Let's make a Deal !

 I don't like feet. Feet are gross. All feet. Left foot, Right Foot, feet, feet, feet, I don't like any feet I meet! I know, I'm weird like that. It's nothing personal, I just don't like touching feet.
This presents a problem in our household because Adam loves having his feet rubbed.  Adam's feet crave affection, and I won't touch them. (Unless it's his birthday, or our anniversary, or I "accidentally" gave his favorite old shirt to charity.)
Lucky for Adam, Our children did not inherit my disdain for feet and will gladly rub daddy's feet for him....if the price is right!
Caleb and Eliza love to play with Dad's ipod. And he will gladly let them,... if they rub his feet. 1 minute of games on the ipod for every minute they rub his feet.
Sarah loves being read to. So, Dad will happily read aloud Junie B. Jones to her...as long as she rubs his feet.
And that's how it works around here. It's a deal.

 So....what would you rub Adam's feet for?

Sunshine and Snow!

Yesterday was the perfect combination of sunshine and snow.
So, we took Grandpa's snowmobiles, along with our sleds and snow boards up to Green's Peak. We rode the snowmobiles until we found the perfect hill. Then, with our own private ski lifts, we snow borded, and rode sleds to our hearts content. No crowds, no lift tickets, no bitter winds and frigid air. Just the sunshine, the snow, and each other! What a perfect day!

This is our summer camping spot. For those of you who are familiar with it, Grandpa Quist's bench is about a foot under where Adam is sitting!

Front to back: Eliza, Sarah and Nacho...I mean, Caleb!

Caleb is becoming quite the snow border and he informed us yesterday that he is training for the X-games!

It's True...

“I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly,
both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity—the pure love of Christ—will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness”
President Marion G Romney. (in Conference Report, Apr. 1980)

Caleb is a Bobcat!

We had a wonderful time at the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet a couple of weeks ago. The best part of the night was when Caleb advanced to Bobcat. In his pack, there is a tradition that when a cub scout becomes a bobcat they have to "bob" for their bobcat badge in a pie while everyone yells "Bob, bob,bob....". Caleb doesn't like getting "messy" but he was a good sport. He, along with his friend Ty both had to bob for their Bobcat badge and eventually they both got them.

Caleb did a great job earning this award within a couple of months of becoming a Cub Scout. Way to go Caleb!

A House Full of Kids.

I've always wanted a house full of kids.  I grew up in a family with lots of kids, seven to be exact. It seemed like there was always someone to play a game with, build a fort with, bake cookies with, and someone to talk with. It was impossible to feel lonely. At times it was crowded, loud, cluttered and chaotic. But it was fun. So that's what I wanted for my own kids.
Then, There came a point in my life when I wasn't sure if my home would have ANY kids. So, when the Trio miraculously came along, I was just grateful to have an arm full of kids, and I stopped worrying about my house being full of them.
But, sometimes it gets a little quiet around here...And I wish, not a real wish but just sort of a longing kind of wish that our house was full of kids.
Last Saturday night I realized that my wish comes true every once in a while.

Adam used to work with the scouts in our ward and even though he no longer works with them he is still friends with them. And they come over now and then and they bring their friends, and their brothers and sisters. At other times we have cousins over, or neighborhood friends. We watch movies, and play games, or just visit, and my house is full of kids!  And even though they aren't all mine, that's O.K.  because they're my friends, my kid's friends, and my friend's kids.They are my "brothers and sisters" and they are ALL children of our Heavenly Father.  And that is all that matters. My home is open to kids. It is safe here, it is fun here, and we feel the spirit here. Sometimes it gets a little loud, cluttered and chaotic....But I wouldn't have it any other way!

Getting ready to watch a movie with our young friends: Eliza, Jessica, Caleb, Arliss, Joseph, Abbie, Sarah, Seth,Ty, and Ryden.

"These boots were made for walking..."

Eliza got a pair of boots for Christmas. She pretty much wears them all the time. If we let her, she would sleep in them.

She Cracks me up!

Why I Blog...

"You will have significant experiences. I hope that you will write them down and keep a record of them, that you will read them from time to time and refresh your memory of those meaningful and significant things. Some may be funny. Some may be significant only to you. Some of them may be sacred and quietly beautiful. Some may build one upon another until they represent a lifetime of special experiences."


-Gordon B. Hinckley