Criags first football game

Saturday morning bright and early we had to be at the Caldwell High School at 8:00. Craig had gone out toilet papering with Riley and his friends and then spent the night at his house Friday night. Jody was totally brave to attempt this. They were there at their game with bells and whistles and played like champs. Craig was totally nervous about playing but once it started found out that it was no sweat..next time he wont have the butterflys...hopefully...they won the game and truly the team played great. Clint got to work the chain with Mark...a good friend of his since childhood...so that was great. Mark has a son on the team too. They had a great time and did a great job.:) Craigs games will all be on Wednesday night from now on so that will be interesting for me but we will work it out somehow. It is only for a short while and he is loving every minute of it!!!!

Homecoming Parade.......

Friday was the Homecoming parade and it was an eventful day for us. Clint got a 40 foot trailer from John Deere and a truck and pulled it through the parade with the Juniors, Amvbers class, on it. Clint really enjoyed it and was thankful that Amber asked him for help. He was thrilled to have the biggest truck and trailer there and so were the Juniors. When Clint pulled the horn on the truck it shocked everyone and the Juniors were so thrilled with the power they had....they definitely had the most people riding and the best spirit throughout....we all noticed that the other pickups didnt honk there horn after Clint had. We honked the whole way through the parade...it was a blast...we also went through over 40 lbs of candy and decided we needed even more....good grief this is a small town...what would it be like in Boise!!! Here are pictures to show the fun we had...it is very exciting to have kids in High School and we are so thankful that they enjoy us being involved!!!Thanks Amber and Heather!!!!
First the Juniors shining loud.............Amber & her crew worked hard on the float and did all of it...I think they did amazing!!!!

Next....the Freshman with Power..their float was pretty amazing for Freshman...thanks to Jeff and Jodie and many other parents

Now just random fun pictures.........we took a ton so we will spare you and do a few


Corey had a blast as usual..he wouldn't ride on the float with Amber no matter how hard she tried. He was too excited to ride with dad. He was totally worn..after the parade we went and cleaned the church and then went to Craigs football practice and then finally at 7:30 came home...when I looked back shortly after leaving to come home this is how I found him....

Lip Sync Competition

Today was Trojan Pride Day at the High School for Homecoming Week. Through out the day today the classes compete against eachother in different competitions. One of those competitions is the Lip Sync. Amber's class (the juniors) had a team, but what they had planned didn't work out and they all dropped out of it. Amber and Caitlyn decided 30 minutes before the competition to do something so their class didn't lose money. So this is what they did...and remember there was no planning or practice ahead of time.. :) You will have to scroll to the bottom of my screen to stop my music and then you will be able to here the video...turn it all the way up :)

More Homecoming..........

Last Night was the Powder puff Football game and it was so exciting!! We all had a ton of fun and enjoyed being there with tons of family and friends!! Amber played a ton and saw lots of action. She is crazy when it comes to this and gives it her all. She came home at noon yesterday not feeling well but you would have never known during the games. She did amazing and we are so proud of her. Her name was announced repeatedly over the loud speaker for things she was doing...she got a lot of tackles(well pull the flag for the girls :)). So...tons of pictures here but proves how much fun we all had.....


Amber has quite the fan club and we are so thankful for all the support she gets. There were quite a few other girls from the ward playing too. Great Friends are priceless!!!!

Most of these shots show the great action Amber showed...some are blurry I know but between them moving and getting dark I was having a hard time...I need some camera lessons!!!!

Just some more great pictures of the fun all the kids had with great friends!!!!

Heather getting ready for the game with friends....she didn't play football this year but she is a full supporter of her friends that played and Amber as well!!!

Heather and her friends going toiler papering one night this week...oh the endless fun they are having!!!

This was the whole group of people from the game walking through town, called the snake. They sing the fight song and walk to the basque center where they have a huge bonfire. Clint and the boys and I went home before they did this...it would have been fun but Craig still had a little homework and it was late for Corey. Next year!!! Heather and Amber had a great time....FUN FUN

Ok...this is it....the huge bonfire they enjoyed. They said it was soooo hot!!! Thanks Ali for the pictures of this part!!! I am glad they had so much fun and show such great Homedale and school spirit!! Hope they win the game tomorrow night!!!

Football practice....

Craig has practice for two hours every day which I usually try to just sit an read or something...rather than go home...Corey LOVES it cause he rides his bike around and has a ball. Sometimes Heather will tag along to keep me company which is great...this week has been crazy and not normal with Homecoming though...we are having fun though right:)!!!!!

By the way...Craig is still totally LOVING football...his first game is this Saturday...YIPEE...go Craig...we are proud of you!!

Homecoming Week in Homedale!!!!

This is Homecoming week in Homedale which means in this household it is pretty crazy with a few late nights of TPing and many other activities for the week. Now that we have two High Schoolers it is even more busy. Heather goes one way and Amber goes another....both working on the floats after school. Amber is doing powder puff while Heather is not this year. Amber is way more involved but Heather is getting there. This morning when I woke up and walked in the kitchen I had a flashback of my high school days...HaHa...to my surprise I saw Ambers hair rather wild...but not too uncommon for the 80's I told her. So funny to me. She is cute no matter how she does her hair. Today is wild hair day...imagine that we used to wear it like that everyday way back then...oh my!!! Amber and Heather were just about to leave for seminary when Craig got up and came wandering out...he passed Amber and then almost instantly quickly turned to look at her again...it was hilarious..he wasn't sure what was going on. Too Funny!!! High School is FUN!!! I am glad my kids are having a great time and great life:)

Bubble Wrap!!!!

Sunday morning Heather and Corey had a great time playing in the bubble wrap that Clint brought home from work. Corey loves to play with Heather and she is so patient with him. Somedays I would like to wrap him in bubble wrap and leave him there for a while....not gonna happen I dont think!!!

Sweet little guy.....ya right!!

Sure he looks all sweet when he is asleep but let me tell you.....I took Craig to football practice on Friday and I was just gonna drop him off..well I got visiting and ended up being 45 min. Corey decided he wanted to stay home with Amber and Amber thought that was fine. She was feeling well though and she fell asleep..remember I was only supposed to be 10-15 min. When I got home I found everything just fine...Corey was playing in his room...so I proceeded to clean the kitchen and get some things done...soon I hear Corey in my room...I went in to investigate and there he was on Clint side of the bed with a yardstick in hand getting ready to stir into his big pile of things he dumped out. He said he was making cupcakes!! He dumped...chocolate powder, baking powder, powdered sugar, sprinkles, red hot, dried onions, parsley, vitamins, and prob a few other things to make his cupcakes (with a dang yardstick) luckily I came in at this point or I may have walked into a poof all over the room. I couldn't find any of the containers and then I finally found them in the sheets of my bed...actually I was thankful he did this in the carpet and not in my bedsheets. Crazy boy!! He does get into mischief if I don't keep him busy...maybe it is time we do some more canning!!!

Tomatoes Anyone!!!

This year we planted a garden...it has been years since we have planted one. I wanted tomatoes and corn and that is all I really cared about. We planted 36 tomatoe plants...our neighbors gave us some pants after we already had our in...we never would have planted that many..oh my...they have really kept us in tomatoes. Corey and I canned 49 quarts of tomatoe juice the other day. He was such a helper and wouldnt stop helping me until I put the juicer away. He love the juicer and that was his job. He still keeps asking if we can get the juicer out and make some. Funny boy...he was so good...it was an all day project and he stuck by my side...even after Craig came home from school. I am sad that I did not get any picures of him juicing...my mind was not on pictures...anyway we took some after the job was done. Now we have to do mandrain sauce and salsa. I do like canning but it makes me think about how nice it is when my my is there to help...actually she does most of it I figured out...after 30 phone calls to her all day we got the job done!!

Football season

Football season is upon us...I do really love this time...I do love to watch football...even though I dont totally get it...I just love having it on whenever there is a game...Amber is our diehard fan though and she is so into it...she actually knows what is going on. Well, this year Craig decided to play football. He has never been on a team before and has never wanted to be...so we were all surprised. He is doing amazing and loves every minute of it!! He can't wait for practices and always has a HUGE smile on his face after practice. His first game will be next Saturday and we are excited for him. More pictures will follow Im sure!!

Tuesday was my birthday and it was a very nice day. I delivered flowers and then spent the morning with Mary. The Clint took me to lunch...we went to Chinese and it was very fun. Then I came home after getting the kids Sonic(of course) and took Craig to football practice. My next post will be about that. He is loving football. Then later we had cake...Ice Cream cake from Dairy Queen..yum yum. It was a great day and I enjoyed spending it with everyone. I got a new refrigerator but it was too big to fit so Clint had to trim the cupboards a bit...it has been crazy with a torn up kitchen lately..it will be done soon. Oh and my great friend Jamie gave me this beautiful tall glass vase and (are you ready for this) an IRON...too funny I know. She has taught Amber to iron and so Amber likes everything ironed now...which does look amazing I must say...just not my favorite job...but I believe that will be my new goal for this year of my life....to LOVE ironing :) thanks Jamie...you are the greatest :)

Labor day weekend

Labor day weekend we mostly worked around the farm getting things done before winter...we were going to go up to Alan's cabin but a few things broke down on the tractor which took Clint longer to fix and accomplish the things we had to so we were not able to go. Instead we went and spent the day with my sister, Mary and her family. They just bought a new home in Meridian so we went over and cleaned her yard. It had been four year since anyone lived there so the bushes and things were really overgrown. Clint took the chainsaw and we had plenty of trimmers and we went to work. It was way fun. They have tons of pavement---something that is a luxury to my children---so the boys had a blast riding bikes, rip sticks, and scooters. After we finished the yard...which looks amazing by the way....we went swimming in the neighborhood swimming pool. It was so fun...a little chilly but we enjoyed it. After that we went back to her house and had a BBQ. It was so incredibly fun and we had tons of laughs which I should mention here but probably wont...Mary, Heather, and I know and hopefully will always remember :)hehe!! I am irritated that I didn't take many pictures...only swimming ones. Mary took more I believe so I will have to get them from her. It was a blast and I am glad we had the fun day with Mary and Troy...thanks guys for the entertainment!!!! Oh, Amber went to Utah with Grandma and Grandpa so she had a really good time too. They went for a family reunion..they also went to Vegas. She had quite the travels and had a lot of fun seeing a few things...hopefully we will get some pictures soon from her little trip..thanks Grandma and Grandpa for taking her...she had a great time :)

Funtimes on the weekend!!

Robert occasionally ventures over here and this is something that he does often with the boys...the pictures are a bit blurry but I had to post them because they love it when Robert does this....I dont know how he can do it for as long as he does...I would be so dizzy....he is amazing and they love him to death!!!!

Corey and Craig love to make forts....they made one from the couch cusions but it was pretty fragile...Corey is not to careful so it kept falling. Craig was pretty proud of it when it would stay up though...I dont think they spent much time in it actually...they spent more time putting it together :) funny boys....

One of the most favorite pasttimes in this household is motorcycle riding!!!! Craigs friends love to come over and ride too. It is great that he has such great friends. I am so thankful!!! They rode pretty much all day on this particular day, which was last weekend. Craig went over to Rileys this weekend and rode all weekend over there too. Great times....Great friends :)

First day of School 2009

August 19th was the first day of school an came and went without too much excitement. We had some exciting first though. Craig started at the Junior High this year. It was a little scary for him and he was nervous to say the least but by the time he got home he was totally excited and decided he could handle it!!! Heather started High School this year. No worries for her....she wasn't nervous one bit...she didn't even bother to take a pencil or anything!!! Oh Heather what will we do with you!! I hope I survive Heather!!! Thankfully we have two more school years with Amber...she is truly loving life right now it seems. Corey and I are home together again and he is glued to my hip for the first few days. He is starting to get used to the kids being gone now...he misses them terribly and so do I for that matter. It is nice to be on a schedule though!! Here goes another year :)

Family Vacation!!!

So we finally went on a family vacation before school starts. It has been a few years since we have gone so it was great to get away!!!! We had a blast....just being away with everyone was so much fun!! We stayed at my brother Roberts in Kaysville, Utah. He was so great to let us crash his place. He has a beautiful home and we so much appreciate him. We were lucky enough that his kids were there as well so we got some quality cousin time in. Richard, Karen and 4 of their kids came down Saturday and Sunday so that was cool also. Lots of people in one place...with the Brinkerhoff...makes a interesting crazy time. We did have FUN!! Here are tons of pictures that we took.....thanks to Amber for making the pages so I didnt have to ....she is so much faster than me. My kids are the greatest for sure!!!

We got to Roberts early Thursday morn...like 1 a.m. - Thursday we started our vacation by driving out to Bear Lake and swimming. It is so beautiful and the water is so blue. You can walk out forever and still be pretty much wading...it is a great beach for kids...clean....well sandy of course but it was amazing :)



Friday we decided to ride the Frontrunner...a train that runs along the freeway...to Salt Lake City and go around Temple Square and the Gateway mall. The train ride was an adventure for us for sure. We rode it to the Salt Lake station and then you jump on another train...the Traxx...that takes you around town. You get off whatever stop you want along the way. We rode right to temple square. After temple square we went to the mall and ate lunch and did a little shopping...then we hopped on the train again and rode all around Salt Lake. We went clear up to Utah State and then back down. We were going to ride to Sandy on the next line but I think we were getting tired. That took about an hour...so we headed back to the Frontrunner and jumped on. We decided we would go a round trip on it...it is much faster. After looking at the schedule we figured out it would be more than an hour on that train. Corey started to get a little tired and ready to run around so we decided we would not do that. It surely was an adventure though :) Im sure we were quite the show to everyone :)



So Saturday...another adventure...Robert, all his kids, Richard, Karen and a few of his kids were all together...we decided to go swimming in the subdivision pool. it opened at 11 so we were there promptly only to find that it was closed...bummer...so the kids played on the playground for awhile and then left. Our family went and toured an open house that was down the street. When we got done we noticed the pool maintenance guy and found the pool open now so we called everyone and they all came back and we swam ALL day. We had lunch there. Later that night we went and got pizza and went to another park and ate and had fun playing. Then home to have a movie night...(which we did every night we were at Roberts)...he had a projector and it shows the movie on the wall...Just like a movie theater...SO FUN!!!








Sunday we went to church with Robert. Richard left later that evening and then we celebrated Brittney's birthday. Robert made an excellant cake....:) Even though Karen didnt have too much faith in him....they left before they got to taste it...they should have stayed... HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRITT!!!!

Monday.....YES...Lagoon time. Robert was taking his kids to Lagoon on Monday so we waited and went with them. It was really fun. We kinda all went our own ways but it was fun to meet up now and then. The kids had an amazing time!! Corey was crazy and loved every minute. He wanted to ride all the big kid rides.. he just knew he was big enough..he was so cute...We stayed until they closed at 10:00 p.m. Corey rode rides up to the last minute...he wasnt crazy about the lines or sharing a seat with someone...but he did great!!








We left Tuesday morning at 5 a.m. for the trek home. We start school on Wednesday so we needed some of Tuesday for a rest. I am so glad we went and I am so thankful for Robert. He was great and it was fun to spend time with him. We had the greatest vacation and the kids are already talking about going back to Roberts. Thanks to Robert!!!! We owe you!!!!