR. THEY HAD ERIC'S LITTLE SCALE OUT (THAT WE USE FOR WEIGHING OUR ARROWS) AND KEPT TELLING ERIC... "WE NEED MORE WEIGHT" OR WE NEED TO TAKE SOME OUT. (THEY STRATEGICALLY PLACED LED IN THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR TO GET IT CLOSER TO 5 OZ....TO GET MORE SPEED)

NOW....U ASK...HOW DID THOSE LITTLE MINDS FIGURE THIS OUT? AGAIN...

BROTHER GAVIN.

HE GOT ONLINE FOR KODI, AND GOOGLED PINEWOOD DERBY CAR RACES. HE THEIR FOUND LOTS OF GOOD TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE YOUR CAR THE QUICKEST IN THE PACK!

(PERFECTLY LEGAL... I SWEAR...SCOUTS HONOR!!!)

SO AFTER WE GOT THE WEIGHT JUST RIGHT.... YEP MAMA RACHEL HAD TO GET IN ON IT.

KODI AND I DECIDED WE GOTTA SPRUCE OLD #85 UP A BIT!

WE GATHERED PAINT FROM NEIGHBOR BOB (WHOM IS BIG INTO HOBBYING AND MODELS) WE ENDED UP WITH WHITE, BLACK AND ORANGE.

I HELPED HIM PAINT HIS CAR SO IT WOULD BE JUST AS HE WANTED.......... HOWEVER..... REMEMBER THIS IS OUR KODI... AFTER WE GOT ONE COAT DONE HE SAID

" NAH I DONT WANT THAT WHITE, I WANT THAT PART BLACK".

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WITH A SMILE I SAID OK.

WE WAITED FOR THAT COAT TO DRY, AND WE PAINTED OVER IT.

AFTER ABOUT 4 DAYS WE FINALLY GOT THE PAINT DONE. IT TOOK SEVERAL COATS TO GET IT LOOKING THE WAY HE WANTED.

SO WE ARE DONE, AND AWAITING THE BIG RACE!!!

WE HAVE A WHITE BLACK AND ORANGE CAR...(AKA A CINCINATTI BENGALS CAR)

HE WILL FIRST RACE AMONGST HIS PACK. THE TOP FEW KIDS THEN WILL RACE AGAINST OTHERS FROM HIS SCHOOL....AND THE TOP FROM THEIR WILL GO ONTO THE BIG CITY RACE!

IT'S ABOUT A MONTH DOWN THE ROAD BUT KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED FOR #85 AND KODI!

GOOD JOB KODERS..YOUR CAR LOOKS AWESOME AND IT HAS ALOT OF FAMILY LOVE IN IT!!!!

Update -of "Proud Parents post"....

2009-01-26T12:19:00.000-08:00

HERE IS A QUICK LITTLE UPDATE...
GAVIN GOT HIS OFFICIAL INVITE IN THE MAIL ON SATURDAY-
WE INVITE YOU ALL TO CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW, AND CHECK OUT GAVIN'S RECOGNITION ON THE WEBSITE......YES YES... I KNOW WE ARE GUSHING-BRAGGING-PROUD PARENTS.... WHO WOULDN'T BE?????????????????????????
http://www.yakimavalleygridkids.blogspot.com/

PROUD PARENTS

2009-01-26T11:14:00.000-08:00

WE HAVE SOME VERY EXCITING NEWS........WE ARE VERY EXCITED AND PROUD TO ANNOUNCE GAVIN WAS NOMINATED TO ATTEND FOOTBALL UNIVERSITY'S YOUTH ALL-AMERICAN FOOTBALL COMBINE!!!!!

THIS IS A HUGE DEAL!!!!

AT AN EARLY AGE THEY WILL BE RECOGNIZED BY TOP ATHLETE SCOUTS, TRAINERS AND COACHES. THEY INVITE ATHLETES THAT THEY THINK COULD BE THEIR FUTURE................BOYS TO THEM THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE FOOTBALL PLAYERS AT HIGHER LEVELS.

WE ARE SO EXCITED, AND WE ARE AWAITING HIS OFFICIAL INVITE IN THE MAIL.

AS MOST OF YOU KNOW, SPORTS CONSUME MUCH OF GAVIN'S WEEK...... AND YOU CAN SEE WHY WE LET HIM ENGAGE IN SO MANY SPORTS THROUGH OUT THE YEAR... HE NOT ONLY LOVES IT, HE IS GOOD AT IT...

AND WE ARE A PROUD MAMMA AND DADDY!
(FEEL FREE TO LEAVE HIM A CONGRATS COMMENT.... HE IS ONE OF ONLY 18 FROM THE WHOLE COUNTY OUT OF HUNDREDS OF KIDS THAT IS GOING... A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT, AND HE IS VERY PROUD OF HIMSELF)

HERE IS A LITTLE ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

Parents of Invited Athletes: Congratulations on your son's selection to Football University!

We realize how special your son's football career has been so far and understand how talented he has become. By virtue of his invitation, our selection team has identified him as a promising football talent.
FBU was started to identify the nation's top football players from 6th grade through to the 11th grade and provide them with the nation's best instruction from the NFL ranks. To enhance our instruction, the curriculum features the latest technology such as slow motion high definition video. This allows our athletes to view their on-field skills at 500 frames per second. Although the FBU experience will center on elite technical instruction, the three day weekend also includes advanced performance training and testing, nutrition, character development, and classroom instruction. Our NFL instructional staff places additional emphasis on the tremendous amount of work needed to succeed at each level of football. The number of athletes per weekend is limited to 200 (120 High School and 80 Youth) to ensure high quality instruction, frequent repetition, and an athlete instructor ratio of 9:1.

MLK DAY.....AND A DAY OFF FROM SCHOOL

2009-01-19T17:20:00.000-08:00

THE BOYS HAD NO SCHOOL TODAY IN OBSERVANCE OF MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY.
WITH NO RUSH TO GET OUT THE DOOR TODAY, WE ALL SLEPT IN.
WE GOT UP TO SOME YUMMY PANCAKES THAT DADDY SO KINDLY MADE THE BOYS BEFORE HE LEFT FOR WORK TODAY.
AT 11:30 WE HEADED DOWNTOWN TO THE PARADE
THIS TIME IT WAS GAV'S TURN TO MARCH IN A PARADE.
GAVIN JOINED HIS TEACHER, AND SOME OF HIS CLASSMATE FOR A 6 BLOCK MARCH DOWN MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. BLVD THROUGH TOWN.
IT WAS AN OPTIONAL MARCH... BUT IN DOING SO HE RAKED IN 20 EXTRA CREDIT POINTS!! WHO COULDN'T USE THOSE WHEN YOU ARE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL RIGHT?????
IT WAS FREEZING OUTSIDE, AND NATURALLY... I TOLD THE BOYS TO PUT HEAVY COATS ON...AND NO ONE WOULD LISTEN! GAVIN WAS IN A HOODED SWEATSHIRT AND KODI A SPRING COAT????????????????
I MIGHT BE THE MOM.. BUT THEIR COMES A TIME WHERE YOU CAN LEAD A HORSE TO WATER BUT YOU CANT MAKE THEM DRINK....THEY WERE FREEZING..................MAYBE THEY WILL LISTEN TO THEIR MOM NEXT TIME.
GAV MARCHED AND KODI AND I RAN FOR COVER TO THE WARM CAR.
WE HEADED HOME AND HAD LUNCH... THEN BACK OUT THE DOOR AGAIN TO HEAD TO TOWN FOR BOXING.
BEFORE BOXING WE MADE ONE STOP:
TO THE DUCK POND!
THIS IS SOMEWHERE THE BOYS LUVVVVVV TO GO THIS TIME OF YEAR. EVERYTHING ELSE FREEZES SO THE LOCAL DUCKS AND SOME MIGRATERS MAKE THEIR WAS HERE. SO WITH OLD BREAD IN HAND THEY JUMPED OUT AND STARTED FEEDING. IT'S FUNNY TO WATCH BECAUSE THE DUCKS WILL ACTUALLY CHASE THEM FOR BREAD.
I TOOK SOME PICS .....
THE FIRST IS OF THE BEAUTIFUL MALE WOOD DUCK(I TOLD GAVIN IF HE WOULD ONLY GET ONE OF THESE WE WOULD MOUNT IT... BUT SO FAR AFTER TWO YEARS... NO WOOD DUCK)

THE BOYS RUNNING FROM THE CROWD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE BEAUTIFUL DRAKE MALLARD

NO KIDS

2009-01-11T14:33:00.000-08:00

WE HAD NOOOOOO KIDS TODAY.
KODI IS WITH HIS MOM THIS WEEKEND, AND GAV WENT SNOWMOBILING.
ERIC AND I SLEPT IN TOGETHER, ATE BREAKFAST TOGETHER, THEN HEADED UP TO GO SEE THE ELK AND THE BIG HORN SHEEP.
FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT DON'T KNOW...EVERY YEAR DURING THE WINTER THE DEPT. OF FISH AND WILDLIFE HAVE FEEDING CENTERS SET UP IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE STATE TO HELP THE ANIMAL WINTER.
WHAT THEY DO IS FEED THEM HAY, THERE -FOR IT HELPS THE HEARD STAY STRONG AND MAKE IT THROUGH THE WINTER. WE ARE LUCKY IN YAKIMA, BECAUSE WE HAVE THREE OF THEM WITHIN SO MANY MILES OF THE HOUSE. THEIR IS ALSO ONE FOR THE BIG-HORN SHEEP.
WHATS EVEN MORE EXCITING IS THESE ARE ALL THE ELK THAT ERIC AND I ARE CHASING FRANTICALLY THROUGH THE WOODS DURING ELK SEASON!!!!!!
YOU WOULD BE AMAZED AT HOW CLOSE YOU CAN SEE THEM AT IN THE FEEDING STATION...
NOW.... YOU TELL ME.. WHY DON'T THEY STAND LIKE THIS DURING HUNTING SEASON????????
10 FEET AWAY... SHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZ.

IAM ALSO INCLUDING A PICTURE OF THE BUILDING THAT ERIC IS BUILDING RIGHT NOW... (AKA..HIS OTHER GIRLFRIEND..HAHAHA) IT IS A SCIENCE EMPORIUM FOR LA SALLE HIGH SCHOOL. I SAY HIS OTHER GIRLFRIEND BECAUSE IT CONSUMES MOST OF HIS TIME LATELY.

OUR OUTLOOK ON LIFE & 2009

2008-12-31T12:11:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEARS 2009 TO ALL OF OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY.
ERIC AND I WANT TO TELL THE BOYS WE LOVE THEM VERY VERY VERY MUCH, OUR LIFE AND WORLD REVOLVE AROUND YOU TWO, AND WE LOVE YOU BOTH UNCONDITIONALLY. WE LOOK FORWARD TO 2009..THE YEAR WE MARRY AND BECOME AN "OFFICIAL" FAMILY.
WE HAD ONE OF GAVIN'S BEST FRIENDS MOM PASS AWAY THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ALOT ABOUT IT AT OUR HOUSE. TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHY SOMEONE GAVIN'S AGE HAS TO BE WITHOUT A MOM, HOW TO TALK TO HIS FRIEND AND NOT UPSET HIM, AND JUST BASICALLY UNDERSTANDING.
THEIR IS TIMES THAT WE ALL LEAVE THE HOUSE OR ONE ANOTHER AND ARE MAD. OUR NEW YEARS RESOLUTION IS TO NEVER GO TO BED MAD AT EACH OTHER, NEVER FORGET TO SAY I LOVE YOU BEFORE WE LEAVE AND ALWAYS LET EACH OTHER KNOW WE NEED AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER NO MATTER HOW MAD OR IRRITATED WE ARE AT EACH OTHER.............. THAT IS A HARD THING TO DO BOTH AT THE BOY'S AGE AND ERIC AND MINES AGE. SO REMEMBER.... TELL EACH OTHER YOU LUV ONE ANOTHER AND NEVER LEAVE MAD. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN ITS SOMEONES TIME TO LEAVE..CHERISH EVERY MOMENT YOU HAVE. TO ALL OF OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY ....WE LOVE YOU ALL AND APPRECIATE ALL THAT EVERYONE DOES FOR THE FOUR OF US.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas...A Fun 4 days with Family

2008-12-28T16:32:00.000-08:00

Eric And Jayden...Hitting the sledding hill.

The Cousins- Jake-Beckham and Gavin

GAVIN IN 3 FT of Snow at Grandma and Grandpas

Gavin and Jayden -Jayden got the chance to enjoy

Uncle Eric and Aunty Rachel's favorite store CABELAS!

Well... the holiday season is passed. We had a really fun time!! We left Yakima on Xmas eve day when Eric got off work and headed over to Idaho to be with my Mom and Dad, Kevin, Ryan and Kyle and their families, and Grandma Alice.
We were so excited to have Grandma with us this Holiday season, it made it alomst a perfect christmas. The only thing that would have made it better would have been to have Kevin's kids with us, and Kodi. We have never had a Xmas without Kodi, but this year he was with his mom... so you won't see any pictures of Kodi with the family.

I was sooooooo excited to get to see Jayden and baby Ashlee. Jayden is 3 and getting to be such a BIG boy!! He is going to be our ring bearer in the wedding, and Ashlee one of three flower girls. Kyle's boys Beckham and Jake have also grown a ton since we last saw them Christmas day was so much fun having us all together, laughing, and talking. Mom and Dad have over three ft of snow right now... it was incredible how much snow had fallen. Eric, Gavin and I got to take Jayden out for his first time ever sledding!! It was so much fun, and I got some pretty cute pics. We went to Mission park.. a place that brought back alot of memories for me, as that was the first park I ever took Gavin sledding at. Jayden thought it was great... with his Lightening McQueen coat we bought him, and matching hat and gloves. Little Ashlee lovvvvvves her uncle Eric... as you can see from the pics, she stuck to him big time... and Iam pretty sure the feeling was mutual. It was pretty sweet. Like I said we missed Hailey and Hunter VERY VERY VERY much and hope their xmas was good and filled with Joy, and hope they will be back in Washington soon with their Daddy...WHERE THEY BELONG. And as for our Kodi.. hopefully things will be different as we round the corner to the New Year, and a new parenting plan. We are trying soooo hard to make thing easy for Kodi, and per his request hopefully this new parenting plan will be just the thing to bring more consistency into his little life, and help him see where his home TRULY is....but unfortunately Kodi has to be the one to realize this. All we can do is hope and pray things will get better..until then we will continue to do what we are doing, loving him and accepting his choices.

GRANDMA ALICE AND ASHLEE..ROCKING AWAY
UNCLE ERIC AND ASHLEE...PRESENTS... YIPPPPEEEE

SUNDAY-SLEDDING-SNOW-AND A SOAKING WET ERIC!!

2008-12-21T19:23:00.000-08:00

OK, SO WE FINALLY GOT A BIG SNOW.

A GOOD 6-7 INCHES OF THE WHITE STUFF FELL ON TOP OF WHAT WE ALREADY HAD.
DECIDING TO TAKE A BREAK FROM THE WII, THE BOYS SUITED UP, AND AWAY WE WENT TO THE SLED HILL!!!
THE BOYS WERE FLYING OVER JUMPS...BAILING OFF HEAD FIRST , GOING SUPER FAST AND HEADING BACK UP THE STEEP HILL TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN! (AKA BEING BOYS )
THE BEST PART WAS PROBABLY ERIC DECIDING HE HAD TO "SHOW THOSE BOYS HOW TO DO IT"
SO HERE ARE THE PICS.....

AND ERIC..

BEFORE--------------AND AFTER.... HAHAHA
YEAH HE SHOWED UM HOW TO DO IT....A FACE PLANT THAT IS!!!!!!!!!!

CHRISTMAS IN NACHES (5 DAYS EARLY)

2008-12-20T19:00:00.000-08:00

WELL... WE CELEBRATED OUR XMAS AS A FAMILY TODAY....SATURDAY.
KODI WILL BE WITH HIS MOM THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, SO SANTA CAME TO OUR HOUSE EARLY!
THE BOYS GOT SOOOO MUCH STUFF..AND ARE SPOILED ROTTEN!! BUT THAT MAKES ME HAPPY!!! THEIR BIG PRESENT FOR THE TWO OF THEM WAS THEIR "NINTENDO Wii".
THEY WERE SOOOOO EXCITED AND HAVE BEEN GLUED TO IT! GAVIN ALSO GOT A NEW IPOD CHROMATIC, A NEW STEREO FOR HIS ROOM, A NEW CELL PHONE (THE CHOCOLATE LG) ITUNES GIFT CARDS AND SOME OTHER FUN THINGS. KODI SCORED WITH A COUPLE NEW Wii GAMES, A REMOTE CONTROL CAR, STAR WARS LEGOS, MARTIAN MATTER AND OTHER COOL THINGS. ALL IN ALL THEY WERE BOTH VERY HAPPY, AND GOT MOST OF WHAT WAS ON THEIR LISTS THIS YEAR. I MYSELF GOT A LAMP I WANTED, AND THE BOYS GOT ERIC A NEW GPS CASE, A NEW BLIND BAG, A CASE OF HIS FAVORITE CANDY, NEW WATCH AND A NEW SLING FOR HIS GUN, CUSTOM MADE; LEATHER WITH HIS NAME ON IT. AND I CAN'T FORGET PINKY...SHE GOT A STOCKING WITH DOGGY TREATS IN IT... THAT KEPT HER BUSY FOR A LONNNNG TIME TRYING TO GET THEM OUT!!!
WE WILL BE GOING TO IDAHO WED. TO CELEBRATE WITH THE REST OF THE FAMILY.
MERRY XMAS!!!!

OK....So Iam not that BIG of a Scrooge!!!!

2008-12-09T17:42:00.000-08:00

OK OK.. so a couple posts ago I was kinda Ba-humbug on this time of year.
I guess I was more venting then anything... HAHAHAHA.
This isn't my favorite time of year..but I have to say today is the 9Th of December and I have ALL of my shopping done! YES ALL!!!

That makes things a little more tolerable I suppose. Things have still been SUPER crazy around here. Gavin is boxing 4 days a week(which isn't to bad because as you all know the kid is always in some kind of sport) Eric is still working mad hours......Which makes it hard to do things at the house, and Kodi.. welllll hes just Kodi... not much going on with him... just playing, being 9, and scouts every Tuesday.

Eric and I are starting to wrap up our hunting season. We spent the last weekend elk hunting. No site or sound of Elk but the Bucks were running crazy...and Iam embarrassed to say.. YES I MISSED ANOTHER BIG BUCK! I was sad to see the elk season come to a close for us for the year. We still have another weekend or two of deer season though.. and still some Washington tags to fill.
Iam starting to wonder if I will go skunked this year with deer... (it scares me to think about it)

This weekend when we went up elk hunting we also were "Tree hunting".... I mean looking for our Xmas tree. For $5 you can buy a cutting permit from the forest service and that entitles you to cut down a tree of your choice!
So as we hunted.. we also looked for the perfect tree! This year Eric was on his game... he brought THE CHAIN SAW!!!!! I guess he decided he didn't want to spend an hour using a hacksaw to get a tree down. (Been their, done that before) besides then he doesn't get quite as annoyed when I change my mind after he gets it cut down. HAHAHA
And naturally.. since he had the chain saw, I was perfectly content with the first one we cut down.
We brought it home.. trimmed it a bit, and then put it in the tree stand. I can't make things to easy for him... so after we got it in the house, and set in the stand.. i asked him to take it back out and trim it more!! Being the SWEET ,LOVING, COOPERATIVE , husband to be that he is.... he did it...(with a few small grumbles).
So.... soon it was perfect and Gavin and Kodi were decorating away.
I like things perfect.. and when it comes to decorating the tree I kind of have to let go, and let them do it. If I had it my way I would move every ornament they put on so things were evenly distributed and spaced, perfectly.. ( I know anal)
But.. I have learned a little to let go...it makes them happy to do it themselves...... those two are so proud of their tree!!!!!!

WHO'S 9 TODAY???

2008-12-02T14:42:00.000-08:00

9 YEARS AGO A VERY SPECIAL BOY WAS BORN........................
DAKOTA RICHARD VOSS.

YEP TODAY IS OUR KODI'S BDAY.
UNFORTUNATELY WE WON'T GET TO SEE HIM, BECAUSE IT IS HIS MOMS YEAR....BUT WE WANT TO WISH HIM A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

LOVE,
DAD, MAMMA RACH, AND GAV

THIS TIME OF YEAR..YUCK

2008-11-25T13:44:00.000-08:00

WELLLLL, I SUPPOSE I BETTER POST SOMETHING, IT'S BEEN AWHILE.
THINGS HAVE BEEN CRAZY BUSY AROUND HERE. GAVIN IS IN BOXING RIGHT NOW, ERIC IS WORKING 50-60 HR WEEKS, WE ARE TRYING TO SQUEEEEEZE IN AS MUCH HUNTING AS POSSIBLE BEFORE OUR SEASONS WIND DOWN... KODI IN SCOUTS, AND TRYING TO START THE HOLIDAY SEASON.

I WISH I COULD SAY I LOVE THIS TIME OF THE YEAR BUT I DON'T. IT JUST SEEMS SO HECTIC ALL THE TIME, THE DAYS ARE SHORT, WHICH MAKES IT HARD TO GET EVERYTHING DONE YOU WANT, AND YOU HAVE TO DO THE DREADED "CHRISTMAS SHOPPING".
I HAVE STARTED MY SHOPPING, AND USUALLY I CAN HAVE IT ALL DONE BY THE SECOND WEEK IN DECEMBER. IT'S ALWAYS A STRESS FOR ME, CUZ I TRY TO KEEP THINGS EVEN BETWEEN THE BOYS. ALTHOUGH IT ALWAYS SEEMS ONE HAS MORE THEN THE OTHER. I ALWAYS GET THEM EACH 6 THING, AND USUALLY 4 GIFTS FOR THEM TO SHARE...BUT ONE GETS MORE THEN THE OTHER WHEN IT COMES TO FAMILY. ERIC AND I HAVE DECIDED IT'S NO USE TRYING TO SOLVE IT AS IT JUST CONTINUES TO HAPPEN. SO, ALL WE CAN DO IS TRY TO PROTECT THE OTHERS FEELINGS THE BEST WE CAN AND MAKE UP FOR IT OURSELVES. IAM HAPPY THAT MOST PEOPLE RECOGNIZE THAT THE BOYS ARE EQUAL, EVEN THOUGH WE ARE TWO FAMILIES WORKING TO BE ONE AND EVEN THOUGH THEY WERNT BORN AS BROTHERS, THEY STILL ARE BROTHERS. I GUESS THATS JUST HOW LIFE IS, BUT WHEN YOU ARE A KID YOU NOTICE THESE THINGS.

WE ALSO DECIDED THIS YEAR TO ONLY BUY FOR THE NIECES AND NEPHEWS...OTHER WISE BY THE TIME WE ARE ALL DONE ERIC AND I ARE BUYING FOR 15-20PEOPLE. (NOT COUNTING OUR BOYS) BETWEEN THE TWO OF US WE HAVE 5 BROTHERS....THEN WE HAVE MY GRANDPARENTS ON BOTH SIDES, AND ALL NIECES AND NEPHEWS. THIS WILL BE SOOOOO MUCH EASIER AS WE OUR SAVING FOR OUR MILLION DOLLAR WEDDING!!
WE ARE GOING TO BE GOING TO MOM AND DADS (MY MOM AND DADS) FOR THANKSGIVING. ONE THING WE HAVE TO BE THANKFUL FOR THIS YEAR IS KODI WILL BE SAFE AND SOUND WITH US FROM TODAY (TUESDAY) THROUGH NEXT MONDAY. IT WILL BE NICE TO HAVE HIM. WE FILED OUR PAPERS TODAY FOR OUR CHANGE IN CUSTODY DAYS. THIS IS SOMETHING KODI WANTS BADLY AS HE HATES EVERY TWO DAYS ON, AND OFF. SHE WILL BE SERVED ONE DAY WE ARE GONE, WHILE WE HAVE KODI. HOPEFULLY THINGS WILL GO WELL, AND WE WILL START OUR 1 WEEK ON 1 WEEK OFF SCHEDULE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON.

THAT'S AN UPDATE IN A NUT SHELL OF OUR BUSINESS. OUR HOLIDAY GIFT GIVING STRESSES, AND AS FOR HUNTING...WELL HOPEFULLY WE WILL HAVE SOME MORE DEAD ANIMALS TO SHOW SOON. NEXT WEEKEND WE ARE ELK HUNTING THEN THE 13-14 DEC. WE ARE PLANNING A DEER HUNTING TRIP.... WISH ME LUCK... I HAVE SOME TAGS TO BE FILLED..AND SOME CATCHING UP ON THE ERIC'S TALLY FOR THE YEAR.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!

A RANDOM POST....

2008-11-12T09:23:00.000-08:00

OK... SO USUALLY I POST SOMETHING EXCITING THAT HAS HAPPEND IN OUR LIVES..USUALLY HAS TO DO WITH HUNTING OR THE BOYS.

HERE IS A TOTALLY RANDOM POST..JUST FOR FUN!!!

SOOOOOOO..WE BROKE DOWN...(ACTUALLY I BROKE DOWN) AND KODI HAS ALWAYS WANTED A MO-HAWK....YES THAT'S RIGHT...OUR LOVING ,SENSITIVE KODI...WANTED A MO-HAWK. SO ONE DAY I TOOK HIM IN AND LET IT HAPPEN...AFTER HE WAS DONE I LOOKED AT HIM AND SAID..."GLAD YOU LIKE IT.... IT IS PROBABLY THE FIRST AND LAST TIME" HAHAHAHAHAHA NEXT TO MO-HAWK BOYS PIC... IS A GOOFY PIC OF GAV POSING..AS HE DOES BEST!!!!!

AND THEN THE PEEPING PUPPIES........................

FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE NEVER MET OUR FOUR OTHER CHILDREN... HERE THEY ARE.

SOPHIE...OUR BLACK HARLOT..DUCK RETRIEVING QUEEN........

IN THE MIDDLE..OUR LITTLE BLOND BABY.AT ONLY 12 WEEKS OLD.....AND DUCK / GOOSE MASTER IN TRAINING..WEATHERBY.

ON THE RIGHT SIDE...THE BIG, CLUMSY BROWN BOY...WHOM WE CALL OOMPA-LOOMPA IS OUR BIG BOY THAT GETS THE GEESE WE SHOOT...HIS REAL NAME IS GUNNER.

AND OF COURSE.... FOURTH AND CERTAINLY NOT LEAST IN MY BOOK.. SHE IS THE QUEEN OF THE HOUSE(NEXT TO ME OF COURSE) GAVIN AND KODI CALL HER SISTER....AND SHE HAS MORE CLOTHES THEN ERIC.....OUR 7 LB GIRL..."PINKY"

OK OK.. EVERYONE KEEPS ASKING WHY THEIR ISN'T A PIC OF ME EVER ON THE BLOG????? THATS BECAUSE IAM ALWAYS THE ONE TAKING THE PICS!!!

SO HERE U GO.... ONE PIC OF THE PHOTOGRAPHER.......

Kodi's Veteran's Day March

2008-11-11T14:02:00.001-08:00

Today Kodi got to take place in the Veteran's Day Parade in down town Yakima.

It was a fun time for him, as they marched a mile through down town, waving his flag.

After the parade the troup was invited to the Veteran's center for hot dogs and pop.

Here is a couple fun pics for everyone...

Kodi with Dad before the parade

kodi with his troup buddies..."Horrrrray for Hot-dogs!!!"

Kodi with the Marines..(of course mamma Rachel had to ask for their pic with our scout)

And Kodi march,march, marching along!!!!!!

A weekend all for Gavin

2008-11-11T12:51:00.000-08:00

Well, we spent this weekend up in our special spot deer hunting. But this time Eric and I didn't hunt.... it was ALL ABOUT GAVIN ( just how he likes it I may add). We had a good time together minus the weather conditions. It was fog, rain, snow...and very little sunlight...I think we had every element. Gavin went in with two deer tags....and low and behold he was able to fill one!!!! Yeeeeeeeeee for G !!!!!

Eric and I were very proud of him...we enjoy seeing him being successful on his hunt, and smiling ear to ear.

I'm posting a couple pics....he also learned this year how to cut up his deer for the wrapping process.

The Season is Over

2008-10-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

(PICTURES OF GAVIN....BEFORE THE GAME...AND ON THE LINE)

Will Post Kodi pics when I have some)

Well... the end of the football season is Here. Kodi's team didn't make it to the play offs....but they sure played their little hearts out. We enjoyed getting to watch Kodi this year take part in the sport that was his Dads life as youngster in South Dakota. Kodi stuck with it and played hard all season....it doesn't sound like Kodi will be playing next year, as he decided football just wasn't his thing. He has however found a new love in the world....and that is cub scouts.(more on this and some pics of him in another post)

Gavin had a great football season!!! his team ended their year 6-2. His two loses coming at the end of the season...one of them a play off game that they lost 8-0 causing their season to come to a screaching hault. Gav had a great season...he averaged 3-4 QB sacks a game and numerous tackles. This year he found a new excitement in playing Defensive End and running the ball a bit as wing back. He spent most of the season playing defense as he is quick as lightening and hammered through the offensive line of the opposing team causing problems for the opposing quarterback. He also was a big part of special teams on kick off return..again for his quick speed and his hard hitting tackles. As Eric would say when it comes to our G...." DYNAMITE COME IN LITTLE PACKAGES". Gavin has a week off then next tuesday he jumps into basketball season. Here we go again!!!

WE HAVE A BIRTHDAY BOY........

2008-10-27T11:26:00.000-07:00

FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT DON'T KNOW..... WE HAVE A BIRTHDAY IN OUR HOUSE THIS THURSDAY.....ERIC IS TURNING 35!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BEST FRIEND IN THE WHOLE WORLD, MY HUNTING PARTNER...AND MY OTHER HALF.
THANKS FOR BEING SO PERFECT IN EVERY WAY! THE BOYS AND I LOVE YOU WITH ALL OF OUR HEARTS!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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The Yearly Idaho Hunt

2008-10-23T14:34:00.000-07:00

<---------------Elk Country

We have been home from our Idaho trip a week now and we are slowly getting back on track here at the house and getting cleaned up in the trailer.
We had a blast at hunting camp..... we go with mom and dad and about 10 others. The animals were moving and we had very successful trip!!! By the end of the trip their was a total of 5 elk hanging (4 cows and a spike) and the two bucks we got.

Their wasn't any BIG bulls to be found... sadly two weeks before the opening of the season the Indians came through and shot around 30 head of elk....YES 30. They say that it's their heritage and they don't have to have any tags... they just come in and start blasting....they call it their heritage and culture..we call it BULL SHIT. If it's their heritage..then they can get on their horses and shoot the damn things with their bow and arrows...NOT a high powered riffle.

Its always an expensive trip when ever you hunt out of the state but its WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!!!

Gavin enjoyed his time here at the house with us gone.. .. my aunt Carole came to stay with him, and of course spoiled him rotten. Kodi was with his mom....not much to say about that...that's a WHOLLLLLE other Blog...LOL

2008-10-08T12:08:00.000-07:00

OMG...I HAVENT POSTED IN FOREVER!!!

2008-10-02T09:57:00.000-07:00

OMG...IT HAS BEEN FOREVER SINCE I POSTED!!!
WE HAVE BEEN CRAZY BUSY AROUND HERE. THE BOYS ARE STILL GOING 100MPH WITH FOOTBALL AND BOTH ARE DOING WELL. KODI'S TEAM IS 2-2 AND GAVS TEAM IS STILL UNDEFEATED AT 4-0. YEEEEE HAW GO BOYS!!!!
WE WRAPPED UP OUR EARLY ELK SEASON WITH NO ELK IN THE FREEZER..BUT A COUPLE OF FUN HUNTS.
ON OPENING MORNING ERIC AND I SET UP IN A SMALL CLEARING, WHERE WE CALLED SEVERAL TIMES. THE BULLS WERE BUGLING WHICH IS ALWAYS FUN TO HEAR, AND WERE RESPONDING TO ERIC'S "HOT COW CALL". WELL IT WASN'T LONG, AND ERIC HAD A BOYFRIEND!!! ERIC WAS SITTING WITH HIS BACK TO THE CLEARING AND ME FACING IT....WHEN IN CAME THE BULL.. I LOOKED AT ERIC AND HELD UP FIRST 4 FINGERS, THEN 5. HE WHISPERED TO ME " 4 OR 5" AND I NODDED MY HEAD. SOOOO WHAT DOES ERIC DO, TRIES TO TURN AROUND TO SEE.
WELL, HE THOUGHT I MENT THEIR WAS 4 OR 5 COWS.. BUT I MENT A 4 OR 5 POINT BULL!!!!! THE BULL SPOOKED, THE MINUTE HE MOVED. OF COURSE A BULL COMES IN...AND NO BULL TAG... JUST COW OR SPIKE. THATS WHY ERIC TURNED AROUND BECAUSE HE THOUGHT I MENT THEIR WAS 4 OR 5 COWS. THE BULL WAS A NICE ONE CAME INTO 45 YARD RANGE. (WE RANGED IT AFTER HE LEFT) A NEAT EXPERIENCE THAT MOST PEOPLE WILL NEVER HAVE. THAT AFTERNOON WE SAT UP IN ANOTHER SMALL GREEN OPENING. THIS TIME WE SET UP OUR MONTANA'S ELK DECOYS, WITH PLENTY OF SCENT. AFTER SITTING FOR TWO HOURS..ERIC IN TREE STAND AND ME ON THE GROUND....I HAD TWO COME IN MY WAY, AND ERIC A NICE BIG COW. ERIC HAD NO VITAL/ETHICAL SHOT...AND MINE WERE OUR OF MY SHOOTING DISTANCE. TO US.... THIS IS STILL A SUCCESSFUL HUNT.....AGAIN MOST PEOPLE WONT EVEN SEE ONE DURING THE SEASON.
AS WE ARE IN THE RUSH OF HUNTING AND FOOTBALL I HAD TO HAVE MY ISSUES..OF COURSE. MY ARM PORT (WHICH IS A PERMANENT IV ACCESS I HAVE IN MY ARM FOR WHEN I BECOME ILL) DECIDED TO GO BAD AND FLIP OVER IN MY ARM. WITHIN A WEEK OF THIS HAPPENING I WAS SENT TO SPOKANE ADMITTED INTO SACRED HEART AND IN THE OPERATING ROOM. THE OLD ONE WAS EXTRACTED AND THE NEW ONE PLACED. I SPENT A COUPLE DAYS IN THE HOSPITAL BECAUSE MY ASTHMA FLARED FROM THE ANESTHESIA AND MY ARM SWELLED. IT WAS A WEEK MONDAY SINCE THE SURGERY. THEY TOOK OUT ABOUT AN INCH OF SCAR TISSUE AROUND THE HOLD ONE AND HAD TO DIG OUT A "POCKET" FOR MY NEW ONE. I'M RECOVERING QUICKLY AND HOPE TO BE ABLE TO PULL MY BOW BACK IN A MONTH OR SO...JUST IN TIME FOR LATE SEASON. THE BAD PART ABOUT ALL OF THIS IS NEXT THURSDAY ERIC AND I LEAVE FOR OUR BIG IDAHO HUNTING TRIP...WE GO WITH MOM AND DAD AND THEIR HUNTING CAMP. WE LOOK FORWARD TO IT ALL YEAR...NOT TO MENTION IT IS SOOO EXPENSIVE TO HUNT OUT OF STATE SO WE HAVE TO SAVE FOR IT. NOW....AFTER ALLL OF THAT I CANT HUNT.
BECAUSE OF THE INCISION IN MY ARM. MAKES ME WANT TO CRY...BUT ITS MORE IMPORTANT THAT I HEAL..SO I CAN HUNT IN THE FUTURE.
ONE MORE THING BEFORE I END THIS LONNNNNNNNNNG POST.... WE HAVE A NEW ADDITION TO OUR FAMILY. HIS NAME IS "WEATHERBY". HE IS A LITTLE YELLOW BUTTERBALL. FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT REMEMBER MY BABY TOBY THAT WE LOST TO A CROOKED TRAINER... WEATHERBY IS RELATED TO HIM, IT IS HIS NEPHEW. HE IS GAVIN'S DOG, AND IS GOING TO BE HIS BIRD DOG FOR WATERFOWL HUNTING. FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE ASKING................................NO WE WONT BE SENDING HIM TO A TRAINER. I WILL DO IT MYSELF!
WILL POST AFTER OUR IDAHO TRIP.. PRAY FOR ELK FOR ERIC.

JUST WHEN I THOUGHT THINGS COULDN'T GET WORSE

2008-09-03T12:48:00.000-07:00

Our deer opener was less then perfect.
The deer seemed to be fewer then we have seen in the past in our "special area". I, myself couldn't hit the vitals if my life depended on it....sending one to many deer off into the woods where they couldn't be retrieved. I had nothing going my way...my bow was having its issues, and the deer seemed to want to come out on top of me....yes tooooo close for me to shoot. They were coming up from behind me....5 different times on opening day up the trail I was sitting on...with my back to them...they were seriously within 5 feet of me. Yes... kind of cool at first...but very irritating after a few times. I couldnt move or I was busted, making it impossible to draw back on them.
However, we didn't come up empty on opening day. About 1/2 hour after dawn Eric stuck a nice doe....but again....with our great luck..she decided to die in a farmers field that was posted "NO HUNTING" so we had to ask some counrty bumkin for permission to retrieve her....they were less then pleased..you could tell they didn't care for hunters, and wanted us no where near their precious pets(the deer)....all and all they said we could get her, as long as she was dead. That night... still no luck...but on our way out of the field we saw the BIGGEST deer ever. A 5x5 with 8 inch eye guards. We watched in amazement as he grazed 150 yards from us.

Just when I thought things couldn't get worse......................................

Soooooo here comes the deer story.....
The next day Eric decided to set up the new ground blind he bought for me (it was the thought that counted) he said "Honey Im gonna set you up at the top of the field where that big buck came out." So that night..I tromped across the field to my blind my huny had set up for me. I got inside..got situated...pulled my bow back for one practice pull and realized...CRAP this thing is too small to draw back in. Trying not to complain, and it was coming up on prime-time I walkie-Talkied Eric and he asked me to just try to make it work for the night...as he was 25 feet up in a tree stand. So i sat...and sat....and sat....and SAT.. my luck..nothing coming out AGAIN. Low and behold....at 745...almost dark here comes the BIG one. Not walking but running straight to me. I had some scent on and around the blind that old Mr. Bucky found irresistable. Nervous..shaking... i drew back...he stopped and grazed...so I let my draw down. Then within a minute he was back on the move coming straight for me. He came clear in to 32 yards(he stood their long enouhg for me to grab the rangefinder and range him) I drew back...him starring at me..took a deep breath, put my 30 yrd pin on him....and launched the arrow....a string form that damn ground blind got caught up in my bow string.. and my arrow flew 10 yards and straight into the dirt. I COULDNT BELIEVE IT. I literally cried. Set my bow down and cried. He was the kin dof deer people pay big money to shoot on ranches. NEEDLESS to say....if anyone needs a new pop-up blind you can find it on ebay listed under Hunting gear. I cried and poor Eric felt horrible for me...then proceeded to tell me "you know he was a record book buck". He really knows how to make someone feel better. WELL... the season is just starting out and I WONT BE SKUNKED...YOU JUST WAIT.....

HUNTING SEASON...FINALLLLLY

2008-08-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

WELL, ITS FINALLY HERE!
OUR DEER SEASON OPENS UP ON LABOR DAY (MONDAY)
ERIC AND I ARE LEAVING ON SUNDAY OF THIS WEEKEND TO HEAD TO OUR SPECIAL SPOT..AKA DEER ALLEY.
GAVIN IS GOING CAMPING FOR THE WEEKEND AND BOATING WITH THE OUR BUDDIES, AND KODI WILL BE WITH HIS MOTHER. WISH US LUCK............ THE FREEZER IS GETTING LOW.
MAYBE WITH A LITTLE LUCK I MAY GET MY FIRST BUCK....BUT I WILL SETTLE FOR A DOE.
WILL UPDATE NEXT WEEK AND PROBABLY HAVE SOME PICTURES TO SHARE!

I'll Take one of those please!!!!!

2008-08-18T12:07:00.001-07:00

Check out the HUGE buck we caught on our way out of town early......

Do they even have those here?????

He would look much better on our wall then on the side of the road!

The Boys discover the Ocean

2008-08-18T11:25:00.000-07:00

MINATURE GOLFING IN OCEAN SHORES

LOVE IS IN THE SAND.........................

GAVIN SKIMMING

The boys got to experience the Ocean for the first time!!! Welllllll.. they actually had both been their when they were very young(to young to remember).

We had a BLAST!!!!!! I think my favorite part was combing the beach for cool shells and sand dollars. The boys found some neat things, and had a great time doing it. The weather wasn't the greatest...a high of 57 with tons of fog. We drove around a bit to different beaches, when we were at the main beach their was a group of teenage boys doing something they called skimming on the surf. OF COURSE Gavin saw them do it and had to try it! We went back into town and bought the boys a skimming board at one of the local shops. NOW, anyone that knows Gavin knows how he thinks he is ALWAYS right and can do anything that anyone can do...ONLY BETTER. So, not wanting any advice from Eric or I he got out into the shallow surf....threw the board down like the teenagers were doing....ran.....jumped on it.......AND fell FACE FIRST into the PACIFIC OCEAN!!!! Eric and I were laughing so hard. HE just thought he knew what he was doing and that was that. After falling into the freezing salt water with it only 50-something outside..he finally wanted a little advice!!!! hahahahahah. Kodi also tried skimming, and he too found him self in the water!! It was so fun to watch them and after awhile they had figured it out...to an extent. We also went through Ocean Shores famous miniature golf course....I SUCKED...and Kodi just liked hitting the ball..and yeah...of course Gavin and Eric had to compete tooth and nail to beat one another!! And I guess I should mention that Eric won....he was so proud he kept the score card. (why???? I dunno so dont ask) All and all we had a great time together, and cant wait to go again next year!

UP IN THE WOODS

2008-08-10T18:02:00.000-07:00

THIS WEEKEND WE SPENT SATURDAY PAINTING THE HOUSE..........HOLY MOLY THAT TAKES ALOT OF WORK. AFTER WORKING SO HARD SATURDAY, ERIC THE BOYS AN I DECIDED TO HEAD UP TO THE WOOD FOR A BIT ON SUNDAY. ONCE AGAIN WE WERE UP SCOUTING AN AREA FOR ELK SEASON. NOT MUCH TO REPORT.... KINDA A BLEAK AREA..NOT MUCH GOING ON...BUT I DO HAVE A PIC OF GAVIN AND KODI STANDING ON A STUMP WHILE CHIPMUNK HUNTING.

More Scouting...and a little hunting.....

2008-08-03T22:47:00.000-07:00

Well... I guess I can't complain to much about it being August already.. the one GOOOOOOD thing about it is that does mean elk and deer season is just around the corner. Tonight Eric and I headed up again to the Rim-Rock area looking for Yogi.
If you are someone who reads our blog regularly...(or as regular as I post...hehehehe) you will know what I'm talking about. Eric and I stumbled across the most Gi-Normous (is that even a word???) Bear track... ya know the pic of the one with the bullet in it. Anyhow... with August 1st in Washington also comes Bear season. I know some of you think we are crazy... and some of you that read this are as goofy as Eric and I with hunting....anyhow, we went in search of Yogi..... And as our luck would have it.. no Bears. Eric climbed a big hillside where he came within 300-some yards of A nice young bull elk (4x4) . It was up a pretty nasty hill side, that was very thick.. I stayed down low and glassed the hillside for Yogi..or anything else cool why he wandered away. I stayed near the truck, with my talk-about on..waiting for Eric to tell me he saw the Bear...but it had been about 30 minutes..and NO ERIC...and of course he wouldn't answer. ....this just puts me in panic mode... I don't worry that something will get him...cuz this is Eric we are talking about... and I don't worry he would get lost, he could find his way out of anything..but ya never know, we all have accidents, and I worry he could trip and break something... then I would never get his butt out of their. Finally he answers me in a whisper..... that was when he told me he was on the elk.... sheeeeez... we ARE BEAR HUNTING Mr. Voss......lol that boy.... he would have sat and watched that bull till dark if he could have!!! I told him i was worried.. and he just rolled his eyes..now.. I bet him mom is gonna read this at some point... and I know she will have my back on this one!!!! HAHAHAHAHA Take that Eric!! No, no seriously I just worry I couldn't help him if he hurt himself. All in all we had a fun time in the Mountains..once again got to see cool stuff....but still aren't sure where Yogi was at today, and still Hiiiiiimmmmming and Hawing on where we will set up for early elk.

what?????.. AUGUST Alllllllready?????

2008-08-02T22:02:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh..... I can't believe that we are finding ourselves turning the calendar page already!!! It's hard to believe that July has passed us by!!!

So... looks like I have slacked a bit on my posts..let me catch ya all up to speed!! We just got back from a very adventurous 5 day camping trip! I say adventurous for a couple reasons...1) Hunter Shilley. 2) Jayden Shilley...oh yeah then their is Hailey, Ashlee Gavin and Kodi....... we went into Idaho...about 8 hrs from good old glorious Yakima ( yeah right we couldn't wait to get the F*** out of dodge) Eric Myself and the boys.... Mom and Dad, My niece and nephew (Kevin's kids) and Ryan and Kim with their two Jayden and Ashlee.

We spent the week fishing the river, riding four wheelers, playing in the river and enjoying being together....

You can only imagine how crazy it was around camp with one 10 month old, two 3 yr olds one 5 year old, one 8 year old and one 11 year old!!! It really was a blast. We had lots of fun fishing the river... I kept telling Eric that their is some big fish in the river... i mean like 30-40lb Chinooks.... well he finally believed me...he saw two MONSTERS a good 20 lbs... came back to camp, and he and I high tailed it up River to the hole with our Salmon rigs. No such luck... I came close.. had one follow it up to the top.. Bump it.. but then it was gone. Ya know.. you would think that man would believe me at some point when I tell him these things... after all I do manage to kick his butt when it comes to fishing. SoOOOOOOO all of the fun stuff we did ...and didn't take crap-ola for pics! Eric , Kodi and I came home early with my niece, while Gavin stayed with Grandma and Grandpa. I did manage to take a pic of Kodi and cousin Hailey playing xbox one day she was here!

YEhhhhhhhh Football has started

2008-07-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

Well, it's that time of year again....FOOTBALL SEASON!!! YIPPPPPEEEEE
Football is by far, one of my favorite sports to watch Gav play...same with Eric.
This year Kodi is going to try playing as well. We have our hesitations... he is 8 yrs old, and our lover, not our fighter. He is not very in shape for his age..and is finding that the running just plain SUCKS!!! All of that aside, he seems to love it. We are happy that he is enjoying it thus far.... he will have a better idea if he likes it or not after a month of heavy conditioning. We are proud of him for giving it his all. And then their is Gavin.... their isn't a sport, or a position that he can't do...and its a blast to watch him. I will try to post some pics as they get into the season a bit.

What are we to do???????

2008-07-13T15:06:00.000-07:00

Go to this link to see what a silver fox looks like
www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/.../silver_fox.jpg

Wellllllllllllllllllll we have NO KIDS this weekend.
Kodi is at his mom's (poor kid) and Gavin is with a friend for the weekend.
Its nice to have a weekend to ourselves, but what are we to do???? SCOUT ELK...of course!!!!
Eric and I took a nice 5 hrs yesterday and got the opportunity to scout some new area, and see some cool stuff!! Got on several head of elk....(right were we knew they would be..once again I could tell ya but Id have to kill ya!!) Then at about 9 o'clock we were heading out of the woods....when a black/gray dog ran across the front of the truck, and down the enbakement.... it was a SILVER FOX!! Eric knew right away what it was...took me a minute. That was one of the coolest thing by far we have seen while out in the woods. A silver fox is the same thing as Red Fox (which both of us have ever seen only once or twice) only its different due to its coloring. (we know this after googling it)And of course neither of the boys got to see it...bummer deal. Another first Eric and I had together!!! I have friends that only wish they could have a relatinship like mine and Eric's..we are so lucky that we found each other, its not very often you find someone who has the same interests and loves in life............while one or two of you say "My wife doesn't have to do everything I do" 99% of our friends envy the closeness and the relationship we have.....and this was one of those times that we got to see something special and rare together and will never forget it!!

2008-07-11T13:42:00.000-07:00

Myspace Comments @ DazzleJunction.com

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BIG BOY GAVIN BRADLEY

Scouting

2008-07-07T14:23:00.000-07:00

Eric and I headed up on Saturday evening to scout some of our elk areas. Anyone who knows me, knows that this is one of my very FAVORITE things to do prior to elk season. We got up into some High Country, and found some area we hadn't ever been into before.... and all I can say is..IT WAS AWESOME. We stumbled across a bear track that no kidding.... the pad alone was about 4 inches wide(in case ya don't know.... that is one BIG bear) You can see a picture of it here, where Eric placed one of his Bullets in it showing you just how big the track is. Neither Eric or I have ever got the chance to shoot a Bear so we were pretty jacked to see this. We would love to get one. Also crossed over quite a few cow elk with calves.. in our same usual place we see them....( if I posted where it was Id be dumb...LOL) Also two large bucks in full velvet a smaller one and his BIG brother that was a solid 5x5 that was enormous. Anyhow, was a lot of fun, and was a good time just Eric and I. We both have the itch for Hunting season!!!

4Th oF JuLy CaMpInG

2008-07-06T23:34:00.000-07:00

Gavin, Austin and Princess D Loungin at camp in the tube

Gavin and Kodi on the inner-tube

Kodi and Austin Building a home for their freshwater clams and crawdads

Gavin and his buddy Shane with their squirt guns after a ride on the inner tube WOW What an awesome weekend us and the boys had!!! We headed out early Friday morning (4th of july) for some fun camping and boating...when we got up it was thunder and lightening outside. YUCK.....but as we got into our day the clouds burned off, and out came the sunshine. We were so lucky to go with our GOOD friends Mike and Christy who we just luuuuuuuv, and they spoiled the boys all day with innertubing and boat rides. Some of Christy's friends also met us at the beach, and they brought their Jet skis- they were so kind and let everyone ride.......the boys had a blast!!! The boys got to do just about everything, and Kodi was sooooo fascinated with the Fresh water clams and the crawdads. After a hard day boating and playing we headed to camp and hung out by the camp fire, eating burgers and hot dogs, and the kids made some smores.
I got wayyy to much sun and didn't feel so hot, so on saturday Eric and I headed home and Mike and Christy, the sweet people they are, kept our boys so they could boat all day Saturday. Eric and I came home and rested for a bit and took a trip to the mountains to scout(more on that in another post) Anyhow, all and all we had a awesome time...and so did Gavin and Kodi. Thanks so much Mike and Christy for hangin with us and being so good to our boys!

2008-07-03T15:54:00.000-07:00

PINKY IS READY FOR THE FOURTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting ready for 4th of July camping

2008-07-03T15:34:00.000-07:00

The boys taking a break in the sprinkler from packing!!!!!

Yeeeee its finally the weekend..well, almost!
Eric was home early today and we are getting the trailer ready, and things packed to go camping this weekend. We are heading to fish hook, which is on the snake river in the Tri-cities. We are going with some friends of ours, and they are bringing their ski boat. The boys are gonna tube, swim, and play on the beach. Should be lots of fun. It's supposed to be 95 tomorrow, so great weather too!
Tomorrow night we are gonna watch the big fireworks display they put on on the lake. Then Saturday more boating and playing.

Hoopfest weekend is over!!!!

2008-06-30T16:52:00.000-07:00

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Well.... Hoopfest is allllllllllllll done.
It was the hottest hoop fest ever! They had a total of 6,830 teams take part. Gav and his team played their hearts out, but were eliminated after 3 games. It's definitely fun to watch...but as a mom kinda hard too. The rules are a bit different as its considered street ball. You can imagine how rough it is. All of the boys were scratched up, and one time Gav fell face first on the asphalt....luckily he had all of his teeth still. We will for sure be doing it again next year, and one thing we will be hoping for is temps below 90 degrees!!!!!
Kodi went with us, He had fun for a short time, but it soon became so hot and unbareable that he was miserble. Lucky for him Grandma and Grandpa were down town to watch the first game and he was quick to leave and head home with them. He had a good day being spoiled by grandma and grandpa ALL BY HIMSELF!!!!!!
So the Yakima Super Ballers didn't win their bracket but they played like they should have! Way to go boys! We are proud of you all!!!!!!!!!

Getting Ready for Hoopfest

2008-06-27T16:37:00.000-07:00

This is the BIG Hoopfest weekend coming up!!
It is the biggest 3 on 3 tournament in the world..and guess who will be participating...(it sure isn't me)
Yep G !!
He is playing with boys from his Elite Basketball team. Their team name is "Yakima Super Ballers"
We will see how they do, as they will be competeing against some good kids.
I will post more next week and I will have some good pics as well!!! Untill then..seeeeeee ya!

Pinky and the Brain

2008-06-25T16:40:00.000-07:00

Do you all know Pinky?

She is my new baby girl. Actually we have had her a couple months now. She is a mini Chihuahua ........

and the most spoiled thing in the house....(well if you ask Eric...she has close competition with her mamma)

She loves to ride in the car/truck everywhere we go, and Eric swears she has more clothes then he does!!

And you can;t forget her two brothers..she just runs allllll over Gav and Kodi!

Hunting season is coming up!!!!!!

2008-06-18T12:45:00.000-07:00

Well, today is June 18th and its the day our special permits have to be in. Iam soooooooooooooooexcited I have 5 points heading into this years Branched Antler tag for elk!! Yippppeeeeeee Hopefully this will be the year I finally get drawn! Eric has been drawn two years in a row..lucky duck. We were out shooting our bows today and got them all dialed in... its a good feeling when you can go and shoot after a long time down, and shoot a tight group! Keep your fingers crossed for us that this is an eventfull year hunting.... the freezers are getting low! Last year we got 5 deer...how can our freezeres be low???? Oh yeah... Gavin eats 8 tacos at a time!!!
ON THE COUNT DOWN TILL SPETEMBER

(see my deer skin from one of the deer i shot last year..it was so pretty Eric had a rug made for me)

Busy Summer

2008-06-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

Summer at our house is off to a fast start!

The boys are going going going constantly....From the minute they get up till 930 at night they are busy boys! The last week we spent 3 days at the pool, and one day you would think I had my own babysitting service! We had 6 boys in our little-tiny house! They ran, played air-soft wars and then we hit the pool. We got home from the pool and I think I was in bed by 7..they had burnt me out..WHAT WAS I THINKING??????????????????????????????? All in all....They were all very good boys!!

(NO GAVIN ISNT FLIPPING THE CAMERA OFF..IT JUST LOOKS THAT WAY!!)

Post.Post.Post

2008-05-15T13:13:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!!

What a busy busy month we have had already. I finally cleared out all super old posts, i have been so busy it seems..will try to be better about posting!

As most of your know, Gavin had another ear surgery, and is well on his way recovering.

Kodi and Gavin are going full speed with baseball, and Gavin is still in his spring AAU basketball league. So between baseball, basketball, getting back on our feet after surgery, and Eric running frantic with his job, are house is going its usual 20 directions at one time!!!!

The BEST of the WORST

2008-05-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

Ok....soooooooo I would like to say I spent my mothers day, lounging in my jammies, and being waited on hand and foot....But c'mon whos house are we talking about here?
We spent majority of the day at the baseball fields. The boys had a Mothers Day tourny this week, and Sunday was the final game. They did great, and I was one proud mamma (and Eric of course who you can hear in the dug-out from the parking lot) and Eric a proud pappa-bear!!! They ended up winning the tournament for their bracket!!! Their team has struggled and sadly is in last place in the league, so in the tourny they were in the lowest bracket, but like Gavin and Kodi said.. "We are the best of the worst"..........and that is something to be proud of, without a doubt!! I will post more pics of them with trophies as soon as we get them!

~~DAY BY DAY~~