Spring weather, what the...

Snow, today?  Really????  Its the end of March!

Testing out the new rain boots...we came home to so much water and mud I got on the Internet and ordered the kids the cutest little rain boots right away. I got tired of them soaking their tennis shoes 2 minutes after being outside. For the kids, the best part of being outside is playing with the cats, feeding the cats (they are really FAT) and sitting on the 4 wheeler while we clean stalls.

Has put the cat in the food bin

Mud & straw on the new purple boots!

Cuddle Bugs chillin' on a Sunday afternoon

What else have the Jone'ies been up to?  Its been crumby spring weather, so not a lot of outside time this week, Sold a couple horses, bought a horse, I guess we've been busy that way.  Other than that, just busy with work.  Oh, Coby finally got moved to the Brigham Temple so he's only working 15 minutes from home, and that is really nice.  Guess that's it for now!

Back To Real Life

Arizona has and came and went for us.  What a fun time in the sun!  This year Coby was able to come down with us so we got our first family vacation in a long while.  Three weeks of fun!  He and I did a lot of driving between Phoenix and Tucson (for the rodeo) so we got to catch up on all the lost time for him working out of town this winter.  I use the term winter in the past tense now, as far as I'm concerned, it is OVER!

I love how you get a little perspective after being gone.  I always seem to come back with a new idea or direction, it seems like you just can't get that living in your same world every day.  Maybe that's the deeper side to 'Getting out of the box'.  Stress...I just seem to forget the little stuff that was worrying me.  I'm so thankful everyday that I only have little stuff, not big stuff to stress. 

Mexican food...I ate it almost everyday, to the tune of a few well-worth-it pounds gained.  I call it 'Shopping and Lunch' and its one of my very most favoritest things in this whole world!  That could go on my headstone, 'R.I.P. she's out lunch'.

Being a rodeo kid SO rocks!  Mom dresses you up real cute, takes you where there are lots of people, it smells like corndogs and cotton candy, and you get to play in the dirt all day!






Its way fun to watch with the other kids who's dad's are in the rodeo

 

Saddle sore...We rode and rode that desert, so simple, but so enjoyable.  Jackpots...went to a handful and tried to shake the dust off, its been a while.  Horses performed pretty dang good.

Grandma--so much help and so good to the kiddies, I love our visits so much!  Taya said 'I Love You' for the first time, not to mom, not to dad, but to Grandma!  She has not said it since.  hummmmmm....

Outside--Teague & Taya could NOT get enough of going outside and playing.  They never touched a cactus, there must be some primal instinct as homo sapiens to not touch weird sharp looking objects.  AND...the highlight of their trip was: 

They could not get enough of the Mule.  Hands down, the best babysitter yet!  At every opportunity, they were on this thing, even if it was just sitting in the garage.  And it didn't matter who started it up--they came running to catch a ride!

I LEARNED...there is actually a 'trash' cactus that JUMPS at you.  Beware to not get close.  It is a very mean plant.  It didn't get me thank goodness.

It was hard to leave AZ...but we are settle back in at home and I'm just about caught up from being gone.  Oh, who am I kidding?  There is no such thing these days as being caught up!  There is always a little something that needs done.  But, I probably wouldn't have it any other way.  Good thing I thrive on having a lot of irons in the fire!


And now we are back to real life...I guess they didn't want my beautiful 5 ft tall vase (pronouced voss since it was one of the few elegant things I have I mean had in our house) there anymore...

Faith is the key to all miracles...

Words I've clung to at times in my life.  Maybe you need to hear them today.


Let's see, week in review, actually 2 weeks in review.  What have the Jones' been up to.  Well, this Jones went to a nice women's conference last weekend, TOFW, Deseret Book's Time Out For Women.  It is pretty cool, my mother-in-law, Jami & sister-in-law, Amanda went.  Its inspirational speakers and LDS music performers.  What did I learn?  1.  That so many others face such bigger challenges in this life than me 2.  That being a mom is a big job and everyone gets overwhelmed with it at times  3.  Not all blessings come in this life.  4.  Jesus doesn't care how many trophies we win, don't be too competitive over things that don't matter.  I recommend going to one of their tours if you haven't.  They are all across the country now.

I fought the vacuum and the vacuum won.  So, I had half the house done, and the belt broke.  Of course, I couldn't get the new belt on.  I'm sitting on the floor, cussing at the vacuum, both kids right there "helping".  Taya stands up and turns around and puts her little arms around me and pats my back, like 'mama, its ok'.  So, dang cute!  It was so precious, it was a neat mommy moment that she is getting big enough to comfort me.  Funny, the belt went right on after that!  (No, the rest of house isn't vacuumed yet, and now I need to start over again!)

Coby is still freezing out of town in Wyoming.  I'm sure I wouldn't have lasted.  -50 below.  I mean really?  Who can work in temperatures like that?  He's tough is all I can say.  Here we come Arizona!

I've been quite busy with my work these past couple weeks.  Makes the cold winter days go by fassstttt!

As I write this my kids just ran into the room, Teague chasing Taya because she has a toy he wants.  Yes, they are both screaming, yes he tackles her to the ground, yes, I better go!

New Stuff Fun Stuff

Sometimes don't think its easy too be too serious about life?  I mean, its so easy to NOT be carefree & fun when you are 35 (middle aged for some), with kids, a mortgage and a constant nag of making your money stretch far enough, working enough hours, cleaning the house enough, it goes on and on.  Its like, one day you wake up and realize your not FUN anymore.  You are responsible.  You are pulled together.  You are caught up.  But, you aren't...fun.  I've been there, I am there, sometimes I wonder where the heck "I" went.  I guess I've just got too caught up in the serious stuff and need to sometimes just relax and be fun.  I used to be fun, I just feel like I'm in that middle-aged funk that is easy to get trapped in.  But, I'm going to work to NOT stay stuck in it.  I think its really more a matter of perception than anything.  Change your perception, change your attitude.  We'll see how it goes...

Anyways, enough of that.  Things we are practicing and learning:



Brushing the toofie's



                                                                           



"petting" the kitty





Climbing on any and everything...



 But, sometimes things just stop us right in our tracks...

 Like Elmo, or a groovin' song on the tv.  Sometimes you stop everything to watch, or do a little dance.  And, after a full day of fun, its nice to go fishin' in the tub for a little r & r and get ready for a good night's rest...

They seem to know how to have fun, maybe they are a good example to follow!

The Sun Shineth

Oh, its so warm and nice today, I was able to take to kiddies outside for a 4-wheeler ride and some puddle jumping.  JANUARY THAW!  Then they were ready for a warm milk and a nap.  They are so happy!

This week Coby is working out of town in Wyoming, and is NOT happy about it.  We hope its only a week or two.

I got a kick out of Taya at church yesterday.  Coby had her in Priesthood and she took off and found her way down the hallways to the Relief Society room to find me, she just comes in and sits down and starts playing by me and Teague.  She is smart and not scared to be alone.  She knows what she wants to do and heads that direction.  At church, its ok, at the mall, not so good.  Grandma South can't believe how INDEPENDENT she is.  Teague is good to stay close.  Taya, she doesn't need anyone with her!

Saturday was fun, we went to a little bull dogging jackpot and then lunch afterward at the Dude Ranch.  If you've been to Malad, you've probably ate at the famous Dude Ranch.  I think the last time I'd ate there was before Coby and I were married.  I remember going with his family one day.

Its Grammy Jami's BIRTHDAY today.  The significance is this day, 17th, its her day, Coby's day, and the twins day.

MEMORY LANE...I strolled down it this morning cleaning my files out for the year.  I came across a file of momento's, probably junk to anyone else, but special to me.  Things like a copy of the talk Joell & I gave at our Grandpa Sorensen's funeral, birthday cards from my mom & mother-in-law, Valentine's day cards from Coby, some magazines with articles or pictures of us rodeoing and obituaries or funeral programs of people I was once close with.  I hate to say that I have forgot so much about those that are gone.  Its sad that things leave our mind, its good to have things to trigger those memories again.  I probably need to write things down about my dad, that I still remember, so I can teach my kids about him.  There's already so much I've forgotten.  I forgot Grandpa Sorensen liked pineapple shakes and always said, come agane (the way he said 'again' sounded like a-gain) when you'd leave.  And, towards the end of their lives together I walked in on him and grandma sitting in their jazzies watching tv together holding hands.  I forgot until I read my talk how that affected me, seeing how tenderly they loved one another.  Its said too often, but TIME goes by so fast.  That would have been nearly 10 years ago...

1.11.11

PROFOUND...The first week of January...so grey.  Spring will be here before we know it, so I'm trying to enjoy this hard season.  Hard, because its cold and dark.   You don't move as fast, cars are cold when you start them, chores take longer, kids can't go outside.  My windows have ice on them, the INSIDE.  I miss being outside in the dust and dirt.  I'm thankful to get to stay inside a lot.  Unfortunately for Coby he's outside with work a lot.  Good thing he likes the cold.

VISIT...my mom flew up for the week to see us.  We visited family & friends in SF, and did a lot of shopping and lunch.

Teague...is a bookworm. Seriously into books.  They are his favorite toy.  WRECK...at Hobby Lobby he baled out of the shopping cart when we got back out to the truck.  I barely caught him before he hit.  He still got a little scratch and a little fat lip.

Taylee...likes to play a GAME where she covers her ears and I talk with no sound because she can't hear me with her ears covered, then when she uncovers them, she can hear the talking.  You probably have to be there.  I have no idea where she figured it out.

WORDS we say...a lot...ut-oh (self-explanatory in every fashion), mmmmm (when eating something), puppy (refers to cows too), dink (drink), mo, (more), kitty (they see them out the sliding door).

1-1-11 Its A New Year

Its a new year, and I'm making a resolution to get back to blogging, or as you see from my new title JOURNALING. They say you should keep a journal for many reasons, its cathartic (yes, I had to spell check this), it preserves your history (many generations from now my great-great grandkids might want to know what I was thinking), it organizes your thoughts (very helpful), and its something to do during the long, boring winter months.

RIGHT NOW...its soooo cold and snowy, I'm caught up on work & most of the house work, and I'm working on this while the babies sleep.

THE BABIES....aren't really babies anymore. They grow too dang fast. They are little people that do the funniest things. They make messes. They laugh at the silliest stuff. They touch stuff they shouldn't they look at me and say 'no no no'. Those words echo through our house on a regular basis. They take 2 naps a day and sleep 12 hours at night. People think they are tall for their age. They are getting a lot of teeth but they don't have problems with it.

2010...is history. It was a good year. It was filled with parenting and that is a blessing to have in our lives. Lewis died, I'm still super sad over it. We had a garden, a lot of stuff didn't grow and it was pretty weedy. We rode a lot this fall and bought a dun horse that we both really like. One of my best friends got pregnant after being told she couldn't. We bought the kiddies too much stuff for Christmas and vowed to not spend so much next year. We took a lot of rodeo trips but didn't go with each other very much. We had a good year financially and feel blessed since so many around us didn't. We remodeled the kitchen and did a lot of landscaping in the yard. It makes us like our home a lot. We settled into Tremonton, or should I say I settled into Tremonton. I turned 35. The babies turned 1. Coby turned grey. Just a little. We went to church. We sold a couple horses we didn't like. I lost the baby weight. Coby got a new job. Twice. We made new friends. We decided to keep driving the same car and truck. I bottle fed kittens. And now its on to the adventures of 2011...