Happy Holidays

We had a great snow storm a few weeks ago and that just dumped on us...we loved it. It feels so good to be back to country that reminds me of my childhood. I love the silence of the snow and how peaceful everything seems when it is covered in white.

I also love the holiday spirit that everyone feels. The music that we play that testifies of Christ's birth, the thoughts of service and the focus of the gift that God gave to us makes it just the most special time of year for me. They kids are infused with excitement because of Santa and are constantly wanting to know how many more days. I really try to be patient because I know I did the exact thing to my parents growing up.

We stayed home for Thanksgiving and just had a fun little day with ourselves. We ate good, minus the few mess-ups, and had a sweet little testimony/thankful session that really made it feel good to be with each other.

The next day we went to Idaho to eat my parents left overs and to get the extended family time in too. It was fun!

Here is my beautiful mom with my adorable little girl.

It is so ironic the full circle of life. I am now going through what I put my mom through growing up and she gets to watch.

We had a little get together with my Aunt, Paul and Shana. Shana hosted it and the party was very fun.

We played games, ate, Shana and my Aunt K tried to show me how to knit and then we got into politics. I loved all of it. I usually will leave a place way before my kids get tired just in case of a melt down. This night we stayed until almost all of them were passed out. It was fun.

Its Good to be me Today!

Why you might ask?

Well, two very exciting things happened the past two days. The first being that Cole went up in Sacrament meeting, on his own accord, and bore his testimony! I was so proud of him. We have testimony times at home to get the kids to understand what it is and what it is not. (My definition of testimony = It is not a travel log, not a time for telling random jokes, no life history please. It is a time for declaring what you know to be true and how your belief has increased because you are applying your faith in Jesus Christ by keeping His commandments.) So you can imagine how happy I was to see him so eager to get up and do it for the first time. You could tell he was nervous.. I think I saw him pick his nose for a minute too, but he did great. He got up there and proclaimed his faith in Christ and said some other things I couldn't make out because he was talking so fast, but I was sure happy with him!

The second exciting thing...I got a job working for the school board out here! I am super excited and it does not take me away from my family. I attend a meeting once a month and then do clerical duties here at home. I am very happy for two reasons with this...the first is that it has a little money with it (and that is always welcome this way) and the second is that I am completely interested in the education system and how it works. The people that I will be rubbing shoulders with are AMAZING women and I look forward to learning a lot of great things.

And to conclude this post I want to update and state publicly that I kicked my caffeine/energy drink addiction. I got off it a few weeks after I posted about it. All I have to say about overcoming and facing obstacles in life.. all you need is a plan and the Lord involved and ANYTHING can happen! (Please remind me I wrote this when I call one of you crying and complaining about a challenge I have.)

Life is good and I am blessed!

PEACE in being PREPARED

For those that know me they know I am a little passionate about being prepared and unfortunately (or fortunately, I am not sure yet) I have gotten even more passionate of late. All indications of a smooth ride into the future are lacking right now...for me I see massive storm fronts taking shape and ready to smash into our calm shores of life. If ever I start to doubt my own internal alarm sounding my mind reminds me of what our prophets have said in the past. Here are a few oldie but goodies that come to mind:

1. "The Lord has warned us of famines, but the righteous will have listened to the prophet and stored at least a year's supply of survival food..."
Ezra Taft Benson

2. "The time will come that gold will hold no comparison in value to a bushel of wheat."
Brigham Young

3. "The revelation to produce and store food may be as essential to our temporal welfare today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah."
Ezra Taft Benson

4. "We will see the day when we will live on what we produce."
President Marion G. Romney

And a positive one

5. "We believe that seldom do circumstances arise in which men of rigorous FAITH, genuine COURAGE, and unfaltering DETERMINATION, with the LOVE of INDEPENDENCE burning in their hearts, and pride in their own accomplishments, cannot surmount the obstacles that lie in their paths. "
(Conference Report April 1948, pg.5)

I believe with everything in me that the time to prepare is NOW and not just temporal preparedness but Spiritual Preparedness too. What good does it do us to have the "things" and "stuff" to sustain us but not know what the Lord would have us do or know.

For those who are not actively preparing I would implore you to begin without any more delay. If you have to get up early to read your scriptures because there are to many distractions once you get up, then do it! If you haven't started supplying your family with the things that will keep you alive and not on the streets begging then start even if that means cutting into Christmas or whatever else you put above preparing.

There is safety in keeping the commandments and peace that comes to me when I do it and I want that for all I love and care about.

Halloween 2010

This year for our Halloween festivities we went to our new ward's Trunk or Treat. It was pretty fun, even if it was raining on us.

We went to the Zeller's place and the kids had a lot of fun, especially Cole. He is not afraid to go off by himself now. Carson stuck very close to us. I don't think he was sure of some of the costumes we saw.

Morgan was so fun to dress up and watch walk around and say trick or treat.

After we made the rounds we went and got some pizza and movies and finished our celebrations at home. It was fun.

These last two pictures have nothing to do with Halloween but I wanted to add them because they are so sweet of the kids. Carson is just the cutest little sleeper I have ever seen. The dog he is squeezing is Bone his new puppy.

FHE Success Story

Family Home Evening can either go two ways in our house.

Either we (Michael and I) are able to be patient and persever while we try and teach the kids important life lessons and spiritual realites while they poke each other, wiggle around and basically show no interest in what we have prepared OR we are able to present a topic that grabs their attention and they sit and listen.

Not only do they listen but it seems that the information was internalized....at least for the evening.

This was just that sort of night!

The lesson came from a wonderful site that Lindsey sent to me. (Thank you I LOVE it!) It was on being strong and not letting the advesary hit us with his arrows of tempation. The kids really enjoyed and so did I!

The activity at the end was just as fun as the lesson. I don't think there is anything more fun in life than to laugh and feel the Spirit with those that you love more than life!

I love my sweet little family in spite of the many times that I want to strangle them. So when we have moments like these I want to cherish them and remember them.

VOTE TODAY

“We believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; and that he holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them, both in making laws and administering them, for the good and safety of society. … such as will administer the law in equity and justice should be sought for and upheld by the voice of the people. …” (D&C 134:1, 3.)

I hope the voice of the people turn out today. I hope that the voice of the people will be for saving our Republic. God instituted this incredible opportunity for us to be heard and have a voice. Please use your voice today and be heard!

My 1st Grader

Here is Cole on one of his first days of school. He looks so handsome and SOOO old to me! Cole is a super sharp kid and is doing really good in school. I admire his desire to learn and his ability to catch on so quickly!

It is strange that he is gone all day now. I love the break but it is sad that for a substantial amount of the day my six year old is out of my control. It makes it easier that he likes it and is doing so well but at the same time it's dreamlike how fast time is going. On one hand I appreciate the speed but on the other it is sad that baby days are gone for good with him.

I look at this picture and hope so much for his future and the young man that he will become. My hopes are so high for him, and all the kids actually, and I realize my role as mother, and how crucial I am in teaching and modeling the correct behaviors for these little people! Overwhelming to think that these beautiful little creatures have been entrusted in my care. I am thankful they are mine for a time.

Isn't it ironic?

Getting the ground all prepped to plant grass seed. Beautiful isn't it?

Heartbreaking but getting through it.


Just another picture of what it looked liked all tilled and ready to go.
O-well, right? Again I am thankful for my gospel perspective on life. I believe we are not here to get what we want when we want it, although it is very nice when that happens. We are here to be tested and pushed to see how we will behave when the heat is on. I have to say I think I did pretty good with this one. I give myself a 89%.

No grass this year. We will need to till again, and buy all the material again and that will not be happening after the bill we will be getting soon!


On a more fun note this is our chicken coop. (I need to still paint the trim white.) Mike did a great job with this.


We have 16 hens and 1 rooster and I love them! We added 11 full grown ones a few weeks ago. They are not laying consistently yet because of the move..but will be soon I hope. We are getting a couple eggs a day.

Opposition in All Things

Today started out very exciting! We got the ground all tilled and leveled for planting grass seed. We laid down all the starter fertilizer, seed, and peat moss and then Mike noticed a huge wet spot in our existing grass area. He started digging and noticed that water kept coming up!

WE HAVE A BROKEN PIPE FROM OUR WELL TO OUR HOUSE!!!!

And that's just the beginning of it. We attempted to solve it on our own and quickly noticed that it was beyond our skills, I guess I should say Mikes. (I was just watching.)

So we have an excavator come over and he tells us that whoever did our pipe was either a dumby or it was a homeowner that didn't know what they were doing. Needless to say we are all dirty and have no way of showering, flushing the toilet, and drinking water, ect. And this is going to be a very expensive fix.

Life...it really is a bummer sometimes, but I guess it needs to be that way so when things are smooth you really appreciate and savor those good times.

I LOVE my Calling!

I love the church and having opportunities to serve. Granted some callings to serve are not always as welcome as others, but I truly love to serve and help in my community and ward. I don't think I would be who I am now if I had not had all the callings I have had. So I am truly grateful for the blessings I have been given through serving Him.

In some of those calling situations my heart wasn't in it, at first, and I had to get in and start working to start enjoying them more. In my current calling that is not the case at all. I am the emergency preparedness coordinator for our ward and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. Not only do I get to talk about preparedness and try and get other people fired up about it, I get to learn more about it myself. What a dream! I am going to get CERT trained and everything.

Is this what I dreamed of becoming when I was a little girl...all crazy about preparedness? No, but I am past feeling weird about being a nut job because it brings me peace in this crazy world!

Fall Time

There is something special about fall time for me. I love the smells, the feel in the air and the beauty of the changing seasons. Its so nice to be able to enjoy this time of year now that we are really getting settled here.

This time last year we were in high gear with moving and renting and all that stress. I am so glad that time has past.


We are just about ready to put the garden to bed. Mike went out with the kids this evening and came in with this bounty! I am amazed at how good my tomatoes are...I guess the trick really is just lightening up about gardening and not taking it so serious.

Its amazing to see what started as almost nothing became such a beautiful piece of fruit. I am thankful for a kind and generous Heavenly Father who not only blesses me with food but with real life lessons to be drawn from the garden.

I was amazed to find out there is a little apple orchard out here. This was at Carson's preschool field trip. This lady's property was really pretty. She had a huge green house, ducks and a massive garden. It was fun to see and the kids all loved it. (One day my apple trees will look like that!)

I Have a Problem

Hi, my name is Cylee and I am a caffeine addict (among other things). Ya, I am and not just a little pop here and there either! I am talking full blown I am drinking energy drinks!! Pathetic? Yes!

I am airing my dirty laundry because this has been going on now for over a year. (It started accidentally too!) Is this a big deal to some people? No, in fact some may find this laughable. However, to me I know it is a problem for these reasons:

1. I know it is bad for my body..there is research on this stuff. (I am in my 30 's now and should be more healthy with my one and only body.)

2. It has messed up my sleeping schedule. I am going to bed way later.

3. I used to read my scriptures in the morning but now I have no desire to
because I always want to be busy moving around. (There is a huge indication right there that its bad!)

4. And I feel GUILTY!

So all the signs for change are there...will I heed and overcome or will I persist in this naughty behavior? I will overcome! It's just a matter of when am I going to start?!


Just Say No To Caffeine!

Fernley Visit

HOME SWEET HOME

It is amazing to me how attached I got to this place. The appeal was not in its beauty, but the people are what made me love this place. They truly did become family to us and I will remember them always. So when we finally saw this exit sign Friday I was so excited! It felt like home.

We joke with the Chapman's that Olivia and Cole will marry one day so we can truly become family...if things keep up between these two that might just happen. (Olivia he is going on a mission don't worry!) I wanted to use a better picture of Cole but this is the best one I had...he looks a little questionable in this...like he is a little player.


After we got situated at our hotel we went and hung out at Jaine's house. It was sooo fun to see how the kids had changed and to watch them interact with each other. Here Reece is doing damage control because they had a little skiff and Morgan got upset.

It didn't take her long to warm back up to little Reece!


Tressa is so great she had a little party at her house so we could all hang out. It was so fun. The kids (all 20 + of them!) had a great time! I can't express how happy it made me to see all the kids playing together again. Super fun Tressa thank you so much! And of course you have to have a group shot of all us women!

I was not about to try and get the men to pose so I thought this would have to do. We are missing Trevor in this picture though dang it!

Carson was in heaven..eating Popsicles, jumping on the tramp with all the girls and just having fun!

Morgan was so good there. She didn't fuss all night.

Here is the man himself....Mr. Shane Chapman.

These ladies are so fun. There is never any dull conversation when these guys are around!

This is the best picture I had of Janie and I. She truly is a fabulous woman and I consider her my sister. Her testimony is so strong and she is such an example to me. Thank you Janie for letting us stay with you!!

Mike and Nathan hanging out...I know Mike was really happy to see his friends again. We decided that we will have to make this trip again in the future.

Lots Going On!

I hate it when I don't keep up with blogging because when I finally do its such a huge job! (Too overwhelming and its hard to keep pictures organized.) The pictures are a little out of order but o-well here we go. I will persevere in the name of family history!

RANDOM SHOTS

These two are pretty cute together. I love how he has his arm around her. The boys for the most part are really good to her.


These babies came straight from my garden in one picking! I went overboard with tomatoes this year and feel a little successful with them. I was (and still am) able to go out everyday and get a handful of these. I had some problems with the big ones splitting but that's about all.


Mo and me getting ready to go to Uncle TJ's house to play.


Carson and I looking at each other very lovingly. Carson is a good boy he is going to make some girl one day very happy.


Here is the little man on his first day of preschool. He was, and still is, pretty excited about school. We got him into a cute little place really close to the house. I am excited about all the fun things he will be doing.


Here he is outside of Miss. Reine's house.


This is his little class and teacher coming out so we can pick him up.


This is a very beautiful thing going on in this picture. We have had 5 chickens and 1 rooster roaming around our backyard for awhile now. Can I just say crap was everywhere! They roosted on our porch so when we came out there would be all this poop right where we needed to walk. Well, Michael heard my crys and came to the rescue. Brandon and Mike are working on our new (huge) chicken coop...its almost done!

My baby girl turned two on Sunday! Is she not the sweetest thing? She is a joy to have in our home! We would not be complete with out her.


We have three horses now. One is ours and two we board. This is Bradon's 4 year old horse. He is always so sweet to the kids and takes them on rides.

For Mike growing up a city boy he has sure adjusted to living in the country for the years. He loves his horse and enjoys riding. It makes me happy to see him so happy!

This is Lily. This is the female horse that has caused a lot of drama between all the horses. I never realized how much personality horses have. She is concerned in this picture cuz Mike is taking her boyfriend away. The whole time he rides Yancy she will sit and cry after him. It is fascinating to watch.

Little Morgan walking all the way out to the corral in the back. She is a little trooper.

Here is Morgan's first day of school. I have decided to have one on one teaching time with her the days Carson goes to preschool. I can tell already she is going to excell just like the other boys. She likes to work on her alaphbet already!

So here is my new hair do. I totally went drastic. Mike and I had our 8th anniversay a few weeks back so I thought it would be fun to send him on a treasure hunt and at the end when he saw me I would be totally different. (I wanted to spice things up a bit.) Well, I got the reaction I wanted... he was totally surprised. Gone are the days of putting so much time into how I look. Granted I think I look better blonde but #1 my hair grows out dark too fast #2 I don't want to have to fork over the doe to keep up with it and #3 when its longer I have to put so much time and effort into it.

Here is Morgan playing with one of her new birthday toys. (Thank you family for the b-day money we got her some good toys that she loved.)

Mike and Yancy.