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!